Drukpa Nuns Celebrate Self-Empowerment at The Gyalwang Drukpa Awards 2014

Drukpa Buddhists showcased the Himalayan Buddhist Tradition, as they celebrated self-empowerment in Delhi's Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts. The day was filled with scintillating dragon dance by the Drukpa nuns, breath-taking demonstration by the Kung Fu Nuns, art and photo-exhibition, and some delectable Himalayan cuisine. The event was organised by Live to Love, an international humanitarian organisation. His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, spiritual head of Drukpa Buddhists was the star attraction of the event. He was accompanied by HE Gyalwa Dokhampa, HE Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, and Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo. Union Minister Smt Ambica Soni also attended the day-long celebrations.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140320/10091549)

The  Gyalwang  Drukpa  Awards for 2014 were also given out during the function. These awards are given out to organisations and individuals whose vision, inspiration and leadership tackle humanities greatest challenges, and have been inspired by the global philanthropist, the Gyalwang Drukpa himself. This year's awards were given out four distinguishing women persona of our times - Smt. Sterre Sharma, internationally renowned artist who has been working selflessly with the slum dwellers of Shadipur Depot Area through her organisation Kalakar Trust; Dr. Poonam Khetrapal, WHO regional director for South East Asia; Smt. Ranjana Pandey, founder member of Jan Madhyam, an NGO that reaches out to the disabled, especially the girl child from the marginalised section of the society; and Smt Vimla Mehra, director general of Tihar Prisons.

Speaking during the function the Gyalwang Drukpa said, "Women play a very important role in our society. Without them, we would have no existence. This day it is not just celebrating self-empowerment of the nuns, but in fact our celebration of womanhood in general." Speaking on the awards he further said, "These awardees have done yeoman service in their areas, not because of any compulsion, but because of their efforts and zeal to work towards the well-being of all. We salute them. They are a blessing to humanity."

Stanzin Dorjai and Dorjay Angdus, two extremely talented and award winning cinematographer and photographer from the Ladakh region were also felicitated during the celebrations, and a photo exhibition of their work also displayed at the venue.

Arjun Pandey, Head of Live to Love India said, "It is but our pleasure to be able to host the Drukpa master, Eminences and the illustrious nuns in Delhi and also to be able to interact with the luminaire recipients of the Gyalwang Drukpa Awards. They are all a continuous motivation, and we hope that not just us, but people across the country and the world will benefit from them."

About  The  Gyalwang  Drukpa

The Gyalwang Drukpa is the head of the thousand year old Drukpa Order, based in the Himalayas and has millions of followers worldwide. His mission is to promote universal harmony and inner peace by integrating the spiritual tenets of love and appreciation into daily lives. His work includes promoting gender equality; establishing educational institutions, medical clinics and meditation centres; and rebuilding heritage sites in the Himalayas. He is the founder and spiritual director of the award-winning Druk White Lotus School in Ladakh, India, which provides its students with a modern education while preserving their local culture. In 2007, His Holiness founded the not-for-profit international humanitarian organization Live to Love which has Aamir Khan and Michelle Yeoh as its global ambassadors. In September 2010, the United Nations honoured His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Award for his efforts to "create compassion into action". Earlier in September, he was named the "Guardian of the Himalayas" by Waterkeeper Alliance (an NGO founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) for his conservation efforts in the Himalayas.

About  Drukpa  Lineage: 

The Drukpa Buddhists follow the Mahayana Buddhist tradition in philosophy, i.e. the philosophy of "getting enlightened for the benefit of others" and the methods are based on the Tantrayana teachings passed down from the great Indian saint Naropa, born in 1016. "Druk" in means "Dragon" and it also refers to the sound of thunder. In 1206, the first Gyalwang Drukpa, Naropa's reincarnation, saw nine dragons fly up into the sky from the ground of Namdruk, and he named his lineage "Drukpa" or "lineage of the Dragons" after this auspicious event. Today, the Drukpa Lineage sprawls over major parts of the Himalayas, especially in Ladakh, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti in India, as well as Bhutan and Nepal. Bhutan, also known as "Druk Yul" or "Land of Thunder Dragons", honours the Drukpa Lineage as its state religion. The lineage is also widely practiced in many countries throughout the world, especially Vietnam, another nation deeply influenced by the legends of "Dragons".

More about the Gyalwang Drukpa at http://www.drukpa.org

For  further  press  information  please  contact:

Shreeya  Roy  Bhowmik
Communications @ Drukpa
[email protected]
Mob: +91 9350335761