Dharamshala: Spiritual leader of the Tibetans, The Dalai Lama has written to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressing concern and sadness over the damage and loss of life due to the heavy monsoon in Himachal Pradesh.
The Dalai Lama, who is currently on a sojourn at Shewatsel, Leh in Ladakh, wrote that he has been moved by reports of excessively heavy monsoon rains that have caused the loss of precious life, as well as damage to property and infrastructure in several parts of Himachal Pradesh, bringing great hardship to many people.
“I offer my condolences to you, to the families who have lost loved ones, and to all those affected by this devastation. I pray for them. I appreciate that the State Government and other agencies are doing their utmost to provide relief to people affected by these calamitous conditions,” he wrote.
“As I hope you know, I naturally feel a particular affinity for the people of Himachal Pradesh, which has been my home for more than sixty years. As a token of our solidarity with the people of Himachal Pradesh, our friends and neighbours, the Dalai Lama Trust is making a donation to relief and rescue efforts,” the Dalai Lama wrote.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
