The book ‘Never Forget Tibet: The Dalai Lama’s Untold Story’ was released worldwide on Saturday as a mark of respect on the 89th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, an icon of non-violence and compassion.
Directed by Jean-Paul Martinez, this documentary documents the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s incredible journey into exile in his own words for the first time, including the Indian political officer who escorted him to safety – the late Havildar Mandar Singh.
Featuring the Tibetan community in exile and people with historical connections to Tibet, the film explores the Dalai Lama’s compassion for a world in trouble today and seeks to explore what can be learned from his inspiring life story, Tibetan culture and its ancient spirituality.
Inspired by Rani Singh’s book ‘An Officer and His Holiness’, the film is narrated by British actor Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) and features music by Grammy Award-nominated artist Anoushka Shankar.
The film is produced by Compassionate Films and executive produced by Templeheart Films, Lyndon Baldock, Gavin Patterson and Rani Singh.
The worldwide digital release has been made possible through the support of the Italian Buddhist Association, Rome, Italy.
The feature documentary will be available on major streaming platforms worldwide, including Apple TV, Amazon and Google Play.
In 1959, Chinese troops suppressed a Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa and forced the 14th Dalai Lama and more than 80,000 Tibetans into exile in India and neighboring countries.
On arriving in India after a three-week long and risky journey, the Dalai Lama first stayed in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand for almost a year.
On March 10, 1960, just before leaving for Dharamsala, which is also the headquarters of the Tibetan establishment in exile, the Dalai Lama said: “For people like us in exile, I said that our priority should be rehabilitation and the continuation of our cultural traditions. We, Tibetans, will eventually succeed in achieving independence for Tibet.”
The government in exile is currently based in Dharamsala, a city in the Himalayan foothills, where a community of Tibetans live in exile with the Dalai Lama, hoping to continue their struggle to achieve full autonomy in their Chinese-ruled motherland Tibet.
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