'Tibetan Buddhism flourished with India's support'

 New Delhi, April 2: Tibet’s Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay on Monday said that Tibetan Buddhism had flourished due to India’s support in the last 60 years ever since the Dalai Lama arrived in India in 1959. “An ancient civilization that was almost destroyed (by the Chinese) has been preserved due to (support of) India. In the 60 years of our exile, Tibetan Buddhism flourished in Bhutan, Nepal, and Sikkim and Aruchal Pradesh,” he said at a function held here as part of the ‘Thank You India’ campaign. The ‘Thank You India’ event was organised by the Central Tibetan Administration in McLeodganj near Dharamsal in Himachal Pradesh on March 31 to mark 60 years of the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s arrival in India in 1959. Sangay, who is heads the McLeodganj-based CTA, said the major agenda is to ensure the return of the Dalai Lama to Lhasa’s Potala Palace. “Our main goal is to return to Tibet. The aspiration of six million Tibetans in Tibet is to see His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, to return to Tibet,” he said. Asked how optimistic he was and whether parleys were on with the Chinese, he said: “It will happen. Of course, we have to talk to the Chinese government — their cooperation is very important.” “However, There is no formal dialogue (with Chi).”