(TibetanReview.net, Dec05’23) – India’s Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment has on Dec 4 called on Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Dharamshala to invite him for the Dhamma Diksha, an international conference on Buddhism, to be held in Mumbai over Dec 15-16.
The Union Minister, Ramdas Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader from Maharashtra, has also appealed that Buddhists and Ambedkar’s followers should attend the event in large numbers, reported the ndtv.com Dec 4.
The conference, spread over two days, will be held at the city’s sports stadium in Worli on Dec 15 and the Mahalaxmi Race Course on Dec 16, the report said.
The Dalai Lama’s scheduled events before that include teachings in Gangtok (Sikkim) and Saluguara (west Bengal) on Dec 12 and 14.
The event will be held to commemorate Dr BR Ambedkar, Republic of India’s first law minister and Dalit leader, who converted to Buddhism in Nagpur on Oct 14, 1956. He had planned to organise a Dhamma Diksha conference in Mumbai, but passed away on Dec 6 that year, Mr Athawale had said earlier.
Suggesting that the Tibetan spiritual leader will attend the event, the report said, “Besides the Dalai Lama, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, Bhutan Princess Kesang Wangmo Wangchuk and Buddhist leaders from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries will also attend the event.”
However, the Mumbai event is not yet seen posted on the Dalai Lama’s Upcoming Schedule on his dalailama.com website as of this evening.