Bylakuppe: Dr Lobsang Sangay wrapped up his tour of Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement with an address to the monks and nuns at Namdroling monastery earlier yesterday.
Applauding the hard work put in by late His Eminence Penor Rinpoche, the founder of Namdroling monastery, better known as the Golden Temple monastery, Sikyong pointed out the excellence of the monastery in terms of monastic education and overall development over the years.
Dr Sangay said his visit to the monastery is part of his on-going tour to the settlements in south India to bid farewell and express gratitude to the people for the support and opportunity given to him to serve his people twice and talked about his administration’s achievements over the last 10 years, most notably of the passage of Tibetan Policy and Support Act 2021 by the US government.
“Today, the Sikyong speaking to you is not just a Sikyong recognized by Tibetan polity but also by the United States,” Dr Sangay said while referring to the significance of the bill which gives legitimacy to the Central Tibetan Administration and Sikyong as the true representative of Tibetans.
Speaking of the various challenges his administration had to face, Sikyong said he successfully delivered more than what was actually promised in terms of education, finance, health and political leverage.
“CTA’s response to the outbreak of COVID 19 has been quite successful in terms of containing the spread and also in terms of responding to the needs of the under-privileged during the lockdown,” Sikyong remarked adding that the overall response is far better than some of the most developed countries.
Dr Sangay also noted the unique opportunity that he was able to seize during the global outbreak of COVID19 and Indo-Tibetan border disputes in the recent past in the form of his frequent guest appearance on Indian national television and the subsequent spotlight put on the Tibetan issue.
“To sum it up in a nutshell, I can proudly remark that I worked hard during my tenure as the Sikyong and I am proud to be handing over the leadership of CTA to the next Sikyong after successfully completing my term,” Sikyong said.
As a mark of appreciation to Sikyong’s leadership, Kyabje Gyangkhang Rinpoche of Namdroling monastery presented a statue of Guru Padmasambhawa.
Earlier in the day, Dr Sangay paid a quick visit to Tsojhe Khangsar hospital where he met the health workers and thanked them for their service, particularly during the pandemic.
“I offer my gratitude to you all. In fact, it’s primarily the frontliners during the pandemic who sacrificed the most, proving to be the backbone of our society. We are all immensely grateful to you,” Sikyong told a group of health workers at the hospital where COVID-19 vaccination drive is underway.
Dr Sangay left for Mundgod later last night for the final leg of his official farewell tour.
– Filed by Tenzin Wangchuk