Leh, Ladakh: Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok, Kalon for Religion and Culture, CTA attended the birth centenary ceremony of late Padma Bhushan Kushok Bakula Rinpoche in Leh-Ladakh on 19 May 2017.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Dr Nirmal Singh, was the Chief Guest of the ceremony along with many other leaders and dignitaries of the state and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. Kyabje Gaden Trizur Rizong Sras Rinpoche and Kalon Trizur Prof Samdhong Rinpoche were among the guests of honour.
Kalon Karma Gelek Yuthok, while delivering his speech on the occasion, paid rich tributes to the life and deeds of late Kushok Bakula Rinpoche and expressed special gratitude to him for his kindness and assistance towards the Tibetan refugee settlement in Ladakh.
He also called on the leaders and people of Ladakh to pay special attention to the declining trend of monastic students enrollment and to make continued efforts in preservation of their traditional heritage of Buddhist culture and moral values.
The honorable Kalon addressed a general public meeting of the local Tibetan settlement in the evening of 18 May at the request of the Chief Representative of CTA for Ladakh and met the local Tibetan leaders and staff members.
On 21 May before departing for Delhi the Kalon visited the Tibetan monasteries located in and around the Sonam Ling Tibetan settlement. He is scheduled to attend the Executive Council Meeting of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) in New Delhi on 22 May.
-Report filed by Department of Religion and Culture-