Dalai Lama to visit Kochi on Saturday

KOCHI: Kochi is all set to welcome the Dalai Lama on Saturday. In his first-ever visit to the city, the Tibetan spiritual leader will have a tight schedule with a host of programmes.

The city will be under a heavy security blanket on Saturday with the city police formulating a detailed security plan for the visit of Dalai Lama.

During his one-day visit, the Lama will deliver the inaugural lecture at the seminar on ‘Beyond conflict to reconciliation: The challenge of the 21st century’ organised by the International Association for Religious Freedom at the Catholic Renewal Centre.

The four-day seminar will be attended by various social and religious leaders.

Around 600 peacemakers from various parts of the world are expected to take part in the congress to discuss issues such as religion and human rights.

The Lama will also give a private audience to the Friends of Tibet and address them. A series of Tibet-related programmes have also been lined up by the Friends of Tibet to welcome Dalai Lama. An exhibition of select cartoons on the Tibetan issues is going on at the Kashi Art Cafe, Fort Kochi.

The Friends of Tibet is also organising an exhibition of the photographs on Tibet and Dalai Lama along with the artifacts from Tibet. These will be on display at the Gateway Hotel on Saturday. The artifacts include coins and currencies from the then independent Tibet, a radio used by Dalai Lama and the banned Tibetan National Flag.