CHANDIGARH: One Union Minister, two Chief Ministers and a Cabinet Minister from Karnataka will address the main event marking the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama in McLeodganj on June 6. Meanwhile, the United States is also likely to be represented on the occasion. The event will witness the launch of the “Year of Compassion”.
Golden Globe-winning Hollywood veteran Richard Tiffany Gere has already joined the ongoing week-long celebrations, which have begun ahead of the main event.
As per the programme schedule, the central event of the 90th birthday celebrations will be held on June 6 at the main temple (Tsuglagkhang), Dharamshala. The Chief Guest will be Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who will address the gathering.
Alongside him, other key speakers include Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and Karnataka Minister for Home Affairs Dr Gangadharaiah. All three will serve as Guests of Honour.
In addition, the gathering will also be addressed by Special Guest Tashi Gyalson, Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.
Introductory remarks will be delivered by the Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, and the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile will also speak on the occasion. A biography of the Dalai Lama is also scheduled to be released during the event.
Hollywood veteran Richard Tiffany Gere, who is also the Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet and a long-time supporter of the Tibetan cause, has arrived in McLeodganj along with his son, Homer James Jigme Gere, to take part in the spiritual and cultural festivities. The father-son duo attended a significant religious ceremony at the Nechung Drayangling Monastery in Gangchen Kyishong.
Sources have claimed that the United States is likely to be represented by Bethany Poulos Morrison, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) for India and Bhutan in the State Department.
Last year, a US Congressional delegation had visited Dharamshala to meet the Dalai Lama, which included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among others.
On 30 June, at Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple in Dharamshala, the Dalai Lama made a brief public appearance and reaffirmed his dedication to peace, compassion, and service to the Tibetan people and the broader global community. The celebrations have drawn numerous interfaith leaders, underlining the Dalai Lama’s influence beyond Buddhism.