Author

Jyotsna Roy

Social scientist with over four decades of experience in institutional

Jyotsna Roy is a social scientist with over four decades of experience in institutional and social development, mostly in post-conflict countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East and Southern Africa, serving as a team leader and expert with multilateral and bilateral organisations. As an advocate for the Tibet cause, she is currently the National Treasurer of the India Tibet Friendship Society (ITFS). Jyotsna has been a member of the "Organising Committee for the Tenshug Offering, 2026", and served as editor of the commemorative souvenir. Ritual as action here refers to understanding ritual not just as symbolic or devotional expression, but as a practice that produces social and political effects. It becomes a way through which collective identity is affirmed, ethical commitments are expressed, and continuity is sustained, especially where formal institutional or diplomatic avenues are limited. Embodied presence refers to people being physically present together in a shared space, where meaning, commitment, and social relations are expressed through participation. It highlights that engagement is not only symbolic but also involves being visibly and collectively present.