The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa is a young man of 26, and when he arrived at Gallery K2 on August 26 to inaugurate an exhibition of photographs on Mother Teresa, what struck many visitors was his charm and serenity despite his youth.

When an elderly lady approached him with folded hands, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans was immediately on his feet to offer namaste. He said he was very interested in art and did a little painting himself.

The Karmapa was born in Tibet into a family of nomads. In 2000, he made a dramatic escape from Tibet by car, foot, horseback, helicopter, train and taxi, and was received at Dharamsala by the Dalai Lama himself. He received refugee status from the government of India in 2001.



     Print this article      Email this article