21 June 2012
Thousands set to welcome The Dalai Lama to Dundee
Thousands of people from Dundee and the surrounding area will come together tomorrow to mark His Holiness The Dalai Lama's historic first visit to the city, with community groups at the forefront of a programme of welcoming events.
He will deliver the University of Dundee's Margaret Harris Lecture on Religion at the Caird Hall as part of a UK-wide tour. Tickets for the much-anticipated event sold out within a few hours of going on sale earlier this year, and a buzz has been growing around the visit of one of the world's most influential spiritual leaders since then.
University Chaplain Rev Dr Fiona Douglas, who was instrumental in bringing His Holiness to Dundee, said it had been important to ensure the city and its people featured as prominently as possible.
"The event is to be a celebration of Dundee, its traditions and values, and so the welcome we afford to His Holiness The Dalai Lama will be very much a local one," she said. "It was important that we involved the local community as much as possible, and this is why we have put together our own welcoming party and events.
"It is an immense pleasure for me to welcome the Dalai Lama to Dundee. This is a historic occasion for the city, and it has created a great deal of excitement in and around Dundee.
"From the moment the visit was announced, we were inundated with enquiries from people of all ages, backgrounds, faiths and nationalities desperate to attend. I'm sure His Holiness will love the welcome he receives here, and that Dundee will do itself proud."
A publication detailing all those involved in the day's programme of events has been produced by the University. It will be presented to The Dalai Lama as a souvenir of his time in Dundee, and allows those individuals and community groups to extend their welcome personally.
It also includes rarely seen pictures of His Holiness during a visit to India in 1964 taken by the renowned photographer Michael Peto. The University holds Peto's collection in its archives, and so were able to include them in the publication.
Doors to the Caird Hall will open at 12.30pm and remain open to ticket-holders until 1.45pm, when the programme of events is scheduled to begin. Professor Pete Downes, Principal of the University, will welcome the audience to the Caird Hall and Hollywood star Brian Cox, University Rector, will also address the crowd.
Newbigging's Craig Weir, one of Scotland's top young bagpipe players and a student at the University, will then play a selection of tunes, including 'The Dalai Lama's Welcome to Dundee', a piece he composed especially in honour of the event. A recording of the track will be presented to His Holiness with the brochure.
The audience will then be played a video produced by pupils of Morgan Academy in conjunction with Clepington Primary School. The film sees pupils from both schools, who have been learning about His Holiness as part of their studies, discuss Buddhism, The Dalai Lama's visit and their lives.
6th Year Morgan pupil Natalie Healy, who along with Qasim Aslam organised the making of the film, said, "The making of our presentation in itself has been an amazing experience, and I can't wait until the talk at the Caird Hall and meeting The Dalai Lama. I feel so proud to be part of the event."
The University of Dundee Choir will perform 'The Lark' by Mendelssohn and "The Long Day Closes" by Arthur Sullivan to the audience at the Caird Hall. Graeme Stevenson, Director of Music at the Chaplaincy Centre, said, "On behalf of the University choir, I would like to welcome the Dalai Lama to Dundee.
"We feel very lucky to be taking part in this event and look forward to hearing the message he brings with him."
At this point, Craig Weir will move outside the Caird Hall to pipe The Dalai Lama in as he arrives at City Square, following a morning appearance in Edinburgh. The Principal, Chaplain and Rector will greet His Holiness, who will meet some of the Morgan and Clepington pupils.
At around 2.20pm, The Dalai Lama will take to the stage of the Caird Hall and deliver his talk, 'Education of The Heart: a new world order of compassion'. The chair for the occasion was designed and built by Malcolm Cheyne, a furniture maker based at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD).
Following the conclusion of the talk, the Chaplain will manage a short question-and-answer session with local schoolchildren. Scottish opera singer Martin Aelred will sing "Time To Say Goodbye" while children from the Claypotts Castle Primary School Signing Choir perform the song in sign language.
Linda Geekie, who leads Claypotts' Signing Choir, said, "We've been holding extra rehearsals in the run up to the event, and the children are all very excited about being able to play their part in welcoming The Dalai Lama to Dundee."
The day's event will conclude with Craig Weir playing once more as the traditional exchange of scarves between The Dalai Lama and his hosts takes place.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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