By Tenzin Sangmo
New Delhi, June 18 – Saka Dawa (15th day of the 4th lunar month) is the most important festival in Tibetan Buddhism. It celebrates the birth and enlightenment of Sakyamuni and his entry to Nirvana. It is said that good deeds in this month deserve 300 fold in return and this leads to many people donating large sums to the religious orders, monasteries and beggars that gather at this time of year.
Tibetans in Delhi today commemorated the otherwise festive occasion at Jantar Mantar. The Tibetan Solidarity Committee, Delhi organized a Community Kitchen (langkar) that offered free food and lemonade to almost 2,000 people in the area.
The ‘Mudrel Tibetan Music’ group which saw band members staging a 49 hour non-stop musical performance from June 16 ended at 11 am earlier today. Their presentation was a form of protest and a sign of discontent at the current situation of Tibet under China’s rule.
Six Tibetans comprising of three men, two women and a monk paid ‘great homage’ with traditional Tibetan prostration from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar covering a distance of six kilometers in the blazing Delhi heat. The sight of these believers in tattered clothes covered with sweat caused many people to choke with emotion. Greatly overwhelmed by their gesture and strong resolution, the six Tibetans were applauded by those waiting at Jantar Mantar where they received a warm welcome among cheers and calls supporting Tibet and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
About 150 Tibetans from the local settlement was present at the venue along with representatives of the local Tibetan office as well as officials from the TGIE. The function was speared by Kalon Tenpa Tsering and Lama Choephel Zoepa from the Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet. Geshe Thupten Dorjee also lent his support to the cause and called for unity and harmony in the hour of need.
About 18 students from the University of Arkansas showed up at Jantar Mantar to express their support and common aims in view of the current Tibet crisis.
The day’s event came to an end with a special prayer session in the evening. An otherwise joyous occasion was overshadowed with grief at the fate of Tibet under China’s totalitarian governance. With continued tyranny in the region, Tibet has now become a fortress that no outside element can penetrate. The destiny of six million lies in their unwavering belief in His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Photos courtesy of the Tibetan Solidarity Committee, Delhi.
