Recap of meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama

If you would have asked me 4 years ago what was something I wanted to cross off my bucket list, I probably would have said skydiving. Never in my wildest dreams I would have imagined meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the most respected men and religious leaders in the world.

Naureen Singh and the Dalai lama
Photo Credit to Glenn Asakawa

I got this opportunity due to my involvement in CU Student Government, specifically the Cultural Events Board, which is responsible for filling cultural voids on campus. 3 years ago, rumors were circulating about a possible event in the near future with HHDL. After 3 years of conversation, and a cancelled event back in October, the event took place June 23rd, 2016 at the Coors Event Center. As someone who studied other religions all my life in order to find the peace with mine, his philosophy and values always struck a unique chord in me.

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Leading up to the morning of the event, I was a nervous wreck. I debated with myself what to wear for about an hour, and could not control the anxiety whatsoever. After passing through background checks and security, a select few of us were making our way to a room where we were supposed to have lunch. I sat across from the Chancellor of CU, and right next to the three empty seats reserved for the Dalai Lama and his translator. During the anxious wait for him to enter the room, I probably drank 3 glasses of ice tea out of pure nervousness.

And then it happened. Everyone in the room stood up as this man dressed in orange and red made his way into the room. He went directly for the food, so obviously, all the hungry and broke college students ( such as myself) immediately followed. The Dalai Lama sat down to eat, and I was next to approach the table. As I fumbled with my plate trying to figure out what to say to him, he quickly looked at me and asked:

The Dalai Lama, his translator, and I sharing a conversation
Photo Credit: Glenn Asakawa

"You look Indian. Are you from India?"

I immediately laughed and responded that both my mom and dad were from New Dehli and Punjab. His face lit up and he reached out to hold my hand. He then proceeded to tell me how much he loved Punjab, even though it is extremely hot there.  His translator sat next to me, and asked if I spoke Punjabi/Hindi at home, to which I responded yes. We had a great conversation about my experiences living in Colorado, as a Sikh American, and someone who wants to pursue a political career. A few times during the conversation, the translator would turn to His Holiness and translate what I said. What was suppose to be a one-liner I planned out in my head, turned into an engaging dialogue with the Dalai Lama. I barely ate any of the food because of how deep the conversation became. For those who know me, I LOVE to eat so the conversation must have been really worth it.

Naureen Singh and the Dalai Lama
Photo Credit to Glenn Asakawa

He told me about his experience traveling to Punjab to give remarks in 1969 for the 500th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji ( Sikhism's founder + 1st Guru). I couldn't help but smile because as he recounted his story, he had the most honest and genuine laugh in the world. As people made their way back to the table with food, awkward silence became filled with laughter. The Dalai Lama was telling jokes about him being "naughty" and shenanigans he would do to serious ambassadors in India in order to make them laugh. He even looked at me at one point and asked if it was disrespectful, to which I laughed and said of course not. He made the conversation light, filled with love and compassion.

And then my favorite moment of the day happened. When a server handed him a bowl of papayas, before indulging in it himself, he offered it to a Muslim student next to him, and then offered one to me. It was probably one of the most heartfelt moments of my life. Here is a man, respected by so many as a world famous leader, but yet so humble and kind. The offering of fruit to me almost became a gesture of oneness. He wasn't treating himself as a dignitary, but rather as someone wanting to share his experiences and hear from us too.

The Chancellor of CU Boulder then asked me if I did research at the university, to which I responded no because I am interested in pursuing a career in law and politics, maybe working at the White House in the future. At this point, everyone at the table was listening to this conversation between the Dalai Lama, the Chancellor of CU, and myself. The Dalai Lama then looked at me and said, "You could keep this a secret, but who are you voting for in the upcoming presidential election?"

Front Row at the Dalai Lama Event

I was taken so off guard with that question, I just laughed and said "Not Trump." The Dalai Lama then proceeded to tell us a story about his encounters with all the US Presidents, but his favorite being with George Bush junior, and him offering the Dalai Lama cookies.

At this point, the one hour conversation was dwindling down. We were very lucky to get a group picture with him before his lecture. One of the greatest perks of being small is getting to stand in the front of pictures, and so as I stood next to the Dalai Lama, he did something so incredibly touching.

He reached out, and grabbed my hand and squeezed it during the course of the photos. I couldn't help but feel so honored to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama, let alone get to hold his hand.

Traditional Tibetan Scarf blessed by the Dalai Lama

I brought my mother as my guest to the event (shoutout to Mother Singh) and we got to sit in the front row (#perks). I honestly didn't have any belief the Dalai Lama would spot me in the audience, but to my surprise he did. After he pointed to me and my mother, we offered our hands in prayer, the Sikh greeting, to which he did the same in front of thousands of people. You can see it here.

What made me laugh even more was the fact that every time he mentioned India, he would always look over at my direction and smile. 

After the event concluded

Never in a million years did I ever think this would happen to me. I am by no means any big politician or have done anything near worthy to have met his Holiness. All I can say is meeting him and the conversations we shared only reaffirm why I want to pursue making this world a better place for all religious communities. I am taking away a traditional Tibetan scarf blessed by the Dalai Lama, pictures, but most importantly, a lifetime worth of memories.

God Speed.