The counters inside were manned by Tibetans, whose smiles stretched an extra inch on spotting us. 'India? Good, good' was the most common greeting as we walked into these shops. India, I learnt, has enormous goodwill in these parts -- a large part of it owing to the fact that India gave the world the Buddha, and the religion he founded, which the locals revere as a way of life.

The shops were full of consumer items, and a large part of them appeared to be of Indian origin: Incense sticks, CDs of Bollywood movies, handicrafts, stone carvings, readymade garments. A sample survey of the merchandize clearly indicated that the Indian entertainment industry has Tibet in its thrall.

The signs on the roads, in the shops, everywhere, were in Chinese and Tibetan -- the former in large type, the Tibetan equivalent in smaller sizes. You didn't need to know the language to sense that beauty seemed to be the biggest industry in Lhasa -- Herbal shops and beauty parlours abounded, each offering 'guaranteed' cures for almost every imaginable ailment.

They have the knack of packaging and presentation down to the pat, the marketing is designed to tempt -- as you take it all in, you find yourself wishing that India showed similar savvy in marketing Ayurveda, giving it that surface gloss that attracts the mass market.

Beggars abound, as do peasants. The former try to attract your attention and talk you into giving them a few coins, while the latter seemed largely engaged in small enterprises such as cycle repair, selling vegetables, or coaxing passers-by to patronise their roadside 'shops' devoted to Tibetan prayer wheels and beads with Om Mani Padme Hum inscribed on them.

Image: A shopping mall in Lhasa

Also see: Karnataka Tibetan camp wears a deserted look

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