“I not only feel honoured by wearing the Mysore Peta, it also gives me a sense of safety and security. So, I will continue to wear the Mysore Peta,” said Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader this morning.

He was speaking after receiving the felicitations from Chief Minister Siddharamaiah who presented the Mysore Peta and shawl.

“Through its ancient knowledge, India is the ‘knowledge guru’ for everyone, including myself. I have been living in India for the last 54 years, along with other Tibetans. There is nothing to show that we are not Indians. The Tibetans enjoy complete freedom here,” he said.

Dalai Lama also said that earlier, lot of bloodshed had been done in the name of religion. However, now in the 21st century, there is a need for love and compassion about which every religion preaches, he said.

Born on July 6, 1935 at Taktser hamlet in northeastern Tibet, the Dalai Lama was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso. He fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, basing his Tibetan government-in-exile here. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent campaign for democracy and freedom in his homeland.

Courtesy : Star Of Mysore