MELBOURNE: The Tibetan community in Melbourne celebrated the 78th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 6 July in a special way. A two-day festival of Tibet, a first of its kind in Melbourne, was organised at to mark the auspicious day.
The festival started with a special prayer service for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Fitzroy town hall.
Hundreds of people, including Tibetans and supporters, gathered on the first day of the festival. Addressing the gathering, Mr Sonam Dagpo, the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, thanked Melbourne for embracing the culture of the Tibetan people and for their support. He spoke about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s biography and the remarkable achievements in his efforts to promote world peace and religious harmony, and contribution in keeping alive the issue of Tibet.
A representative of the Australian Greens Party joined the festival. He conveyed the respect of Mr Bob Brown, a Greens leader and a long time friend of Tibet and the Tibetan people, and the Greens Party to the Tibetan Community. He offered the continued support of Greens senators from across the country for the Tibetan people. Other guests present at the festival include Bon Nguyen, president of the Victorian Vietnamese Community and Frank Raunjie, president of the Chinese Tibetan-Friendship Association.
Other highlights of the two-day festivity include a music concert by world-acclaimed Tibetan musicians, screening of Ngawang Choephel’s award winning film “Tibet in Song”, Tibetan calligraphy and painting workshop, a coloured sand mandala creation, narration of personal stories by former political prisoners of Tibet and a panel discussion on the importance of Tibetan plateau to the global environment titled “Tibet: The Third Pole”.
