As Dalai Lama turns 90, Congress recalls his 4-hour conversation with Nehru in 1959
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
As the Dalai Lama turned 90, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday recalled his four-hour conversation with then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Mussoorie in 1959.Thereafter, the Dalai Lama went on an extended tour of the entire country, Ramesh said.In a post on X, the Congress general secretary said, "The iconic Dalai Lama turns 90 today. He had come to India first during Nov 1956-March 1957 for the 2500th birth anniversary celebrations of the Buddha. His permanent refuge in India began on March 31, 1959.""On April 24, 1959, Jawaharlal Nehru and the Dalai Lama had a conversation in Mussoorie that lasted four hours. Only the Foreign Secretary Subimal Dutt and the interpreters were present," Ramesh said.Thereafter the Dalai Lama went on an extended tour of the entire country, he said.Later his establishment came up in Dharamsala followed by Tibetan settlements at various places like Bylakuppe, Mundgod, and Hunsur, Ramesh said.He noted that just four months back, in his book 'Voice for the Voiceless', the Dalai Lama offered fascinating new reflections and revelations on his extraordinary life journey and his struggles.Ramesh also posted a picture of the Dalai Lama-Nehru meeting in 1959.The Dalai Lama is the head of the Tibetan Buddhists and is a hugely respected religious figure across the world.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
40 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Three major goals of AAP Govt in Punjab--eliminate drugs, provide quality education, and ensure employment: Kejriwal
Sangrur (Punjab) [India], July 7 (ANI): After Punjab 'topped' the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2024 rankings, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal has credited the 'achievement to the dedication of government school teachers and principals.' Addressing a state-level celebration in Sangrur on Sunday, Kejriwal declared that Punjab's 'transformation' has only just begun. 'Our three major goals are to eliminate drugs, ensure every child gets world-class education, and guarantee employment for every youth.' Slamming previous governments, the AAP Chief said they failed to create the right environment, but when the AAP government did, Punjab's educators performed miracles, turning the state into a national leader in education. 'There's a new confidence in government school students. People are saying--work against drugs is visible, and a revolution is underway in education,' he asserted. Addressing a gathering, Kejriwal stated, 'Today's face-to-face interaction--where the Chief Minister of Punjab, senior Cabinet Ministers, top government officers, and teachers from across Punjab sit together--is nothing short of a revolution. Never before, under Congress, BJP, or Akali Dal governments prior to 2022, have teachers had such a direct dialogue with their Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers. Many of you have served 20 to 30 years, yet no previous government ever created such a platform.' Recalling the state of affairs before AAP came to power, Kejriwal highlighted, 'Before we won the 2022 elections with your overwhelming support, CM Bhagwant Mann and I used to campaign across Punjab. Back then, we met teachers on top of water towers protesting, many teachers he had to convince to come down. Teachers--who should have been in classrooms building the future of children--were instead protesting on water towers. But today, those same teachers are in dialogue with the Chief Minister. This is a transformation.' Celebrating Punjab's top performance in a national survey, the AAP Chief added, 'I have come from Delhi to congratulate you on the NAS (National Achievement Survey) report, where Punjab has ranked number one. In 2017, Punjab was in the 29th position. This leap to the top is entirely because of the hard work of the teachers and principals.' Acknowledging the enabling role of the government, he further added, 'Of course, this would not have been possible without the environment provided by the new Punjab government. We are the ground staff. The system previously lacked this kind of support. We improved infrastructure, sent teachers for training, even abroad and to IIMs, and launched several programs that made it clear: this government is serious about education.' Reflecting on the 'old stigma' against government school teachers, Kejriwal recounted, 'There was a time when teachers in government schools were insulted, accused of being lazy and unwilling to work. People used to say government teachers don't teach, that lady teachers just sat under trees sewing clothes. But in Delhi, those same teachers delivered exceptional results. And here in Punjab, we didn't import new teachers from the moon--these are the same teachers who have served for decades. The fault wasn't yours, it was the fault of previous governments that exploited you, denied your rights, and forced you to protest when you only wanted to teach.' (ANI)
India Gazette
40 minutes ago
- India Gazette
BJP terms 'Assam Sanmilita Nagarik Abhibartan' a political masquerade; calls out Akhil Gogoi and Lurinjyoti Gogoi's 'political surrender to Congress'
Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 7 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assam Pradesh, has described the recent 'Assam Sanmilita Nagarik Abhibartan' held at the Pragjyotish Cultural Complex in Machkhowa as a 'politically orchestrated' exercise aimed at 'derailing' state's ongoing development and industrial progress under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. In a statement issued from the party's state headquarters, BJP spokesperson Ranjib Kumar Sharma said that a section of political leaders and left-leaning intellectuals appeared to be intentionally creating public confusion using false narratives and misleading information to serve their own political interests. He stated that the so-called citizen transformation movement was merely an extension of this agenda. Sharma alleged that by opposing the government's eviction drives aimed at removing encroachments from government lands, forest areas, and Vaishnavite sattra property, the assembly had effectively extended tacit support to what he described as aggressive land encroachment by 'Miya Muslims,' which, he claimed, pose a grave threat to Assam's social, cultural, economic, and political landscape. The BJP spokesperson also pointed out that no mention was made during the event of the large-scale encroachments that had reportedly taken place during the regimes of former Congress Chief Ministers Hiteswar Saikia and Tarun Gogoi. He cited that, under their administrations, settlers of suspected Bangladeshi origin had illegally occupied over 15,000 bighas of land belonging to more than 900 sattras across the state. Instead of addressing this history, Sharma claimed, the organisers had focused on distorting facts related to recent eviction measures in an attempt to mislead the public. Sharma further commented on remarks made during the event by Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi and Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi. He said both leaders had openly expressed willingness to ally with the Congress Party in the upcoming Assembly elections, even if their own parties received a limited share of seats. According to Sharma, such statements reflected a calculated political compromise driven by ambition, rather than ideological conviction. He added that this apparent alignment with the Congress,a party historically associated with 'suppressing' the Assam Movement and the deaths of 855 Assamese youths amounted to a betrayal of the regional and nationalist principles that both leaders had once claimed to uphold. Sharma remarked that the decision to embrace the Congress, which had inflicted long-standing trauma on thousands of Assamese families during the six-year-long agitation, disrespected the sacrifices made during that period and diminished the identity of the Assamese people. The BJP spokesperson also cast doubt on the intentions of the event's key organisers, including Dr Hiren Gohain, Paresh Malakar, and Abdul Mannan. He said these individuals had consistently opposed the Assam Movement and had openly supported the cause of illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Given their history, Sharma suggested that the underlying motives behind the event required no further explanation. (ANI)
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Opposition faces uncertain future: Bhatti
Madira: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka stated that the opposition party is worried about its future and has reached a point of helplessness, as the State government continues to roll out numerous welfare schemes and development initiatives. The Deputy Chief Minister participated in the Indiramma housing land distribution event and later addressed a public meeting in Madira Assembly constituency on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, he said the opposition is anxious and conspiring because the Congress party's schemes are fundamentally changing lives. But no matter how many conspiracies they hatch, the people's government will stand tall and work tirelessly for the public,' he said. Bhatti Vikramarka pointed out that there are 1.10 crore families in Telangana, and the Indiramma government is providing at least one welfare benefit to nearly 93 lakh families. 'In just one and a half years, we have implemented some form of welfare program for every stage of life, from birth to old age,' the Deputy Chief Minister said. Lashing out at the opposition, he added, 'Those who ruled for ten years only looked after their own interests by converting people's needs into votes—they did not solve people's problems. They couldn't even clear the bills for the houses sanctioned by the Congress government before their rule. Instead, they lived luxuriously, looted the state, and ignored the suffering of the people.' 'If the BRS government had built houses for the poor during their ten years in power, there wouldn't have been a need today to spend thousands of crores on Indiramma housing,' Bhatti Vikramarka added. Bhatti said that Indiramma houses are being constructed so that the poor can live with self-respect and that the state government will fulfill the dream of every poor person to have their own house. Bhatti laid the foundation stone for the construction of tourist facilities at the Madhira Tank Bund at a cost of about Rs 6.45 crore. Later, sanction documents were distributed to the Indiramma house beneficiaries of Madhira, Errupalem and Bonakal mandals at the PVR Function Hall. Speaking on the occasion, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that if the dream of owning a house of the poor is to be realized, the Indiramma government has given us the opportunity, and maintaining the trust of the people, we are granting Indiramma houses to the deserving ones. He said that the government grants Rs 5 lakh for each poor person's house. He said that the government is spending Rs 22, 500 crore in the first phase and is granting 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses, and that the deserving ones are being selected transparently, regardless of parties and politics. He said that the current government will work to solve the problems of the people by directly knowing the pains of the people in the previous padayatra. He said that the government will spend thousands of crores of rupees with the aim of ensuring that every poor person lives in their own house with self-respect. He said that the Indiramma houses scheme will fulfill the dream of owning a house of the poor.
