New Delhi: Stacking the white khataks, Tibetan ceremonial scarves signifying good wishes, were several women in Majnu Ka Tila. Their movements were calm and purposeful.On the other side, some men managed seating arrangements as monks chanted a prayer.Children, in traditional Tibetan attire, rehearsed dance steps for a performance scheduled after the prayer. A few dashed past the gathering, eyeing the birthday cake awaiting them. The excitement was palpable as everyone gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.Wearing a chupa, attire women don on auspicious days, 62-year-old Soap Chamo was practising her dance routine backstage. “The Dalai Lama is our way of life,” she said. “I was born during my parents’ journey from Lhasa. It’s been 40 years, and I have never seen my homeland. To live away and build a life requires resilience. That resilience we get from him. This is a tradition we’ll carry forward. His Holiness keeps us united. I want my children and grandchildren to continue it.”Migmar Tsering (37), headmaster of the Tibetan Children’s Village School, echoed this sentiment while dressing up a group of 8-year-olds preparing to perform a traditional Tibetan opera dating back to the fifth Dalai Lama.”I was seven when I migrated to India. My parents stayed behind. I haven’t seen them in over 25 years, and that pain drives me,” he said.”These children are now the custodians of the culture that we have left behind,” he said. “We teach in Tibetan until Class 4 and encourage participation in festivals like these.”The celebration included an hour-long prayer, followed by offerings of wheat flour, symbolising long life for the Dalai Lama. Devotees then offered khataks, followed by a cake cutting ceremony and dance performances by all age groups. Meanwhile, the kitchen buzzed with preparations of meetha chawal, paneer and roti — an Indian-style tribute to His Holiness.Six-year-old Isha was one of the youngest performers. On the other end of the age spectrum, 99-year-old Dawa, older than the Dalai Lama by nine years, counted her rosary beads in silent prayer.Amid the festive atmosphere, political tensions lingered. Recently China has rejected the Dalai Lama’s decision to let the Gaden Phodrang Trust choose his reincarnation, insisting the process must be approved by Beijing, a move seen as a threat to Tibetan autonomy.”China doesn’t follow any religion in the first place, so why is it getting into our religious issue?” remarked Tashi Lhamo, president of the Regional Tibetan Women’s Association, Delhi. “How the next Dalai Lama is chosen is an internal matter. Only the Gaden Phodrang Trust has the authority, not Beijing.”Two women, Tenzing Yangze and Rakiye, aged 22 and 23, respectively, and participants in the festivities, said: “Our entire culture revolves around the institution of the Dalai Lama, so only Tibetans should have the final say, not the Chinese government.”Speaking on the importance of keeping the younger generation abreast with Tibetan culture and the revered institution of the Dalai Lama, Ngodup Choephel (52), president of the Majnu Ka Tilla Resident’s Welfare Association and head of the ‘Dgu Bcu Tsogs Pa’ (Ninety Year Committee), said: “Though we are a generation in exile, we’ve built a home rooted in our faith. Even toddlers instinctively fold their hands before His Holiness’s picture. “Extending support from the civic body, Vikas Taank, MCD councillor of Civil Lines from AAP, said: “I’m glad we were born in the age of Nobel laureate Dalai Lama, the undertaker of peace in today’s world.”Adding political dimension to the occasion, Bharat Tibbat Sahyog Manch’s general secretary, Pankaj Goyal, commented on recent Chinese statements: “China needs to back off when it comes to Tibet. Tibetans have the right to preserve their own culture, and India shares a long-standing and respectful relationship with this nation.”As children danced and elders looked on with pride, the moment reflected more than celebration. It was cultural continuity in motion.