Bhuchung D Sonam
New York City, May 5, 2009: The conference room was jam-packed with exquisitely dressed Indian Americans living in the city. The excitement was palpable with young ladies making sure their cameras worked and mobile phones set to silent mode.
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet entered the room, everyone stood up in silent reverence. The only sound heard was clicking of cameras.
After an eloquent introduction by Lobsang Tenzin Negi who praised the Tibetan leader for his contributions toward global peace and his non-violent approach to solving conflicts and promotion of religious harmony, the Dalai Lama took the podium.
“Tibet is facing danger of disappearance,” the Tibetan leader said, “Indian Government and people have helped us build successful refugee camps. I would thank you very much.”
His Holiness said that he is simply a messenger who has learned two of his three life-long commitments of Ahimsa and promotion of religious harmony from India.
“The concept of Ahimsa is very much in Indian blood. Ahimsa does not mean remaining passive but very active. When there is a conflict, Ahimsa means dialogues by actually involving in the problem,” the Dalai Lama said.
Shifting his gear into his humorous side the Tibetan leader mentioned that Tibet’s greatest teacher, Buddha, was an Indian whereas India’s Lord Shiva can be called a Tibetan citizen with his permanent residence in Mt. Kailash. The laughter boomed across the crowded room.
The point was conveyed to show how deep the relationship between India and Tibet had been.
The large-scale Thank You India Day was organized on March 31 in various parts of India. This was one such event attended by leaders of various Indian communities living in New York and New Jersey. This was the first time that His Holiness has met with leaders of Indian diaspora in the US.
