Dalai Lama to begin Meghalaya visit Monday

The Dalai Lama will Monday begin a three-day visit to Meghalaya, where the spiritual leader will visit a Tibetan monastery, interact with the local Tibetan community and conduct a spiritual session, officials said Sunday.

Tight security arrangements have been put in place ahead of the spiritual leader's maiden visit to this capital city, state police chief Peter Hanaman Pyngrope told IANS.

The Dalai Lama will be accompanied by Lobsang Sangay, the prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile.

Police and paramilitary personnel have been posted in areas where the Nobel laureate is scheduled to visit.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Alexander Hek and Principal Secretary (Home) K.S. Kropha will receive the Dalai Lama at the Advanced Landing Ground here.

The Dalai Lama will address the sixth convocation of the Martin Luther Christian University. Governor K.K. Paul and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma will also attend.

The next day, he will visit the Tibetan monastery at Upper Lumparing and interact with the local Tibetan community. He will also conduct a spiritual teaching session at the Polo Ground.

Governor Paul will host a lunch for the spiritual leader Feb 4.

On the penultimate day of his visit, the Dalai Lama will attend an inter-faith event at the Soso Tham auditorium.

The Dalai Lama has been living in India since 1959 in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, where the Tibetan administration in exile is based. He lives in exile along with some 140,000 Tibetans, over 100,000 of them in India.