By Tenzin Menkyi
DHARAMSHALA, July 9: The United States Senate is currently hosting a photo exhibition titled “America and the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet,” to honor the Tibetan leader on his 80th birthday.
At an event to launch the exhibition on July 6, Tibetan and Mongolian monks and nuns offered prayers to consecrate the venue for the exhibition. Members of local Tibetan community and Tibet supporters also presented Khatas before a portrait of the Dalai Lama.
The International Campaign for Tibet, an unofficial liaison of sorts between the US government and the Tibetan leader, thanked the US Senate for hosting the exhibition. Matteo Mecacci, the President of the ICT, said the photos highlight a strong bond between the Dalai Lama and the American institutions and people.
“…This event is even more meaningful because both the US Senate and House are currently discussing Resolutions that honor the Dalai Lama’s accomplishments and call on China to respect Tibetans’ human rights and restart the dialogue process with His Holiness”, said Matteo.
Carl Gershman, President of National Endowment for Democracy; Katrina Lantos-Swett of the Lantos Foundation and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also made remarks exploring the Dalai Lama’s role in calling for interfaith dialogue and religious freedom, and his efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the Tibet issue.
Calling His Holiness a leading figure of moral authority and a man of faith, sincerity, and peace, a staff on behalf of Senator Ben Cardin, remarked, “We honor the Dalai Lama’s lifelong commitment to religious freedom and his humble, yet relentless efforts to preserve the unique cultural, linguistic, and religious heritage of Tibet.”
The exhibition which is on display until July 10 covers 15 photographs illustrating over eight decades of relationship between the 14th Dalai Lama and the United States, from a letter to the young Dalai Lama written by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 to a picture of the His Holiness speaking with current President Barack Obama.
