Celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 75th Birthday in London, UK [Thursday, 8th July 2010, 2:40 p.m.]

Representative Thubten Samdup with Lord David Steel and Fabian Hamilton MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet in celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday on 3rd July 2010.

The reception started with prayers for the long life of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama followed by performances of two Tibetan songs by the
musicians and singers from the Tibetan Community in Britain.
Mr Thubten Samdup, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the
Office of Tibet, London, said: “We were delighted to have celebrated
the 75th Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with some of our
UK-based friends, and with the representatives of other organisations
with  whom the Office of Tibet and the Tibet House Trust work closely.
The warmth of the response from those present at the gathering, and the
many messages of support and well wishes from those who were unable to
attend was a clear indication of the enduring appeal of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama’s message and the respect that they have for him.”
Over 2,000 people joined in and celebrated His Holiness the Dalai
Lama’s 75th birthday at the inaugural Tibet Festival in the Park on
Saturday 3 July 2010. With immense excitement, the organisers
(The Tibetan Commemorative Committee) headed to the Geraldine Mary
Harmsworth Park in London, to commence the set-up for this inaugural
Tibet Festival in the Park. The morning heralded clear and sunny skies
as the stage was built, Tibetan tents were camped, prayer flags strung
up, stalls assembled for the Lhasa Bazaar, transforming the park into a
Tibetan festival. The event commenced to the deep growling of
long Tibetan horns signalling the start of a   traditional procession
with monks from the Tashi Lhunpo monastery carrying a portrait of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, accompanied by Thubten Samdup la, the
Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Sonam Frasi la, one of
the two Members of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from Europe; and Pempa
Lobsang la, the Chairman of the Tibetan Community in Britain. Once on
stage His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s portrait was placed on a special
alter, butter lamps lit and prayers for His Holiness’ long life were
chanted. Tibetans present then laid khatags (traditional Tibetan
honorific scarves) at the alter .

Procession with portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama led by Tashi Lhunpo monks with Representative Thubten Samdup, Mr Sonam Frasi, Member of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and Mr Penpa Tsering, Chair of Tibetan Community in Britain. 3rd July 2010.

Following this, Representative Thubten Samdup la addressed the gathered
audience. He started his five minute address by saying: Today we are
celebrating the 75th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of
Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso and I am honoured that you have taken the time to
join our celebration. As you all know, the Dalai Lama occupies a
central place in the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people. Not only
has he come to represent our struggle for basic freedoms and human
rights, but even more significantly, he has held us together as a
people throughout one of the most difficult periods in our history.
Along the way, he has lived as he preached; exemplifying the principles
of altruism and compassion for others. I don’t think that I exaggerate
in saying that his example has been an inspiration to many around the
world – old and young, women and men, strong and weak.
Representative Thubten Samdup la concluded his speech with the
following words: We Tibetans could not have asked for a better leader
to guide us through this dark period in our history. This is why it
means so much to me and to the people I represent, that you have joined
us today to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday and to honour his many
important contributions to our world. In closing, I wish to
express – as His Holiness would if he was with us today – my deep
gratitude to the Government and people of India who have given Tibetan
refugees a safe-haven for more than 50 years. Our histories have been
interwoven for centuries and it is my hope that whatever the future may
hold, India and Tibet will remain special friends for many more
centuries to come. Again, I would like to thank everyone for
joining us today and for allowing me this opportunity to reflect on the
accomplishments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The
Representative’s speech was followed on stage by a programme of amazing
performances and acts. First was a fantastic Tibetan costume parade
with colourful dresses and outfits from different parts of Tibet
modelled by members of the Tibetan community. Lhodup Gyaltso, a Tibetan
singer born in the Amdo region of Tibet and now based in London,
captivated the audience with two traditional songs. Michael
Ormiston and Candida Valentino gave an incredible display of Mongolian
khöömii (overtone) singing and they also coaxed Tibetan singing bowls
into haunting and floating voices that had the audience mesmerised.
Erle Taylor, a highly regarded Burmese dancer, performed a Makuta dance
that gets its name from a golden bejewelled crest or crown. Dressed in
a resplendent costume of yellow satin bedecked with jewels, the whole
symbolising a Buddhist Temple, Erle gave a wonderful display of
measured, graceful and courtly movement. The Tibetan Dance
group, which was formed in 1995 as the cultural wing of the Tibetan
Community in Britain, gave hugely entertaining performances with
vibrant and enthusiastic displays of Tibetan song and dance .

Tibetan community dance group in London performing cultural song in celebration of His Holiness’ birthday, 3rd July 2010.

The long horns of Tibet were then heard again when the Tashi Lhunpo
monks took to the stage and the lawn area in front to give a marvellous
display of chanting and cham performances.The main programme concluded
with the singing of the Tibetan National Anthem by the Dance Group of
Tibetan Community in Britain on the stage accompanied by Tibetans in
the audience. This was followed by a performance of Tibetan dance in
round formation (gor-shey) on the lawn in front of the stage in which
Tibetans and friends alike participated. Throughout the
afternoon there were also further guest speakers including Sonam Frasi
la,member of the Tibetan Parliament, Fredrick Hyde-Chambers, chairman
of Tibet Society, Pempa Lobsang, chairman of the Tibetan Community and
Simon Hughes, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats and member of
Parliament for Southwark, the local borough. In his
address, Simon Hughes MP urged everyone present to re-commit themselves
to Tibet, making the very strong and simple points that everyone, no
matter where they are in the world has the right to follow their chosen
religion unhindered and the right to self-determination. He also
commented the Dalai Lama on his peaceful path to find justice and
pledged the government will actively work towards finding a solution to
Tibet within the Dalai Lama’s lifetime

Simon Hughes, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party and MP for Southwark addressing the audience at the celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday, 3rd July 2010.

Birthday messages from the singer Annie Lennox, well-known British
actress Joanna Lumley, Fabian Hamilton MP (Chairman of the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Tibet), Norman Baker MP (President of Tibet
Society) and Mark Durkan (MP for Derry, Northern Ireland) were read
out, all emphasising their admiration, respect and commitment to the
Dalai Lama, with Mark Durkan succinctly saying, “Today we celebrate
your wisdom, warmth and inspiration. We still look forward to
celebrating justice, freedom and peace for the people of Tibet.” Away
from the stage, there was also a lot happening. Crowded and popular
workshops took place, including learning about sand mandalas with the
Tashi Lhunpo monks, Mongolian throat chanting with Michael Ormiston and
the kids’ workshop, which was so popular it was extended for the whole
afternoon. The Lhasa Bazaar thronged with people buying yak
wool jerseys, prayer flags, books, cup cakes and taking time out in the
healing zone or having sparkly face painting. The Tibetan medicine
exhibition gave a fascinating glimpse into the history of Tibetan
herbal remedies; the wonderful wool nomad tent had plenty of visitors
sampling the traditional Tibetan tea being served, whilst the art
exhibition by Ugyen Choephell gave visitors a contrast between the
intricacies of Tibetan Thangka paintings and modern day Tibetan art.
There were the Tibetan momos! Always popular, there seemed to be a
queue all afternoon, but the patience of all who waited for the
steamers to cope with the demand was rewarded. Nearly 400
people wrote birthday messages to the Dalai Lama or requests regarding
Tibet to Prime Minister David Cameron on special windhorses (paper
prayer flags) that fluttered in the sun making a colourful and moving
display. All the messages resonated the underlying warmth of feeling
the Dalai Lama engenders in millions of people around the world.
 One child wrote, “I am a big fan, you are so cool”, another from a
visitor from Australia said, “my brother says you are a great human
being”, whilst another simple note said, “keep on keeping on!”. Many
wrote wishes of long life and His Holiness’ return to Tibet soon, with
one urging, “please eat healthily and organic and look after yourself
as you are invaluable to us.” The one that perhaps encapsulates most
messages says, “Many happy returns, may you live long and continue to
shine your light and wisdom upon us and help us keep the right
frequency on earth.” All these messages will be sent to His Holiness
the Dalai Lama and the Prime Minister David Cameron. The
Tibet Festival in the Park not only was a wonderfully sunny and happy
day, with everyone enjoying the amazing performances, workshops and
simply relaxing in the sun, but was also a really great way to
celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday.
The Office of Tibet, London, Tibetan Community in Britain, and Tibet
Society of the UK were involved in the Tibetan Commemorative Committee. –Report filed by Office of Tibet, London