The monk who won Grammy: Dalai Lama's album 'Meditations' awarded

The 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader won his first Grammy for a spoken word album, drawing celebration from followers and sharp criticism from China

The Dalai Lama has won a Grammy for his spoken word album “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama” at a glittering and politically charged music gala, the first golden gramophone for the 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader. 

The 68th Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah and held at the Crypto.com Arena here on Sunday night, recognised winners in over 90 categories. 

While the Dalai Lama’s followers in the Himachal Pradesh town of Dharamshala and elsewhere celebrated, Indian and Indian-origin artistes, including Anoushka Shankar, fusion band Shakti and Siddhant Bhatia, were nominated but didn’t manage a win.

Singer Rufus Wainwright accepted the award in the category for ‘audio books, narration and storytelling’ on behalf of the Dalai Lama. He figures in the album along with singers Maggie Rogers and Andra Day. 

 

Produced by Kabir Sehgal, the album features sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash besides American saxophonist Ted Nash, singer-songwriter Debi Nova and percussionist-composer Tony Succar. 

He edged out other nominees, including Kathy Garver for Elvis Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story, Trevor Noah for Into The Uncut Grass, Ketanji Brown Jackson for Lovely One: A Memoir, and Fab Morvan for You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli. 

The Dalai Lama expressed gratitude, saying he did not view the award as a personal achievement. 

“I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I don't see it as something personal, but as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility,” he said. 

“I firmly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and an understanding of the oneness of humanity are essential for the collective well-being of all eight billion human beings. I am grateful that this Grammy recognition can help spread these messages more widely,” he said in a statement. 

It was the first Grammy for the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, as well as for director Steven Spielberg and for K-pop too.

Spielberg won in the ‘music film’ category for “Music for John Williams”, a documentary on his long-time collaborator, composer John Williams. With the Grammy, he joins the enviable EGOT list — those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony. 

Popular song “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” won the Grammy for song written for visual media. 

India did not register any wins despite its artists being nominated in different categories. 

Sitarist Shankar was nominated for two of her albums — “Daybreak” in the ‘global music performance’ and “Chapter III: We Return to Light” in the ‘global music album’ categories. 

She lost out in the ‘global music performance’ category to Bad Bunny’s “EoO” and in the ‘global music album’ category to “Caetano e Bethania Ao Vivo” by Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania. Nominated in the ‘global music performance’ category was Shirini’s Dream (Live) by Shakti, featuring John McLaughlin, late Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Selvaganesh Vinayakram and Ganesh Rajagopalan. The ‘global music album’ category had three India connect albums that were nominated — Shankar, Indian musician Siddhant Bhatia (“Sounds of Kumbha”) and “Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live)” by Shakti. 

The Grammys this year saw Bad Bunny win the Album of the Year for “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos”, making it the first time a Spanish-language album won the top prize. He used his first time on stage to share an anti-ICE message. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” he said. 

Billie Eilish won song of the year for “Wildflower” and used the moment to add her voice to criticize immigration authorities on Sunday. 

China opposes the award, calls it a tool for ‘anti-China activities’ China on Monday deplored the Grammy Award given to the Dalai Lama, saying it “firmly opposes” the Tibetan spiritual leader using the recognition to carry out “anti-China activities”.  Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated China’s allegation that the 90-year-old spiritual leader is carrying out separatist activity in the name of religion. 

The Dalai Lama is not purely a religious person, Lin told a media briefing. “He is a political exile committed to anti-Chinese separatist activity under the disguise of religion,” he said.  

Beijing firmly opposes relevant sides using the award as a tool to carry out “anti-China activities”, he added.