Self-immolation, some argue, is a non-violent form of protest because it does not seek to harm the adversary. Contrary to the common perception of it being a result of misery and hopelessness, self-immolation protests, its proponents argue, symbolise a politics of hope. A secular, not religious, hope. For this hope is not for a religious martyrdom that will guarantee a luxurious post-death berth in some arcadian heaven. In fact, goes the argument, this is a secular hope that a sacrifice of one’s own life will bring change within the political system that governs the collective or at least mobilise world opinion against the brutality of the Chinese government. The fact that Tibet is back in the international news and the exiles in India and the West are galvanizing their movement in solidarity with the self-immolating protesters indicates that the acts are already having some impact. But at what cost? Does any of this makes the key demand of Tibetans inside Tibet - the return of the Dalai Lama and the right to be treated with dignity - closer to fruition?