His holiness Dalai Lama will be conferred the first Gandhi Mandela Awards 2019. A jury of five Chief Justices from three countries has nominated him for his outstanding contribution in World Peace.
Gandhi Mandela Foundation is registered under the Govt of India trust Act, which promotes individual freedom, civil liberties, and human rights across the globe. The headquarter is situated at New Delhi and the Global presence includes America, Africa, Russia, London, Swizerland, China, Nepal and Bangladesh. The foundation instituted the Gandhi Mandela Awards during the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to celebrate those who have carried forward the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. International Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev is the Patron of the Foundation while the Chairman of the Foundation is India’s Hindu Spiritual leader Swami Avdheshanand Giri ji Maharaj.
The Dalai Lama has been a great ambassador of peace and has promoted human rights across the globe. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the US Congressional Gold Medal in 2006, Time Magazine named him one of the "Children of Mahatma Gandhi" and Gandhi's spiritual heir to non-violence.
Before Lama, the 'Father of India' Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before he was murdered in January 1948. The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the Nobel Committee; when the Dalai Lama was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was “in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi” (reference: nobelprize.org).
The Dalai Lama had close relations with another global icon Nelson Mandela and considered him a dear friend and is one of his great admirers. Lama had met him twice in 1996 and 2004. The Dalai Lama expressed his deep sadness after the demise of the anti-apartheid hero.
His Holiness is truly an inspiration for the society and has carried forward the principles of the Gandhi and Mandela. Some of his major peace initiatives include:
1. Transformation of the whole of Tibet into a zone of peace
2. Abandonment of China’s population transfer policy that threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people
3. Respect for the Tibetan people’s fundamental rights and democratic freedom
4. Restoration and protection of Tibet’s natural environment
5. Spreading the message of non-violence and religious harmony throughout the world
Gandhi Mandela Award will be the first Indian International award to be given to his holiness. The Jury committee of GMF includes chairman Justice K.G. Balakrishna (Former Chief Justice of India & Former Chairman HHRC India), Vice Chairman Justice Dipak Misra (Former Chief Justice of India), Justice Gyan Sudha Misra (Former Judge Supreme Court of India), Justice Kedarnath Upadhyay (Former Chief Justice of Nepal & Former Chairman, NHRC, Nepal) and Justice Tafazzul Islam (Former Chief Justice of Bangladesh).
