The medal has been awarded to such prominent personalities as Sir Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela.
While praising the Indian government for cracking down on anti-Chinese activities on its soil, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to stop indulging in separatist activities and create conducive conditions for talks with Beijing.
The Dalai Lama's advice to India's teachers.
Accusing China of creating "hell on earth" in Tibet by launching a "brutal crackdown," Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama on Tuesday demanded "legitimate and meaningful" autonomy for the Himalayan plateau.
China has reportedly suspended minister-level meetings with the United Kingdom in protest against Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.
Rebuffing the Dalai Lama's remarks that there were "encouraging signs" about China changing its attitude towards Tibet, a top Chinese official has said there would be no breakthrough in talks until the Tibetan spiritual leader changed his stand on "some fundamental issues".
A grand public reception awaits Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in the bordering hill town of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, which is located at 10,000 feet from the mean sea level, with the entire town as well the 400-year-old Tawang Monastery wearing a festive look.
India and the United States on Monday urged China and the Dalai Lama to hold peaceful negotiations between them to resolve the pro-independence unrest in Tibet with Washington insisting that dialogue was the "only" policy that is sustainable in the Himalayan region.
The Dalai Lama, who had escaped to India as a young man, has been the torch bearer of the struggle for freedom of a small religious minority from the oppressive communist regime in China. He was just 15 years old when he became the 'head of state' of Tibet in 1950 and over six decades since then, he has brought his cause for rights of his people on the global stage.
South Africa's ruling African National Congress has rubbished as a "publicity tactic" and "astonishing silliness" the legal challenge thrown by two opposition parties against its handling of a failed visa bid by the Dalai Lama.
China on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Dalai Lama, terming him the "hatchet man of anti-China forces" and calling the recent spate of suicides by Tibetan monks and nuns as an orchestrated attempt to create chaos.
The Battle of Lhagyala on November 23, 1962, fought by the 4 Rajput Regiment against the Chinese PLA, remains a forgotten chapter of heroism, with no survivors left to tell their story.
Stealing the limelight at the Jaipur Literature Festival the Dalai Lama on Thursday spoke about India's immense contribution to learning since ancient days beginning with the Nalanda University, in his talk on the Buddha's influence on the literary world.
The Dalai Lama will speak on 'the art of happiness' at the fifth edition of the annual Penguin Lecture in New Delhi on Saturday. The previous speakers at the prestigious event have been journalist Thomas Friedman in 2007, diplomat Chris Patten in 2008, Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen in 2009 and eminent historian Ramchandra Guha in 2010.
"The door of dialogue still opens to Dalai, so long as he gives up the position for Tibet Independence, so long as he recognises Tibet and Taiwan as inalienable parts of the Chinese territory," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday at his maiden press conference after being elected to a second five-year term. "Since the peaceful liberation and especially the democratic reform, Tibet has moved forward and become more developed," Wen said.
In an exclusive interview with rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, who heads the biggest Russian monastery in Kalmykia and is the president of Buddhist Union of Kalmykia, says while in New Delhi, they want to attract Putin's attention to an urgent need of visa to the Dalai Lama, despite China's reservations.
Actress Kangana Ranaut, who the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded as its candidate for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, met His Holiness, The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala on Monday, April 15, 2024.
The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with the ruling NDA defending it as beneficial for minorities while the opposition called it "anti-Muslim". All amendments moved by the opposition were rejected and the bill was passed with 288 votes in favor and 232 against. Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that India is the safest place in the world for minorities, refuting claims of their insecurity.
His Holiness, The Dalai Lama on Wednesday turned 88 with his birthday being celebrated through prayers and cake-cutting in various monasteries in Himachal Pradesh.
The epicentre was located in Tsogo Township of Dingri County, which has a population of approximately 6,900 people within a 20-km radius. There are 27 villages within this area.
Why can't the Indian government propose to the Chinese a corridor circumambulating the Holy Mountain where people from both sides could perform the yatra again? asks Claude Arpi.
No one on that glittery occasion could possibly have imagined that the Chinese were conspiring to invade India, nor could anyone have predicted that the seemingly benign Dalai Lama was plotting to flee Tibet and seek asylum in India. A fascinating excerpt from Sukanya Rahman's must-read Dancing In The Family: The Extraordinary Story Of The First Family Of Indian Classical Dance.
US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya will travel to India and Nepal this week to deepen cooperation on human rights and democratic governance goals with the two nations, the state department has announced.
Disengagement from the LAC will remain a chimera because China has given enough indications that the PLA will not move back any more. China has even deployed drones to monitor and deny any patrolling by Indian troops even in the buffer zones which are all in Indian Territory, explains Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Wing Commander Pratap Marathe's story is one of dedication, bravery, and humour, a shining example of the spirit of the Indian Air Force. Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) salutes Wing Commander Marathe who passed into the ages last week.
The four Indians from Punjab, Haryana, were on Thursday seen off at the Benina Airport by the embassy's local representative Tabassum Mansoor.
The cult film celebrated his landmark on April 18 with a special screening in Los Angeles.
Ahead of this election, the alliance between the BJP and the SKM had broken down. One reason is the fear that like Article 370, Article 371F might also be changed.
'Is China's intention not clear?' 'Do we still think that if we are nice to China, it will be good to us?'
He claimed China has a policy of keeping "hot spots like Taiwan, South China Sea and Tawang burning" in order to divert attention to its own failings.
'The greatness of India can be experienced by meeting Indians on the frontiers of India.' 'Every citizen on the border is a soldier'
The official names of the 11 places were released on Sunday by the ministry, which also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers and listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday.
China, which is building numerous villages in Tibet close to its borders with India and Bhutan, has held several celebratory events to mark its takeover of Tibet in the new border villages with a mix of border troops and the local population, the official media in Beijing reported.
Xi Jinping's recent actions in South Asia have amply demonstrated the disastrous impact of China's embrace, observes Jayadeva Ranade, the retired senior RA&W officer and China expert.
'Modi warned China, therefore they have come to the talks.' 'Nothing will come out of these talks.'
China is acutely conscious of the need for the next Dalai Lama to be under its control. It was for this reason that China recently stressed their claim on Arunachal Pradesh. There were rumours that the next Dalai Lama may be found in Tawang. If that happens, India-China relations will become tense and there may be demands for the child to be handed over to the Chinese, points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'Tibetans don't have jobs, and the military provides a job offer.' 'But the issue is whether China really trusts Tibetans.'
This past week, His Holiness has been in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, the Union Territory where Indian and Chinese soldiers have been in a standoff for two years, since April 2020.
How does blatantly claiming Indian territory help to maintain 'peace in border regions', is a mystery that only China can explain, notes Claude Arpi.
Advani and Dr Joshi might not attend the consecration ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Advani is 96 and Dr Joshi will turn 90 next month.
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