DHARAMSHALA: CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay attended Samast Bharat’s Excellence Award 2018 as the chief guest at Hotel Devdar Resort in Khanyara near Dharamshala this morning.
The ceremony was organised by Samast Bharat News Magazine to honour the contribution of distinguished individuals towards social welfare and development in India. About 44 individuals from different walks of life including health, media, spirituality, construction, etc. were honoured with the award at the occasion.
In his address, CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay spoke about India’s generosity and love towards the Tibetan people and the Tibetan people’s deep gratitude to India.
“Someone rightly said, it is true love when one keeps giving without demanding anything in return. Such love is manifested in India’s hospitality and generosity towards the Tibetan people. India keeps giving without demanding anything in return from the Tibetan people. Therefore, we Tibetans feel deeply indebted to the government and people of India,” he said.
He particularly highlighted Himachal Pradesh especially the town of Dharamshala for hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration for the last six decades. “India is a big garden filled with beautiful flowers. However, for the Tibetan people, Himachal Pradesh is the rose in this rich garden which has shared its beauty and fragrance with us,” he noted.
Dr Sangay also spoke about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s respect for India and the rich knowledge that permeates this country. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama describes himself as a son India. His Holiness always remarks that his physical body is nourished with the nutritious rice and dal of India, while his brain is strengthened with the wisdom and knowledge of ancient India’s Nalanda University,” he said.
Speaking about Tibet’s political situation, he said that Tibet continues to remain under a grim political situation under Chinese occupation. To make his case, he highlighted two reports published by Reporters without Borders, a global press freedom organization, and Freedom House, a global rights advocacy group. “Reporters without Borders noted that Tibet is harder to access for reporters than North Korea while Freedom House reported Tibet is more severely repressed than South Sudan or Eritrea, two of the most prominent countries facing a crisis of democratic rights,” he explained.
Dr Sangay further spoke about the importance of media in society for its role as the fourth pillar of democracy. He said that media has a powerful role to play that can act as the voice for the voiceless or bring justice to those ignored, mistreated or abused by the government or others. However, he noted the trend of media getting commercialized and journalists getting compromised to serve vested interests. He said such trends should be discontinued for a smooth functioning of democracy.
CTA President also talked about his personal journey from humble beginnings in Darjeeling to Harvard University and then to being democratically elected as the President of the Central Tibetan Administration in 2011. He said his time at Dharamshala has been memorable, and expressed that he will cherish the love and compassion shown by the people of Himachal Pradesh to him for the rest of his life.
The introductory remarks of the award ceremony was delivered by Shri Nyima tamang, editor in chief of Samast Bharat news magazine.
Other guests at the award ceremony include Mohini Daljeet from Max India Foundation, Shri Anupam Gupta from Gupta Builders Pvt Ltd, Shri Rajneesh Kohli from Just Sports and Sunny and Vicky Mahajan from Partap world school, Pathankot.
