DHARAMSHALA:  Tibetans in exile today celebrated the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on a special occasion marking the 25th anniversary of the conferment of Nobel Peace prize on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Two prominent Nobel laureates – Jody Williams of the US and Shirin Ebadi of Iran – joined the celebration to mark His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Nobel prize anniversary in Dharamshala today.

Addressing the gathering, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said today’s occasion has great significant as it is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

He said the best way to remember Mahatma Gandhi is to follow his messages of peace, non-violence and simple living in our daily lives.

He further said the non-violence freedom struggle led by the Mahatma Gandhi was seen as an act of meek and ineffective during that time. Mahatma Gandhi’s legacies are very much relevant today as the whole world take inspiration from his principles of peace and non-violence. America’s civil rights champion Martin Luther King was also greatly inspired by Gandhi’s principles and way of living.

“Following the Gandhi’s way of living and principles will bring inner peace and contentment in our daily life” he said.

In his address to thousands of Tibetans gathered to celebrate the occasion, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay said: “Mahatma Gandhi represents the principles for which the Nobel peace prize is awarded for. The person who truly deserves the Nobel peace prize is Mahatma Gandhi. Unfortunately the Nobel committee could not award him prize. He is the true Nobel laureate as he is in the hearts and minds of people around the world today. We observe the day to celebrate his messages of peace and non-violence.”

(Sikyong was misquoted as saying in our earlier report that Mahatma Gandhi is the only one who truly deserves the Nobel peace prize. What he really said was the person who truly deserves the Nobel peace prize is Mahatma Gandhi. We regret the error)