Latest news with #Dharamshala
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Tibetans in exile condemn TAR official's remark on China having final say on Dalai Lama's reincarnation
Dharamshala (Himachal PrTibetans in exile, including senior leaders, activists, and officials of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), on Sunday strongly condemned a recent statement made by a Tibetan official from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), claiming that the Chinese government has the final say in the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama. They refuted these statements and labelled the official as a "Chinese puppet" while asserting that the decision rests solely with the Dalai Lama himself. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Tibetan exiles argued that such interference undermines religious freedom and Tibet's cultural traditions, categorically rejecting the legitimacy of such statements and labelling the official a mere mouthpiece of Chinese propaganda. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Photos Captured the Exact Wrong Moment Read More Undo A prominent Tibetan writer and activist, Tsundue called the TAR official a "Chinese puppet" and emphasised that the Dalai Lama is the overall representative of the Tibetan community and tradition. Tenzin Tsundue, a prominent Tibetan writer and activist, told ANI, "The moment you say 'Tibetan official', it's a misnomer. A person who is just Tibetan by blood and culture doesn't represent the Tibetan inspiration, culture, or tradition. Here, what is called Tibetan actually represents the Chinese government; therefore, he represents Chinese propaganda. Truly, it is his holiness the Dalai Lama whom we, both Tibetans inside and outside, look up to unanimously as the overall representative of the Tibetan community and the tradition that he upholds. Therefore, the final say about the reincarnation of his holiness the Dalai Lama rests solely on what his holiness has to say. We all wait for him to make the decision, and that decision will be respected and carried out by Tibetans inside and outside and all those who follow Tibetan Buddhism around the world." Live Events The controversy arose after the TAR official's comments, which align with Beijing's long-standing position on controlling the selection process of Tibetan spiritual leaders, triggering widespread outrage within the global Tibetan community. The Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile , Dolma Tsering, accused the TAR official of parroting China's narrative and questioned China's legitimacy to control Tibet. "The official of the Tibet Autonomous Region has parroted what China is trying to sell to the world. By claiming ownership of selecting or electing the Golden Urn, they do not thereby make the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama their own. Due to reincarnation, the personality is that of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He has stated that he will be born in a free country, implying that for him, being born in Tibet necessitates Tibet's freedom. It should have freedom of expression. It should have human rights available there... People should have the freedom to visit their people within Tibet. At present, Tibet is the biggest prison in the world. So if somebody says it's our responsibility and we have the full authority, I just want to ask them, please, to justify their legitimacy to control Tibet first, because their invasion of Tibet in 1959 was against the UN conventions and resolutions. So first justify that, and justify why you say Tibet has been a part of China since antiquity," she stated. The official spokesperson of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile , Tenzin Lekshay, highlighted China's lack of religious legitimacy and stated that the Chinese government has no role to play in the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. "Recently, a Tibetan official from the so-called TAR region has expressed that the Chinese authority has a final say on the reincarnation of His Holiness. It is historically not true, and the Chinese government, the People's Republic of China, is being run by the communist regime, which does not believe in religion. So a person or a government or any institution that doesn't believe in religion - how can they interfere in a matter which is concerned with religious tradition so therefore there is no way that the Chinese government has a legitimate role to play in the reincarnation of his Holiness and His Holiness has categorically mentioned many times that the final say on the reincarnation of his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, will be with his Holiness himself and not with any other institution or individual and that includes China," he told ANI. Lekshay added that such statements from Tibetan officials under Chinese influence are deliberate tactics by Beijing to gain perceived legitimacy. "There are a bunch of Tibetan officials in the Chinese communist cadres, and they are in the ransom files, but they are also under Chinese pressure. Do they have the right to say what they feel about? I doubt it. Therefore, China has deliberately made sure that a Tibetan comes in the face to say that the final say goes with the Chinese government; otherwise, there is no legitimacy on the Chinese part, so it's a deliberate attempt from the Chinese side. Because that's what they have; they have no other resort but to let in the Tibetans to talk about it," he added. The Dalai Lama, who has recently celebrated his 90th birthday, had previously indicated that his reincarnation could occur outside Chinese-controlled territory to preserve the institution's integrity. On July 2, the Dalai Lama stated that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a foundation established by him, can only recognise future reincarnations, and no one else has the authority to decide on the matter. This statement rules out any say for China in the process of naming the next Dalai Lama.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
CM Sukhu, Dharamshala MLA engage in ugly war of words over Rs 51L donation
Shimla: Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's comments against BJP MLA , claiming that the Rs 51 lakh recently donated by the Dharamshala legislator to disaster-affected people in Mandi could be the same money received to switch parties last year, took an ugly turn on Friday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Hitting back at the CM, Sharma remarked on social media: "The one who has bought the chair himself sees everything for sale." A former town and country planning minister in the Congress govt, Sharma was among the six rebel Congress MLAs who joined the BJP on March 23, 2024. Responding to a media query on whether other MLAs should also come forward like Sharma, who donated Rs 51 lakh to disaster-affected people in Mandi, the CM had said: "Now we will have to see whether these Rs 51 lakh are those which were taken to change the party. I will have to see whether these Rs 51 lakh were withdrawn from the bank." The CM also clarified that the state govt had taken the incident of throwing shoes by the BJP workers at revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi's official vehicle carrying the "Taranga" seriously and could not accept insults to the Tricolour. However, if any innocent person has been named in the FIR, he will not be harassed, he added. Shortly after, the Dharamshala MLA Sharma took to social media, tagged the video of the chief minister's statement, and commented: "He is suffering from Sudhirphobia, by the way, calling the Tiranga a 'Taranga' is also an insult to the Tricolour. The one who has bought the chair himself sees everything for sale. Sudhir Sharma is not afraid of poor mentality, I feel pity for him. The officer standing next to him who is showing the teeth is the one who routed Rs 1 crore in my by-election from Chandigarh, there is proof. " The matter did not stop there, as Sharma, in another social media post, attacked the chief minister by mentioning: "Apni biwi ke upchunaav mein Kangra Bank ke paise kisane baante? Khud miyaan fazeehat, auron ko naseehat. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now (Who distributed Kangra Bank's money during his wife's by-election? The man himself is disgraced, and is giving advice to others)." Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur had won the bypoll from the Dehra legislative assembly constituency in Kangra district in July last year. The opposition BJP had levelled serious allegations even inside the Vidhan Sabha that the Congress govt had disbursed Rs 50,000 each to two mahila mandals a day ahead of the July 10, 2024 bypoll in Dehra. MSID:: 123188592 413 |
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Travel and Trade Fair Kolkata 2025: Dharamshala hotel body leads Himachal's representation
The Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala has taken the lead to ensure the representation of the state's tourism industry at the Travel and Trade Fair (TTF) Kolkata 2025. The association has also urged the Himachal Pradesh government to resume participation in future trade shows and tourism expos. (File) Travel and Trade Fairs (TTFs) are held throughout the year across various cities in India, serving as important platforms for tourism promotion and industry networking. 'Himachal Pradesh Tourism has traditionally participated in these fairs — including the prestigious TTF Kolkata — with enthusiastic representation from hoteliers and tourism stakeholders across the state. This year, however, the Himachal Pradesh government has opted not to participate in TTF Kolkata 2025. In response, the Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala has taken the lead to ensure that the state's tourism industry continues to have a strong presence,' the association said. The association has also urged the Himachal Pradesh government to resume participation in future trade shows and tourism expos. Ashwani Bamba, president of Dharamshala's Hotel and Restaurant Association, said, 'Government support is crucial to the continued promotion of quality tourism, and the integration of digital marketing strategies that effectively showcase Himachal's offerings to a wider audience,' the association said.
France 24
08-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
The real-world impacts of the Dalai Lama's remarks on his succession
The Dalai Lama – spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism – turned 90 on Sunday and celebrated in the small Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where he has lived in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959. Thousands of admirers and followers of the Nobel peace laureate attended the event, including Indian ministers and even Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who called the Dalai Lama, "the most extraordinary man to have ever walked on this planet", in an emotional speech that was met with thunderous applause. Dancers celebrated the 90-year-old in traditional Tibetan garb dyed in the emblematic blue, yellow, red, and white colours of the Tibetan flag, against a backdrop of deodar cedars native to the Indian-governed Himalayan region. But an undercurrent of political tension ran through the week-long celebrations. The spiritual leader announced earlier in the week that his successor, the 15 th Dalai Lama, would be his reincarnation, following centuries old Tibetan tradition. He stated that his office in India, The Ganden Phodrang Trust, will have "sole authority" to select his successor. The lengthy and secretive process would likely mean tracking down a child reincarnation over the span of many years. The seemingly arcane and esoteric question of the Dalai Lama's spiritual succession does in fact carry serious real-world consequences. While the Dalai Lama said this past week that he would like to live for 30-40 more years, it's likely that the global Tibetan community will at some point in the not-so-distant future have to bid their beloved leader farewell. The selection of the next Dalai Lama isn't just a matter of enormous importance to millions of Tibetan Buddhists scattered across the globe, it also plays an important strategic role in Indo-Chinese relations, which hold long-term significance for the future of Asian and global affairs. A thorn in Indo-China relations Tibet came under Chinese control after a seven-and-a-half-month-long annexation that ended in 1951. Ideologically, for the CCP, Tibet belonged to China since the Qing dynasty seized its land in the 18 th century. China believed the people within Tibet's theocracy needed to be "liberated" and reintegrated into the mainland. There were also economic and strategic gains involved. The high-altitude cold desert holds geopolitical importance, and Beijing's seizure of Tibet and its vast pool of resources – from rare earths and minerals to untapped water and energy sources – helped drive China's economic growth. The Tibetan diaspora first made their way to India en masse eight years after the annexation, during the 1959 Lhasa uprising, which was spurred by the fear that the Mao Zedong -led Chinese government wanted to arrest the Dalai Lama. About 100,000 Tibetan Buddhists followed the Dalai Lama to India in the first exodus, with thousands more joining him there as the years went on. India's Prime Minister at the time, Jawaharlal Nehru, met the spiritual leader and agreed to provide him and his followers with asylum. But according to Claude Arpi, a historian specialising in Tibet, India didn't provide much else. "India will never support Tibet openly and politically, unless there are some truly exceptional circumstances," he says. "But, they have provided some support, allowing the Dalai Lama to educate his people and keep the culture alive." Beijing consistently labelled the Dalai Lama a separatist rebel for his continued campaign for an autonomous Tibet. But he amassed significant global support in exile, particularly after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Political analysts say the Dalai Lama's presence in India gives New Delhi a measure of leverage with rival Beijing. Many call it India's "Tibet card": the threat that India would formally support the Tibetan desire for autonomy. But Aadil Brar, a defence and geopolitical analyst based in Taipei, says that that card is getting weaker: "It's true that India's rise has made the issue more important, but India is sending conflicting signals. On the one hand, there is soft support, but the government is questioning the 'return on investment' it has made for the Tibetan community." Indeed, India formally recognised Tibet as a part of China in 2003 to allow China-India bilateral relations to move forward. The agreement recognised that the Xizang Autonomous Region (the official Chinese name for Tibet) is part of the territory of the People's Republic of China and India would not allow Tibetans to engage in political activities against China in India. The region's two superpowers already have a strained relationship and volatile, fragile border with regular skirmishes occurring along the almost 4,000 km long Line of Actual Control. Some have called for India to play the "Tibet card" in recent years, but it would undeniably only escalate tensions between the world's two most populous countries, together accounting for almost 40 per cent of the global population. But Arpi says that while India's stance has remained cool, the Tibetan community under the leadership of the Dalai Lama has managed to keep its culture alive: "You can hear the language, you can see stupas, prayer flags and monasteries all over India – in Ladakh, Himachal and Sikkim – but no more in the Tibetan homeland." Many Indians also revere the Dalai Lama. Kiren Rijiju, India's minister of minority affairs and a practising Buddhist, sat right next to him at his birthday celebrations and explicitly expressed support for the announcement of his succession, saying that the spiritual leader alone had the right to make the decision. He clarified later that this was a personal opinion, not an official government stance, but it sparked fury from Beijing. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his wishes for the Dalai Lama, prompting China to warn India not to interfere in matters concerning Tibet. Two Dalai Lamas China has been censoring all posts and images in support of the Dalai Lama in China. Brar says that they likely came prepared with a state-approved plan of action and response to the inevitable controversy stirred up during the Dalai Lama's landmark birthday. 'China has invested a lot in Tibet to maintain stability and create new economies, and it has certainly developed the region. Controlling the land – which is vast, rural, and very difficult to control – has been an expensive challenge for China, so it's equally important now for the state to control the narrative," he says. The Chinese state has realised that in order to manage dissent and separatism, it's essential to gain narrative control of a culture that is so linguistically, ethnically and culturally distinct from the mainland. To achieve that, it will likely select its own Dalai Lama after the death of the incumbent Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhist succession. 12:48 The Chinese ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, in response to the support from Indian government officials supporting the Dalai Lama, said on X, "The reincarnation and succession of the Dalai Lama is inherently an internal affair of China. The Chinese government upholds the principle of independence and self-governance in religious affairs and administers the reincarnation of Living Buddhas, including that of the Dalai Lama, in accordance with the law. No interference by any external forces will be allowed." Brar points to a recent "signed" (state-approved) paper by Chinese state media outlet the Global Times, which provides a pointwise explanation of how a Beijing-approved Dalai Lama will be selected. The paper states that 'the management of Tibetan Buddhism affairs is a key responsibility of the central government', adding details of the selection system laid out by the 1793 Qing government, which states that reincarnation of Living Buddhas had to follow the procedure of "drawing lots from the golden urn". The Chinese foreign ministry reiterated that Beijing's top brass must approve the reincarnation. The People's Republic of China officially identifies as an atheist state, which makes this decision to give Tibetans a state-approved spiritual leader even more curious. Arpi says that in this case, geopolitics is a game of culture as much as it is of politics, and that Beijing hopes that providing a new spiritual leader will lessen dissent and protest among the Tibetan community. "China did manage to control and develop Tibet, but they never managed to win over the community. Tibetans cannot freely practise their religion, which is a very central part of the identity. So that's why China believes that if they can control the Dalai Lama, they can control the hearts of Tibetans," says Arpi. However, China's Dalai Lama will undoubtedly represent a Sinicized Buddhism, one that Tibetans in exile (and even within the country) will not easily accept. The current Dalai Lama has a following that extends well beyond Tibet, and even beyond Buddhism, meaning that the likelihood of a second spiritual leader being accepted outside China is low. In his book "Voice for the Voiceless", released in March 2025, the Dalai Lama said his successor would be born in the "free world", outside China. That statement, along with his recent declaration that the centuries-old tradition of succession through reincarnation would continue in the hands of his Gaden Phodrang Trust, based in India, has assured that China's Dalai Lama will not be left unchallenged. 'It's not a region that China can just let be. There's a generation still alive that remembers the Dalai Lama before his exile, and tradition and oral history continues to exist. Their memory cannot be wiped out,' says Brar. But Arpi says that even if the trust finds the next Dalai Lama soon, it could take a decade or longer to train him in a way that would enable him to have any real influence over the community. "This is a significant amount of time for China to assert its influence," he says, adding that there's also a danger that support from India will decline after the death of the incumbent, depending on where the Dalai Lama is born. On the other hand, if the successor is found inside India, it could aggravate neighbouring China even further and force the state to take a stand. But while the question of succession within the Tibetan community holds immense importance, Arpi says that the current Dalai Lama has created a resistance movement that remains strong. "It's what he represents that is more difficult to erase."
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dalai Lama marks his 90th birthday as crowds throng his home-in-exile
Thousands of people gathered in India's Dharamshala on Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama – a key milestone in the life of the spiritual leader and Nobel Peace laureate known for his message of compassion and his quest for greater freedoms for Tibet under Beijing's rule. Undeterred by heavy monsoon rain and thick fog, crowds dressed in their finery packed the narrow streets from early morning and queued in droves hoping to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama at the Tsuklakhang Tibetan Buddhist complex. Hundreds of hopeful attendees were left waiting to see if they would be allowed into the temple, which reached full capacity before the festivities began and was heavily manned by Indian police and security personnel. Masked dancers in traditional outfits twirled to the sounds of gongs, pipes and horns as the Dalai Lama was led into the complex by two attendants. Indian government ministers spoke at the event, as well as Hollywood actor Richard Gere, a longtime supporter of the Dalai Lama. Singing performances filled the courtyard as the Dalai Lama was served a slice of his birthday cake, topped with fresh fruit and a white lily. The gathering marked the culmination of a days-long celebration that brought supporters and spiritual heads to the small city in India's Himalayan foothills, which has served as the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and home of the Dalai Lama since he fled Tibet during a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese communist rule. Many had traveled far to join the celebration, such as Namgyal Dorjee Gongpa, from New Jersey in the United States. The 49-year-old, at the celebration with his wife and three sons, told CNN: 'This is a very momentous occasion for myself and my family.' 'Every year, we take trips to India, which is the epicenter of the exile Tibetan setup so that my kids who are born in a foreign country… get back to their roots and learn and live their culture. So this is a great occasion because we can all take part in the celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday.' In a birthday message on X, the Dalai Lama emphasized the importance of 'achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate.' Woven into his reflections was a pledge to continue promoting human values, religious harmony, ancient Indian wisdom and Tibetan culture, which 'has so much potential to contribute to the world.' At a ceremony on Saturday, as attendees prayed for his long life, he assured them of his 'great physical condition' and raised his longevity goal to 130, two decades beyond his previous prediction. As he was led out the temple, video showed the Dalai Lama gently swaying to more live music, before continuing outside and leaving on his golf cart. This year's festivities carry heightened significance as a stage for the charismatic leader to address the looming question of what happens after his death. In a video message to religious elders on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama announced that he will have a successor after his death, and affirmed that his office has the 'sole authority' to recognize his future reincarnation. 'No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,' the Dalai Lama said in his recorded message. The statement sets the stage for a struggle over his succession between Tibetan Buddhist leaders in exile and China's atheist Communist Party, which insists it alone holds the authority to approve the next dalai lama. The Dalai Lama's announcement was welcomed by many Tibetan Buddhists, who had been waiting for his decision on whether the centuries-old institution would end with his death – a question he had earlier said he would re-evaluate around his 90th birthday. Speaking from the crowds, Tenzin Nyidon, 26, originally from Odisha, eastern India, told CNN she holds his reincarnation 'with deep respect' and raised concerns over China's 'attempts to politicize' this process. 'I feel that he has thoughtfully considered the future and made it clear that the decision will be guided by the Tibetan people and Buddhist traditions and not by any external political interference,' she added. 'At the same time, like many Tibetans, I do have concerns about China's attempts to politicize the reincarnation process by potentially appointing its own dalai lama… Their appointment of a dalai lama would not only be a distortion of our faith but also a strategy to undermine Tibetan identity.' Tibetan Buddhists believe in the circle of rebirth, and that when an enlightened spiritual master like the Dalai Lama dies, he will be able to choose the place and time of his rebirth through the force of compassion and prayer. But the religious tradition has increasingly become a battleground for the control of Tibetan hearts and minds, and experts expect that Beijing will seek to establish its own dalai lama after the current one – part of the Comunist Party's campaign to 'sinicize' religion to ensure it aligns with Communist Party leadership and maintain its tightening grip over Tibet. The Dalai Lama has previously stated that his successor will be born in the 'free world' outside China, urging his followers to reject any candidate selected by Beijing. Asked about the Dalai Lama's latest statement on his reincarnation, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday reiterated Beijing's long-held stance that the spiritual leader's reincarnation must comply with Chinese laws and regulations, with search and identification conducted in China and approved by the central government. Beijing has long sought to discredit the Dalai Lama and claims he is a dangerous 'separatist.' Since the 1970s, however, the Dalai Lama has maintained that he no longer seeks full independence for Tibet, but 'meaningful' autonomy that would allow Tibetans to preserve their distinct culture, religion and identity. His commitment to the nonviolent 'middle way' approach has earned him international support and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. As China's political and economic clout has grown, however, the Dalai Lama's global influence appears to be waning, especially as old age makes it difficult to sustain his extensive globe-trotting. The spiritual leader has not met a sitting US president since Barack Obama in 2016, after numerous visits to the White House since 1991. On his birthday, however, heartfelt messages poured in from world leaders, politicians, lawmakers and artists in a video played at the event and compiled by Tibet TV, run by the Tibetan government-in-exile. Obama wished a 'very happy birthday to the youngest 90-year-old I know,' and thanked the Dalai Lama for his friendship. 'You've shown generations what it means to practice compassion and speak up for freedom and dignity. Not bad for someone who describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk,' he added. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement on X which was read at the event : 'I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. 'He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline. His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his continued good health and long life.' In an official statement, also read at the event, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed support for efforts to preserve Tibetans' heritage, 'including their ability to freely choose and venerate religious leaders without interference.'
