Dalai Lama isn’t bound by borders, deserves to become world citizen: Arlekar

Dharamshala: Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday felicitated Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama with the Gandhi Mandela Award at a ceremony at Thekchen, Mcleod Ganj in Dharamshala.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar felicitated with the Gandhi Mandela Award to His Holiness Dalai Lama.

The award, constituted by the Gandhi Mandela Foundation, is promoting the values and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela in the interest of global peace and freedom.

The award serves to recognise the global leaders who inspire citizens for peace, unity and freedom.

On the occasion, the Dalai Lama said, “Non-violence and compassion are essential for world peace and both these principles have been ingrained in Indian culture for thousands of years.”

“Any problem can’t be solved in war but through dialogue and peace”, the Tibetan spiritual leader said and added “for world peace, we have to adopt non-violence and compassion. Both these principles were the guiding force of existence.”

Dalai Lama thanked the Foundation for bestowing the Gandhi Mandela Award to him.

The Governor, on the occasion, said that His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the most deserving person in the world today for this award as he was a universal ambassador of peace.

“Dalai Lama has given two principles, non-violence and compassion, which were required in today’s time as it was more effective than the power of the army,” Arlekar said and further added, “our culture has a sense of goodwill, compassion and love towards others and it has been running for thousands of years, which the Dalai Lama has done the work of taking forward.”

Arlekar said that after Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama has the potential to become a world citizen as he was not a person bound by borders.

Earlier, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Jury Chairman & Former Chief Justice of India said that spiritual leader Dalai Lama ji was the saviour of the large community and the younger generation must follow the teachings of Dalai Lama.