Dharamshala: The 91st birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama was celebrated with devotion and enthusiasm across the Tibetan community on Monday. While the principal birthday ceremony was held at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, where His Holiness is currently on a visit, special celebrations also took place at the Tsuglagkhang Monastery in McLeod Ganj, the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
In McLeod Ganj, the Central Tibetan Administration organized a grand commemorative programme at the Tsuglagkhang Monastery complex. Kangra Deputy Commissioner Hem Raj Bairwa attended the event as the chief guest and joined thousands of Tibetans, local residents, and international supporters in celebrating the occasion.
The programme commenced with the singing of the Tibetan and Indian national anthems, followed by a ceremonial cake-cutting. Tibetan artists presented traditional cultural performances, while senior leaders of the Tibetan exile community addressed the gathering and highlighted the Dalai Lama’s lifelong commitment to peace, compassion, and non-violence.
Large number of the Tibetan exile community, along with Indian well-wishers and foreign devotees, assembled at the Tsuglagkhang Monastery to offer prayers for the Dalai Lama’s long life, good health, and continued guidance. A series of religious and cultural programmes are also being organized at the monastery to mark the occasion.
Meanwhile, the main birthday celebrations were held in Leh, Ladakh, where the Dalai Lama personally attended the event amid large gatherings of devotees and well-wishers.
Expressing their joy, some Tibetan said they were delighted to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday and prayed for his good health, long life, and continued blessings. Foreign followers also joined the celebrations, offering prayers and extending their best wishes to the revered spiritual leader
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.
