Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 8: The Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) will jointly hold a prayer service and peace march in Dharamsala on August 20 to commemorate the 49th day since the passing of Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen, who died following a self-immolation in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 2. In Buddhist belief, 49th day since a death marks the final passage of the soul from the purgatory state or Bardo in Tibetan, onto a next incarnation of the departed.
The official programme will begin with prayers and offerings at the Main Temple in McLeod Ganj from 10 a.m. to noon. The ceremony will be followed by a peaceful march from McLeod Ganj to the Dharamsala Police Ground, according to a public announcement issued on August 7. The administration has called on senior officials, civil servants, and members of the public to participate in the programme and arrive at the venue on time.
The commemoration will honour Lobga Rangzen and express solidarity with Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of the Tibetan cause. The joint programme will also serve as a public expression of opposition to China’s so-called “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress.”
In the weeks since martyr Lobga Rangzen’s death, Tibetans and supporters in different parts of the world have organised demonstrations, solidarity campaigns, prayer gatherings, and candlelight vigils to amplify his call for an independent Tibet. Protests and commemorative events have also been held outside Chinese diplomatic missions and the United Nations, with participants calling for greater international attention to Tibet and urging the United Nations and governments around the world to respond to the late independence activist’s sacrifice.
Across the Tibetan diaspora, the 49th day since the passing of Lobga Rangzen is also expected to be marked through prayer services, candlelight vigils, and demonstrations in cities around the world. Tibetan communities and supporters are expected to gather outside Chinese diplomatic missions, United Nations offices, and other public spaces to commemorate his death, express solidarity with his family, and reiterate calls for greater international attention to the situation in Tibet. The observances will provide an opportunity for Tibetans in exile to remember his sacrifice while keeping his call for Tibet’s independence at the centre of public demonstrations and commemorative events.
