RECEPTION FUNCTION IN HONOUR OF DALAI LAMA BEGANS WITH RECITATION OF HOLY QURAN

Srinagar July 14 (Only Kashmir): – Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today said that State has passed through a period of darkness of disturbance. He said that peace is rooting gradually and days of desperation vanishing.

“After witnessing a dark period of 22 years we are coming out of it gradually towards the peace and development”, he said adding that every section of the society had to bear the brunt of disturbance in one or the other way.

Addressing the public reception function organized by the Tibetan community to honour Buddhist religious leader Dalai Lama at Tibetan High School here, the Chief Minister said that harmony in which Tibetan and Kashmiri are living here for last 50 years denotes the characteristic and positivity of the people.

Welcoming Dalai Lama in the State, the Chief Minister said that Dalai Lama’s visit to Srinagar after a gap of 24 years is a great occasion. “You are not only our respected guest but a revered religious personality”, he told Dalai Lama and sought his good wishes for the State and the people for peace, development and progress.

In his speech, the revered Buddhist Monk 14th Dalai Lama emphasized the need of introducing value based education in schools to create healthy and harmonious society. He said that material and money aspects should not be the goal of education. “Education should nurture and groom young children in the best mould decorated with all values of human dignity, compassion and togetherness”, he said and emphasized the need of making moral and secular education compulsory in the curriculum.

Calling for creating a harmonious society where mutual brotherhood, tolerance and care for each other will rule the roast, Dalai Lama said that man is a social animal and his intelligence should always guide him in the life process. He said anger and negative feelings should never be allowed to conquer the intelligence and commonsense of human beings gifted to them by the God. “You should not get your life process and day to day activities disturbed by negative feelings, jealousy and anger”, he said adding that animals may nurture such feelings but human beings are gifted with intelligence and they can analyse and make difference between good and bad, negative and positive.

Dalai Lama lauded the harmony prevailing between the Tibetan and Kashmiri communities and said that both are living in harmony and amity. He expressed the hope that the relations between the two will get further strengthened and they will jointly contribute for the development of the State.

Recalling his close relation with Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Dalai Lama said that he has similar kind of relations with Dr. Farooq Abdullah and now with young and dynamic Chief Minister of the State, Omar Abdullah.

He wished peace, prosperity and well beings to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Dalai Lama started his speech in Tibetan language and then expressed his viewpoints and feelings in English. He congratulated school management and the Principal for running the school successfully. He said that he would extend all possible help to the school for its further development.

The function began with recitation of verses from Holy Quran and Natiya Sharief by the students of the Tibetan School. They also presented programmes both in Kashmiri and Tibetan languages.

Meanwhile his Holiness Dalai Lama met Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor Jammu and Kashmir, at Raj Bhavan here today.(OK)