Tibetan minister Dolma visits new Karnataka Gov't

DHARAMSHALA: On 22-23 June 2013, Kalon Dolma Gyari of the Department of Home of Central Tibetan Administration met with the new Indian leadership in the southern state of Karnataka.

During her three-day visit, Kalon Dolma Gyari met with the newly-elected chief minister, Mr Siddaramaiah, in Bangalore on 22 June. She extended greetings to him on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration and wished him success in his future endeavours.

She expressed gratitude for the support and care provided to Tibetans living in the state. In response, the chief minister said that the Tibetan community is their guest and will always be treated with the due respect. He spoke about plan to visit Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe on 6 July when His Holiness the Dalai Lama is due to visit on the occasion of his 78th birthday.

Kalon Dolma Gyari also met Mr H D Kumaraswamy, leader of the opposition and requested him to give a 30 minutes slot for Tibet-related news in Tibetan language once a week on his private TV channel, Kasthuri which he accepted cordially. Earlier on 21 June, she had also met with Chief Secretary S V Ranganath and requested the state government to include Tibetan settlements as part of its developmental programmes for social and youth welfare.

Kalon Dolma Gyari also visited TERI (The Energy and Resource Institute), an NGO which conducts research and training to protect environment and develop energy from natural resources. She is keen to introduce environmentally friendly resources in the Tibetan settlements in Karnataka such as organic farming, environmental cleanliness, and solar light and discussed the possibilities of the same with the officials at TERI.

Later in the day, Kalon Dolma Gyari met with Jawed Habib, one the most renowned hair stylists in India, on 20 June. They discussed future collaboration between the Neelamangala vocational training institute and Jawed Habib hair and beauty salon and interacted with the students. Mr Habib encouraged the students to do their best during the training and invited applications from those who are interested in working in his hair salons.

There are currently 39 students undergoing trainings in various courses, including hair dressing, beautician, tailoring, computer, medical transcription, and cookery. 1,113 students, comprising 558 boys and 554 females, have completed vocational trainings from Neelamangala institute since its inception in 2003.