Tibetan Ghyaton festival ends with sports, cultural events

Tribune News Service

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Mussoorie, October 4

The three-day Ghyaton festival, organised by the Tibetan community to mark 80 years of their spiritual guru, the Dalai Lama, concluded at Tibetan Homes School at Happy Valley in Mussoorie today. Several sports, cultural and academic activities were conducted for three days, which were attended by Prime Minister of Tibetan government-in-exile Dr Lobsang Sangay.

Forest and Sports Minister Dinesh Agarwal, who was the chief guest, said India had never treated the Tibetan community as refugees but part of one family.

He had spent his childhood among Tibetans at Happy Valley in Mussoorie. He also had an opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama at the Birla House during the latter’s visit in 1959. The Dalai Lama was pleased to know that Tibetan students were doing well in education, he said.

Agarwal gave away prizes and citations to the students who had excelled in various inter-school academic and sports activities held during the festival.

Sambhota Tibetan School, Ponta Sahib, stood first while Tibetan Children Village stood second in the academic and cultural events. In the basketball finals, Tibetan Homes School, Mussoorie, defeated Tibetan Nehru Memorial Foundation School, Clement Town, Dehradun, by a hand-some margin.

Earlier, Dr Lobsang Sangay announced the prestigious Sikong Scholarship of Rs1 lakh for Jigme Tsering, a former Central School for Tibetan student, who has topped Chennai University with 97.9 per cent marks in aeronautical engineering. Dr Sangay expressed happiness on visiting the school and interacting with the students.

He expressed gratitude to Indian teachers and employees for their contributions to the education of Tibetan students. He also visited the school’s Maths park and newly constructed hostel. He was impressed by the explanations given by class XII students on complex mathematical problems. Dr Rabgyal, MC president Manmohan Singh Mall, SDM Swati Bhadauria, and ward Member Virendar Panwar were present on the occasion.