By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, May 3: A Tibetan youth Tenzin Kunchok concluded his five-day cycle ride in Dharamshala on Sunday to condemn the role of media houses and social influencers in defaming His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The 29-year-old started his solo cycle ride from Delhi on May 25, covering almost 500 kilometers to Dharamshala, to raise awareness about the doctored clip that was widely used by the media to misinterpret Dalai Lama’s playful interaction with a young Indian boy. He was accompanied by Dorjee Rangzen, who joined him from Delhi and Tenzin Thaye, a Member of RTYC Chandigarh who joined him from Chandigarh.
Speaking to Phayul, Tenzin Kunchok said “The media and social influencers have hastily come to the conclusion and defamed Dalai Lama based on a doctored clip. They circulated the clip without comprehending the reasons behind the clip. Due to that, a negative image of the Dalai Lama is perceived by the people. I have tried to explain to people the reality of the situation during my journey. We all know the source of the manipulated clip. And people who don’t know about his Holiness will believe what the media is portraying. In that process, Dalai Lama’s name is being slandered. I feel fortunate to give five days of my life to Dalai Lama”.
On arrival, Kunchok and his company were received by the Tibetan Youth Congress representatives and the Tibetan people of Dharamshala. The crowd applauded his initiative to spread awareness on the incident that attempted to malign the image of the Tibetan spiritual leader, known all over the world for his message of inclusion and peace.
Over the course of the last few weeks, Tibetans and followers of the Dalai Lama carried out various grassroots campaigns on the ground as well as on social media to condemn media houses, social commentators and even the overtly westernized lens that misinterpreted the actions of the octogenarian Tibetan leader.
