Chinese students should come to India to know how democracy works: Dalai Lama

Delivering a lecture on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said on Tuesday that Chinese students should come to India to pursue studies and know how democracy works. He also said that India was a secular country and questions should not be raised on its secularism because of a few people and incidents. The 84-year-old leader was addressing students of Chandigarh University in Ghruan.

Highlighting the situation in China, he said that there was no free media there, besides several other curbs and thus, the Chinese students should come to India to learn about the functioning of democracy and the ways to make it successful.

“Some Chinese students had approached me sometime ago. Before approaching me they thought that I was orthodox, but after meeting me their perception changed. I strongly believe that the Chinese students should come to India and the Indian institutes should also welcome them,” Dalai Lama said.

Replying to a question on the relationship of China and India, he said that both were the most populous countries in the world and both needed each other. “Both are big nations. They need each other for economic purposes,” Dalai Lama said.

On the relations between India and Pakistan, Dalai Lama said that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was ‘emotional’ and should be more logical instead. He said, “Just see his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. What he said was emotional, on the other side, the Indian Prime Minister’s speech was apt. In fact, Pakistan needs India more than any other country.”

Speaking about the displacement of Rohingiyas after a spate of violence in Mayanmar, a Buddhist country, Dalai Lama said that he was at Washington when the violence broke out, following which he spoke to the Mayanmar leaders. “They told me that the situation was very complicated, but it was sad,” he said.

Reiterating his belief on India’s secular values, he said, “Due to a few negative people or events, we cannot ignore secularism in India. India is a secular country. The country has taught the world that different religions can exist together.”

Earlier, addressing the gathering of students and staff, Dalai Lama spoke about Guru Nanak. He said that Nanak’s teachings were relevant in today’s world. He further emphasised that one must combine the ancient knowledge and modern education to make the world a better place.

Referring the 21st century as the ‘century of dialouge’, Dalai Lama said that there should be no use of weapons and countries should sit across the table and iron out the differences. The gathering was attended by a large number of students.