Dharamshala: - A battery of top dignitaries, including Kalon Tripa, Speaker of Tibetan Parliament, Dr Kuldeep Agnihotri, Kasur Tenzin Geyche Tethong, Mr Ajay Singh Mantia, President of Indo-Tibetan Friendship Association and others graced the occasion.
The Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR) today celebrated the completion of ten years of its service towards promoting understanding and non-violent means of resolving conflicts in society. It was founded on 6 May 2001.
The director of TCCR, Karma Lekshey, briefed the gathering about the activities of the organisation in fostering non-violent methods to resolve conflicts in the Tibetan settlements. "We impart skills of conflict resolution by organising extensive trainings on inter-cultural interactions and the friendly relations between the Indian and Tibetan communities", he said.
Mr Lekshey said, "The TCCR has organised around 200 activities to reach over 5,500 Tibetans in India, ranging from youth in the settlements in south and newly arrived refugees from Tibet".
Describing the 21st century as the century of dialogue, Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdong Rinpoche underlined the importance of dialogue to achieve reconciliation.
Kalon Tripa highlights a quote from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's speech that conflicts are created by human mind, and the means for its solution should also come from human intelligence.
Kalon Tripa also stressed the significance of the combination of Buddhist philosophy and western modern conflict resolution as an ideal approach towards conflict resolution.
"If the source of conflict is settled on the basis of mutual understanding by using knowledge and wisdom is a good way of resolving conflict," said Kalon Tripa quoting verses from Buddha's philosophy.
Speaker Penpa Tsering also shared his views on activities of TCCR as more of conflict prevention than conflict resolution. He rephrased the importance of searching for reality and accepting it than betting on wining and losing which will only result in further conflict and chaos in society.
Speaking on the occasion, Kasur Tenzin Geche Tethong also expressed his deep appreciation for the sincere and consistent work of TCCR.
He said: "I thought TCCR will somehow fall short at the initial stage but I am very proud to be a part of this celebration and I admire the success of TCCR on this special occasion."
Congratulating the remarkable service of TCCR, Dr Kuldeep Agnihotri emphasised the role of NGOs in a democratic society to enhance effective means of resolving conflicts.
