By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, MAY 23: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who touched down in Bangalore yesterday, said ills of caste systems should be done away with at an event in the city earlier today.
The 81-year-old Nobel Laureate said deprivation of social justice in the name of caste was due to feudal systems that exist in our societies and has nothing to do with religion.
The Dalai Lama was speaking at the ‘Social Justice and Dr. B.R Ambedkar’ a seminar organized by the Karnataka state’s Social Welfare Department as part of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the social justice activist and leader B.R Ambedkar.
The Tibetan Nobel Laureate said that negative aspects that are still prevalent in the name of religion and religious tradition such as caste system should be done away with through education and awareness.
Educating the masses, the Dalai Lama said, will bring “a sense of equality, so that they can build self confidence. Through self confidence, hard work and education once can achieve equality.”
Talking about the oneness of the humanity in this day and age, the Dalai Lama called on the people to strive towards a model where one views others as one’s siblings hence developing a sense of closeness.
“If we consider rest of the humanity as brothers and sisters, there is no chance for exploitation,” the spiritual leader said.
The Tibetan spiritual leader reiterated that he is a son of India and that his body and mind are sustained by Indian food and knowledge and called Indian his “guru”. Ancient Indian values such as Ahimsa and Karuna coupled with modern education is the way forward for not only Indians but the rest of the world, His Holiness said.
State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge, H. Anjaneya, Minister for Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare and a number of other Indian politicians were present at the event held at Amdedkar Bhavan in the garden city.
