Tibetan citizens from the Tibetan handicraft market at Calangute organised a meeting to protest the defamation of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, over a controversial video clip. They accused the Chinese of attempting to defame the Tibetan spiritual leader and destroy Tibetan culture.
Controversy erupted after the Dalai Lama kissed a boy during a public program, and he later issued an apology in the matter. On Monday, the Tibetan handicraft market at Calangute organised a protest meeting, and Tibetans who live in Calangute and other places along the Goa coastal belt were at the protest.
“China is keen to defame the Dalai Lama at any cost, and this is a fresh case of cyberwar. The video that was shot was later made viral for child abuse. This issue is wrongly presented and gives a wrongful impression of the Tibetan culture,” said Kalsang Chodon, a Tibetan.
“It is common in Tibetan culture for elders to kiss the kids. In our culture, when a child is born, the parents first chew the food and then feed the child with their tongue. The Dalai Lama’s word, ‘suck my tongue’ was a gesture of playing with the child. This was not about child abuse and did not have any sexual connotation,” she added.
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