Current Affairs
From Dharamshala to Kathmandu, exiled Tibetan monks scattered across the Himalayan region have celebrated Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s 87th birthday.
In the north Indian town of McLeod-ganj, Dharamshala - where the exiled Tibetan leader has been residing since 1959 after fleeing his homeland following a failed Tibetan uprising against the Chinese rule - Hollywood actor Richard Gere stole the limelight as he participated in a cake-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning, reports say.
In Kathmandu, hundreds of Tibetan monks, community members and their Nepali and international friends, including western and eastern diplomats, participated in a ceremony held at a Tibetan neighbourhood in Jawalakhel to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday.
Nepal is home to around 20,000 Tibetans, most of whom followed their spiritual leader into exile but remain in different Himalayan districts of Nepal – in addition to Kathmandu and Pokhara valleys - for various reasons.
In Dharamshala, India, besides visiting Hollywood star Richard Gere, who is a staunch follower of Tibetan Buddhism, several leading politicians including the Chief Minister of Himachal Jairam Thakur and Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed birthday wishes to the highly respected Buddhist monk, the ANI news agency reports.
"Purely religious"
In Jawalakhel, the ceremony was held amidst tight security, with dozens of policemen guarding the area as monks, diplomats and journalists descended for the celebration. In all, around 1,000 people attended the celebration that started with a group of Tibetan school children singing Nepali national anthem – sainyou thunga phoolka haami…
Members of Tibetan community celebrate birthday of Dalai Lama in Kathmandu. pic.twitter.com/sF4GzLDEKI
— Saloni Murarka (@murarka_saloni) July 6, 2022
A Tibetan community leader told journalists that the celebration was “purely religious” - and not at all political. The government of Nepal maintains it strictly follows “one China policy” and officially bans all kinds of protests against Chinese rule in Tibet.
Revered by Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhists, the 14th Dalai Lama’s real name is Tenzin Gyatso. He was born on July 6, 1935, in a small village named Taktser in northeastern Tibet’s Amdo region. His official website says he “describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk”.
Often seen traveling around the world after beginning is life-in-exile, the Dalai Lama has wooed many people and won many fans and followers, including Hollywood celebrities, with his simple spiritual advices and solutions to a myriad problems facing humanity.
