Editor’s Pick

01 April, 2011

IN THIS 1959 PHOTOGRAPH, the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual and political leader, is seen with then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who permitted the exiled leader and other Tibetans to settle in Dharamsala, 640 miles north of New Delhi.

The Dalai Lama recently announced that he would step down from his political responsibilities, saying that he wanted Tibetans to choose their leader through democratic elections. The shift in power is a major change for the exiled community, which has for decades considered His Holiness as both their religious and political guide.

On 20 March, tens of thousands of Tibetans living in India, Nepal and other countries voted to select the next Kalon Tripa, or prime minister, of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. The election results are due on 25 April.