Dharamshala  – Hundreds of well-wishers, including Tibetans, Indians and foreigners  lined up the streets of the Himalayan hill town of Dharamshala to give a warm and hearty welcome to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned from Australia, after completing a series of public talks, Buddhist teachings and an interfaith meeting in the country.

On his arrival at Gaggal Airport in Kangra Distric,  His Holiness was received by Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, Mr Penpa Tsering and Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, including other top officials and representatives of Tibetan non-governmental organisations.

Dharamshala -- Tibetan Parliamentarians visited the Tibetan settlements in northeast India from 10 – 29 May as part of the Tibetan Parliament's efforts to reach out to the Tibetan public.

Mr Pema Jungney and Mr Dawa Phunkyi visited the Tibetan settlements of Gangtok, Ravangla, Salugara and Kalimpong in northeast India from 10 – 29 May, said a report by Tibetan administration media.

During their visit, the delegation met the heads of various Tibetan organisations in the area and gave public addresses to members of the local Tibetan community, it said.

Report said the delegates spoke about "the evolution of Tibetan democracy, the Middle Way Approach of the Tibetan administration to resolve the Tibet issue, the structure of the Central Tibetan Administration, followed by question/answer sessions."

"The duo promised co-operation and assistance of the Tibetan Parliament towards the grievances and suggestions expressed by the public during their interaction," it further added.

Dharamshala - -Thirty eight teams from five countries will take part in the 21st Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup (GCMGC) football tournament from May 30 to June 10 at the grounds of the Upper TCV School in Dharamshala.

Registered to compete are teams from the USA, Canada, Europe, Nepal and India. The Gold Cup will be played initially in a group stage followed by multiple knockout rounds.

The opening ceremony will take place in the morning of May 30. Chief Guest Mr Sudhir Sharma, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), will be Chief Guest and Mr Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies (ATPD), will be Special Guest. Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay will be the Chief Guest during the closing ceremony on June 10.

The Gold Cup was inaugurated in 1981 in honour of the late mother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This year's tournament is organised under the chairmanship of Mr Sonam Dorjee, Tibetan Settlement Officer.

Dharamshala — Upon Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return from his upcoming visit to China, he will "surely meet" His Holiness the Dalai Lama, says a senior leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in May 2014.

This follows the cancellation of a scheduled meeting between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the BJP President Amit Shah after a message from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told him that a meeting days before Modi's visit to China would be "highly inappropriate".

The original meeting was scheduled to take place on May 2 in Dharamshala, but "the meeting, had it taken place, would have sent negative signals to the Chinese," according to the BJP source.

Dharamshala – Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Penpa Tsering and Deputy Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel were invited to the International Buddha Purnima Divas celebration in New Delhi on May 4th. The celebration was held at Talkatora stadium and attended by chief guest Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Modi led a special prayer to show solidarity with the people of India and Nepal, and expressed his deep sympathy to the victims of the devastating earthquake in the land of the Buddha's birth.

Other notable Tibetan representatives in attendance include, Home Kalon Dolma Gyari and Religion and Culture Kalon Mr. Pema Chhinjor of the Central Tibetan Administration along with Tibetan Parliamentarians Geshe Rongpo Lobsang Nyandak and Geshe Monalm Tharchin.

Following the celebration, Speaker Penpa Tsering and the Deputy Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel met with several Indian officials and dignitaries.

Dharamshala – The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), the premier institute for Tibet's unique artistic heritage of opera, dance, and music, is gearing up to host the 20th Tibetan Opera (Shoton) festival. The festival is slated to begin 27 March, with an opening ceremony that will be graced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and will run until 5 April.

The First Grand Shoton Opera Festival was organized in exile in 1993, and had only five opera troupes from various settlements. Over the years, the festival has grown in prominence both in scale and quality. This year 12 troupes of performers from India and Nepal will be contributing to the festival, presenting opera from various traditional folklores, including Nangsa Woebum, Sukyi Nyima, Drowa Sangmo and more.