“These monks are so fascinating in their red dresses! Lets go and meet the Dalai Lama”I said to my wife while holidaying at Mcleodganj, Dharamsala.sometime in the summer of 1986.
How? She asked.
I don’t know, but we will, I know, we ARE in Dharamsala for a start..:)
So saying , I simply alighted from my car and began making enquiries from a group of monks,
“ excuse me, I want to meet the Dalai Lama”
You want to meet who?
The Dalai Lama
The shook their heads in wonder, and which looked like a “No”. Clearly I was stranger than most tourists they were used to. Something told me this was not going to be as easy as Tintin in Tibet.
Then, a senior Lama, who perceived the intent even in my childish approach, said
“ You should go to the foreign affairs ministry at Mortimer hall, and register yourself”
Mr Dharamvir Rewari, a man I had never met, responded with the compassion of an old associate.
Picking up the archetypal black Government office telephone, “ Yes I know His Holiness is not giving any more appointments, I know he has a cold….but.. this is a very nice couple and I just thought….” He pleaded with the Secretaries of Thekchen choeling , His Holiness’s Office.
Then, looking at me with that “you know I have given it my best shot” he said
“ Mr Gulhati, you now only have to wait for His Holiness to ask to see you, its solely His decision, and if it happens in the next three days you are here, consider yourself very lucky”
Those next three days went by quickly, as good holidays do, we were having fun, yes, but there was no word from His Holiness.
“Looks like we aren’t going to meet him after all” I said to my wife, as I forked into a steaming Tibetan noodle soup.
The first coincidence:
It was exactly five seconds later that an excited man came fumbling into the café
“ Mr Gulhati we have been looking all over Mcleodganj for you. His Holiness has been waiting for half an hour, yours is the only audience left for today”
We darted out without paying the café owner, who gave a wide ‘go ahead ‘smile,
We yelled something about promising to come back to settle accounts..
The security cleared us expediently, smiling ‘you are a bit late”
They ushered us to his humble but very neat meeting hall, where we saw The Dalai Lama with a huge beaming smile that is his Hallmark .
He was Radiant. Simply beautiful.
We , didn’t know that we ought to have carried Khatas, Tibetan scarves to present him with, but He knew His protocol too well, and ,fondly put silk scarves on us in welcome.
We sat down four an hour long audience, during which I asked many questions, like the one if an operation is needed to activate the third eye..which He replied with the ease and authority of the paramount attainment that He is, but also, always joking and laughing to rub the point in permanently. (http://www.facebook.com/no
A wonderful cup of tea was served, and then we asked if we could photograph with Him.
He obliged, and just when I was thinking about the reliability of my old camera, He instructed the secretary something crisp in Tibetan, looking at me benevolently and translating “ I told him to take another click.. uh .. maybe..photo don’t come huh ”
I understood this to be coincidence, but well was it weird or just my mind..
Then he asked for some books to be presented to us, numbering five in total, including the latest ones written by Him, and His favourite verses from shantideva. The only mystery about the altruism was this:
they were exactly the five books I had window shopped to buy just before my departure the next day.
Knowing that something good was happening, I still wanted more! And found myself now hoping he would autograph one of them, and though I didn’t see Him doing that, He had already thought of that one too: as we found out a few minutes later back in our hotel. “Tenzin Gyatso” A name I was beginning to love.
But I am not making Him out to be a Miracle man. That would amount to reducing the enigma of that sunny beam. Its just that when you’re with Him, things happen.:)
Consider the best one:
When, finally it dawned on me, that we had been treated very well, when just an hour ago we didn’t know how to even meet the Man, I asked in the most simple words “ your Holiness, you have treated us very well”
Yes, He beamed
‘but you don’t even know me, so why?” There, out of My worldly habit, I did drop a mundane doubt….
Absolutely spontaneously he laughed again ‘Ha ha ha uh you and I are old friends, you forget, I remember”
