Celebrating His Holiness: A Tribute from #India

Celebrating His Holiness: A Tribute from India
Friends and admirers extol His message of peace, compassion and universal brotherhood

 “I believe 95% of India is secular and tolerant. Being followers of ahimsa,
Indians hold these values close to their heart.”

— His Holiness The Dalai Lama

New Delhi, 4 January 2016: A day-long event to commemorate the 80^th Birth Anniversary of His Holiness The Dalai Lama was organised at The Oberoi, New Delhi today. The event featured tributes by eminent personalities from various domains, including Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Karan Singh, Shri LK Advani, Shri P Chidambaram, Shri Ram Jethmalani, Shri Kailash Satyarthi, Shri Najeeb Jang, Ms Sharmila Tagore, Ms Aruna Roy, Shri Ramchandra Guha, Shri Fali Nariman and Shri Analjit Singh. The event also featured a musical tribute by sarod virtuosos Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan. A photo exhibition also highlighted images of His Holiness’s life in India.

 Speaking about India on the occasion, His Holiness The Dalai Lama said: “I believe 95% of India is secular and tolerant. Being followers ofahimsa, Indians hold these values close to their heart.”

 His Holiness further added: “We need a sense of oneness of humanity. We need to pay more attention to our inner values and inner consciousness. Now the time has come to pay more attention to ancient morals [since] there is a moral crisis in the world.” His Holiness also spoke about his three commitments. Commitment one was to foster genuine compassion; commitment two was to promote religious harmony and ahimsa (non-violence); while commitment three was to preserve and create awareness about Tibetan ecology and culture. 

 Though His Holiness turned 80 in July 2015, His Followers in India were unable to commemorate this important milestone earlier. As Rajiv Mehrotra, noted writer, broadcaster and trustee – Foundation for Universal Responsibility, noted, “His Holiness has often described Himself and the Tibetans as chelas of India. He refers to India as ‘Guru’. In reality, it is the other way around. His Holiness has not only brought back Buddhism to the land of its birth but embodies the highest aspirations of our civilization’s heritage. His presence has enriched us in incalculable ways. We never had a chance to pay a formal tribute to Him during this important milestone. Some of his friends and admirers in India are therefore coming together to do so today and wish him a long, healthy life.”

 Analjit Singh, Founder Max India Group, and one of the key people involved in the organizing of this event said, “A group of around 30 followers of His Holiness met in July this year and the idea of an event emerged to pay tributes to His Holiness’s outstanding contribution towards promotion of non-violence, human rights, inter-faith dialogue, environmental awareness and secularism.” 

 His Holiness came to India in 1959. He has constantly advocated restraint and struggled in a peaceful manner to achieve His objective. Honoured with the Nobel Prize for Peace, He is greatly admired for His delightful sense of humour and down-to-earth approach while dealing with various issues. His views, opinions and teachings have made a profound impact on numerous individuals from a cross section of society.

 Shri LK Advani, one of the speakers at the event said, “We have always shared bonds of affection and mutual respect. Wherever He goes, He is loved by all.” Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung said His Holiness was, “The greatest exponent of inter-faith dialogue”, while former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said, “His Holiness is a gift of God to humanity.”

 Tempa Tsering, the representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, said, “His Holiness has the strongest respect and regard for India and her people. At various international forums he always talks about Indian’s diversity, tolerance and its rich heritage. His Holiness always asserts that spiritually Indians are our guru, because Tibetans are Buddhists and Buddhism comes from India.”