The World Cup fever has gripped the monks of Tibet as well! A recent newspaper report says that at Tibet’s holiest shrine, young monks are getting up at 3 a.m. – not to pray, but to watch the World Cup matches.
Lights flickered in the windows of the Potala Palace, former home of the Dalai Lama, as France beat Portugal this week to set up a final showdown on Sunday, 9th July, 2006, against Italy. It was reported that the monks watched on a 54-cm colour TV, drinking Coca Cola and eating instant noodles.
Lobsang, a 27 year old monk said, “ I get very excited, very happy, when I watch the games because I get to see a lot of the famous players.” Like many of the 83 monks at the Palace, Lobsang goes by only one name.
Tibet’s Buddhist monks are not encouraged to play soccer, though they are allowed to watch.
All this, of course, is a long way from the time when Lhasa was known as the Forbidden City and hardly anyone had seen the Potala Palace, let alone the Dalai Lama. But then, this is the 21st century!
