Every year on the occasion of the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, 14 November is nationally celebrated as Children’s Day, and accordingly it is observed in Tibetan schools as well. This year, Education Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra, in her message on the occasion extolled the gratitude owed to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the older generation Tibetans.
“After the illegal occupation of Tibet by China in 1959, His Holiness the Dalai Lama under immense hardship, escaped into exile in India in order to preserve and protect the Tibetan religion and culture. On arrival, His Holiness established the settlements for the temporary sustenance of Tibetans and reestablished monasteries. Especially, with the view to promote a Tibetan education that includes both modern and traditional knowledge systems, His Holiness established residential schools for Tibetans.”
“At present, hundreds of graduates of these schools are spread across the world serving the global and the exile Tibetan community in different capacities, which is a testament to the efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”
Sharing her own life as an example, Kalon Tharlam narrated the history of Tibet since its occupation to the recent developments of Tibetans suffering unbearably under the repressive Chinese government policies reminding that the Tibetan youths have a duty to focus on education.
Read the original statement below.