Tsewang Rigzin
LEH: The three-day Interna-tional Conference on the contribution of Padma Bhushan 19th Bakula Rinpoche titled ‘Kushok Bakula Rinpoche – A Saint and a Statesman’ began on Saturday at the CIBS auditorium with former Indian Foreign Secretary Salman Haider as Chief Guest of the inaugural session. The conference is being organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, and Government of India in collaboration with Centre for Research on Ladakh as a prelude to 19th Kuchok Bakula Rinpoche’s Birth Centenary celebrations scheduled in 2017.
While acknowledge Bakula’s contribution to bring Mongolia and India closer, Salman Haider said that Kushok Bakula Rinpoche became a prominent figure not in Ladakh alone but in the nation as a whole. Speaking on the inaugural session Member Parliament Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang stressed the need to educate younger generation about the role Bakula Rinpoche played at a very crucial period. He said the Kushok Bakula Rinpoche’s lifelong and selfless service to Ladakh earned him the title of Head Lama of Ladakh. CLP leader and MLA Leh Nawang Rigzin Jora termed Bakula as one of tallest Buddhist leaders of India and said his contributions to Ladakh cannot be forgotten for times to come. “If I am standing here today as the representative of the people of Ladakh I owe it to Kushok Bakula Rinpoche. I am carrying forward the legacy that he left. If I served 12 years as minister it was also because of Kushok Bakula because he was the one who gave us education and confidence,” Jora acknowledged. Earlier late Bakula’s former Secretary Sonam Wanghuk Shakspo read out messages from Lok Sabha Ppeaker Sumitra Mahajan, Vice President M Hamid Ansari and PM Dr Karan Singh. While Academic Coordinator of the Centre for Research on Ladakh Nawang Tsering Shakspo presented the introductory remarks. Luminaries of scholars from Mongolia, Russia, USA, UK, China, France, Bangladesh are participating the conference as also many Ladakh speakers including Prof Dr Siddiq Wahid, Senior journalist PP Wangchuk, IGP retired Tsering Phuntsog, Journalist and writer Tashi Morup, Dr. Thupstan Norboo and Gelong Thupstan Paldan besides many others.
