Bylakuppe (Mysore District), July 7, 2013: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday celebration was marked by an interfaith gathering here on Saturday.

The Dalai Lama thanked the people of the State and recalled the generosity of the then Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa in granting the vast swathe of land at Bylakuppe for establishing a settlement for Tibetan refugees for their rehabilitation.

Addressing a large gathering of monks from various Tibetan settlements in India and his admirers from all over the world who had congregated at the Sera Jey Monastic University complex, the Dalai Lama stressed on the harmony of religions and said compassion was at the core of all religious teachings.

Recalling his initial years in India, the Dalai Lama said one had to remember the contributions of Nijalingappa whom he had met many times and held discussions pertaining to resettlement, education and rehabilitation of Tibetans.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described the Dalai Lama as a symbol of love and compassion in whom one could perceive a fountain of human values. . Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki recalled the contribution of the Dalai Lama in promoting Buddhism and the concepts of compassion and non-violence.

Appreciating the gesture of people of Karnataka in playing host to the Tibetan community for more than 50 years, community leaders, led by leaders of various monasteries, presented a ‘Thank you Karnataka’ memento to Mr. Siddaramaiah. The community leaders said not once in their stay of more than 50 years were they made to feel like outsiders and averred that the “debt cannot be repaid by the Tibetans in a 1,000 years”.

Earlier, the Dalai Lama was presented with the traditional Mysore petha and felicitated. Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami of Suttur Math, Thomas Antony Vazhappilly, Bishop of Mysore, Moulana Mohammed Usman Shariff, Sir Khazi of Mysore, and elected representatives, including Mysore MP A.H. Vishwanath and local MLAs, were present.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 7, 2013.