By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, December 3: Come December 10 and the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will launch a complete redesign of its existing Dalailama.com website.
“December 10th, 2009, the occasion of the 20th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, we are pleased to be launching the redesigned DalaiLama.com website,” the statement said.
According to a statement on its website, the office believes the new design is an improvement on the present offering by being more user friendly.
The statement says the new design will be “more user friendly and will give users more easily and makes access to information about His Holiness more easily and quickly accessible.”
The Dalai Lama’s message of peace, compassion and nonviolence has made him a popular public icon in today’s conflicting and stressed world. He enjoys a huge active following around the world drawing hundreds and thousands of audience to his public appearances.
The current design allows users to access, among others, latest news on Dalai Lama, his upcoming schedule, messages and speeches, and information on his teachings.
The statement, however, did not provide further details about what updates or additional features, if any, are added in its new layout.
While December 10 is commemorated as the World Human Rights Day, for Tibetans it is also an auspicious occasion to celebrate the conferment of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on this day in 1989.
The Dalai Lama, revered by Tibetans as both the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts to free Tibet from Chinese rule.
In Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in northern India, and elsewhere around the world Tibetan exiles hold special occasion on December 10 to celebrate the day. As part of the celebration, Tibetans also organise various activities to observe World Human Rights Day to highlight the situation of Tibetans inside Tibet.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, is considered the living embodiment of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of compassion.
Born Lhamo Dhondrub on July 6, 1935, to a peasant family in northeastern Tibet, he was identified through tests at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. He began his education by tutors at age 6 and completed the highest doctorate in Buddhist philosophy at age 25.
In 1950, the People’s Republic of China invaded and occupied Tibet. A popular uprising in 1959 against continuing Chinese presence failed, and forced the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan to flee Tibet. Since 1960, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government have been in exile in Dharmsala, from where they lobby the world to help regain Tibetan freedom.
