Will Dalai Lama name successor on birthday?

DHARAMSHALA: With Dalai Lama's 90th birthday approaching, excitement is growing over whether he will mark the occasion by announcing his successor as the leader of his people and a symbol of their challenge to China's determination to erase their identity as a community.

Dalai Lama will turn 90 on July 6, a milestone which many consider to be the right time for the anointment of a new leader of the institution which is now seen as the sole source of resistance, if only symbolic, to China's annexation of Tibet. As preparations are in full swing at McLeodganj, the headquarters of the Tibetan govt in exile - Central Tibetan Administration as it has styled itself - to make it a grand affair with dignitaries and celebrities from across the world likely to witness the ceremony, the question uppermost on many minds is will Dalai Lama mark the occasion by declaring whom he considers to be his reincarnation. What has invested the event with significance is the Tibetan leader's declared wish to break the suspense from the soil of a "free country".

Fulfilling it will only inflame China's annoyance given the stand of the Communist brass in Beijing that the announcement ought to be made from Chinese territory and with their concurrence.

With the Panchen Lama, the second-highest ranking spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama, being in Chinese confinement, the task to validate a successor seems to have become even more complicated.

As per past practice, the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama put their final seal of approval after identifying each other's reincarnation. There is also a possibility the Dalai Lama may declare there will be no reincarnation after him, as some officials of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) believe. Norzin Dolma, minister in the Tibetan govt (CTA), said, "His Holiness had written that at 90 years, he will consult Buddhist groups whether this institution should be continued. We have also come out with a paper reiterating 2011 documents. And that China has no role in it." She, however, said there is no urgency for the announcement as the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said he will live till 110 years of age.

The disquiet in the Tibetan administration is obvious given the recent resumption of India-China talks on border issues. Another CTA minister said, "India has to assess its long-term security situation while engaging in talks with Beijing. China cannot be trusted for what it says and actually does."

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