Tibetans turn vegetarian for Dalai Lama

The folks dedicate their one-year-long vegetarianism to the long life of His Holiness Dalai Lama.

Tibetans here today pledged to shun non-vegetarian food for a year in a bid to enhance their "collective merit" and dedicating it for the long life of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

A notice has been pasted to this effect at Tibetans Staff Mess declaring that it would refrain from engaging in the business of buying and selling of non-vegetarian supplies for one year from April 11, 2007 to February 2, 2008.

The initiative was based on a directive from the Tibetan Secretariat. A statement from the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile had earlier said the year 2007 is both "auspicious and ominous," particularly for the Dalai Lama.

On March 14, Samdhong Rinpoche, the Prime Minister of Tibetan government-in-exile, said a series of prayers would be performed in order to preclude any untoward hurdles to the leader.

When asked about turning vegetarian, head of the Staff Mess Machen Gendun said, "this is indeed a noble initiative to enhance the collective merit and dedicating it to the longevity of the Dalai Lama".