Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, 11 February 2011 (By Ajay Parmar, TNN) - Humour, wit, gags and anecdotes, surfeited with moralistic messages, epitomised the speeches of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama during his two -day visit to Jodhpur.
The glow on his face and alacrity in his gestures were quite visible when the spiritual leader addressed the students and replied to the questions raised by the students of both Aravali Institute of Management and Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls School.
Unfazed by their volley and nature of questions, Dalai Lama was prolifically modest, straight and moralistic, matching up to his persona and popularity, striking a direct chord with the intellect of these students.
When a girl sought his views about women empowerment, he said that it is the need of the time. He reasoned that physically, men are made to be stronger than women so they have ruled the world but still it is education, through which the women can rub shoulder with them and prove that they are no way weaker or inferior. But, while mentioning this, he said that education sans sensitivity is useless.
Answering another question, Dalai Lama emphasized on a vision to have an equal respect for all the religions and not only towards one's own, which otherwise infuses biasness and kills the compassion. He further said that knowledge of religion never comes just by offering prayers, flowers and rituals to the god in any temple but by dedication to the humanity and gaining knowledge as much as possible.
His wit and humour led to springing up of a question about his being so humorous and quintessential despite leading a life marked by struggle. Dalai Lama quickly blurted, "it is my secret". With a smiling face he attributed this virtue to the positive thinking, which never allows any pessimism to take over his persona. Giving his example, he said, "I am referred to as a living demon' and counter revolutionary' by those who hate me but still I keep going unfazed and unrattled."
Sharing his views about peace, he termed Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi as inimitable and unparalleled champions and propagators of peace in the world and called himself just a follower of them.
Even during his address of the Tibetan refugees on Thursday, he advised them to focus on education with moral ethics with an urge to preserve the Tibetan culture and traditions. Addressing them in their own language, he called upon them to be cautious and awakened about their identity.
Before this, Dalai Lama also visited the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort and felt mesmerized by its history and architecture. He was accompanied by the curator of the fort, Karni Singh. He felt the need to conduct research on spiritual science and evinced interest in the Buddhist manuscripts stored in Maharaj Mansingh Pustak Shodh Kendra. He also thanked his host, Gaj Singh for offering him an opportunity to visit Jodhpur, the city, which he said, he had heard first time during the Indo-Pak war.
