Rani at Harmony foundation's do

When the Dalai Lama talks, he likes to see who he is speaking to. Even in a sprawling hall packed to the brim. So, while addressing the audience at the Harmony Foundation’s awards ceremony, His Holiness found the bright lights coming between him and the audience.
But no, he didn’t ask for the lights to be dimmed. True to his philosophy, he found the solution from within himself — a suncap!
The seer, who received the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice at the programme, was his usual jovial self as he spoke on religion, technology and Indo-Tibet relations.
Exhorting everyone to maintain peace, show compassion and serve the less privileged, the Tibetan spiritual leader spoke about the religious and cultural ties between India and Tibet. “Shiva’s abode, Kailash, is in Tibet, geographically speaking, while Buddha was born in India,” the Dalai Lama said, dubbing himself the messenger of the ancient Indian tradition of ahimsa and religious harmony.
While invoking peace in these troubled times, he also recognised the role of technology in the world order today. The self-absorption spawned by the array of gadgets we are surrounded by, essentially leads to an unhealthy worship of material values, which may lead to the degeneration of human mind, he cautioned.
The seer’s words of warning set the tone for the evening, which commemorated the memory of Mother Teresa by awarding those who have been tirelessly working for the underprivileged. Rani Mukerji, who presented the Dalai Lama with his award, recounted her personal interaction with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. “As a child, I was blessed to meet Mother Teresa. She has been an inspiration for all and I hope we can follow her path of peace, harmony and the capacity to love,” she said.
The other awardees — each of them making a difference in their own right — included Sewa Ashram, for Work Amongst the Destitute in Delhi, Aruna Roy and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan for RTI and Empowerment of Women and the Rural Poor, Udit Raj for Dalit Empowerment and Emancipation, Colin Gonsalves for Legal Aid Addressing Human Rights, Sumaira Abdulali for Advocacy on Noise Pollution and Environment, YP Singh, Crusader for Integrity in Public Life and Sayed Iqbal Haider for Activism on Human Rights.