Tibetans congratulate and thank India on its 71st Republic Day
DHARAMSALA, 26 Jan: Central Tibetan Administration(CTA) today marked India’s 71st Republic Day by hoisting the tri-coloured Indian national flag at a brief ceremony held at the Kashag Secretariat here in Dharamsala.
Kalons(Ministers), Secretaries and senior officials of the CTA who attended the ceremony sung the Indian national anthem as the officiating President, Religion and culture Kalon(Minister) Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok hoisted the tri-coloured Indian national flag.
“Over the course of 71 years, India has garnered worldwide admiration for its booming growth in every field and especially for the thriving democracy and diversity,” the officiating President said as he congratulated and greeted the People and the Government of India on the glorious occasion of India’s 71st Republic Day on behalf of the CTA and Tibetans around the world.
He also thanked the government and people of India and said: “Tibetans will forever remain indebted to India for granting political asylum to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for ensuring the viability and sustainability of the Tibetan freedom struggle and for supporting the efforts of the Tibetan people in the preservation of its rich ancient culture and unique identity”.
As the Government of India is conferring Padma Shri, India’s highest civilian awards on American Buddhist scholar and Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University Professor Robert Thurman on the 71st Republic Day of India, he thanked India for “giving recognition to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and culture”.
India has previously conferred Padma Shri to Prof. Geshe Ngawang Samten, the vice-chancellor of the Central University of Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh and to the late Dr Yeshi Dhonden, the former personal physician of the Tibetan spiritual leader in 2009 and 2018 respectively.
India’s Republic Day celebrates and marks the day when the Constitution of India officially came into force i.e on 26 January 1950. This historical act formally transitioned India to become an independent republic and hence it is celebrated on26 January every year.
