Dalai Lama receives Grammy from Amjad Ali Khan at Dharamshala home
Synopsis
The Dalai Lama's first Grammy is more than an audiobook win — it is Indian classical music and Tibetan spirituality sharing a global stage. Handed over in Dharamshala by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan weeks before the spiritual leader turns 90, the honour reframes ‘Meditations' as a soft-power moment for compassion politics in a fractious world.
Key Takeaways
The Dalai Lama was formally presented his Grammy on 3 June at his Dharamshala residence.
The award was handed over by sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash .
The honour is for the album ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama' in the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording category.
It is the 14th Dalai Lama's first-ever Grammy Award.
The presentation comes weeks before his 90th birthday on 6 July 2025 .
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was on Wednesday, 3 June, formally presented his Grammy Award at his residence in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, by celebrated sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, accompanied by his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. The award, won earlier this year, honours the album ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’, a body of work that pairs the Nobel laureate's reflections on compassion and peace with Indian classical music.
The award and the album
The Grammy was conferred in the ‘Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording’ category. The album weaves the Dalai Lama's meditations on compassion, peace and the oneness of humanity with Indian classical compositions, presenting a cross-cultural meditation on inner wellbeing.
‘It's a great honour to be here to offer a Grammy Award to His Holiness the Dalai Lama,' Amjad Ali Khan told reporters at the residence.
What the Dalai Lama said on the win
On receiving the award in February, the Nobel Peace laureate said, ‘I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I don't see it as something personal, but as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility. I truly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and an understanding of the oneness of humanity are essential for the collective well-being of all eight billion human beings. I'm grateful that this Grammy recognition can help spread these messages more widely.'
Tibetan leadership reacts
Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel congratulated the 14th Dalai Lama on social media, calling the honour a recognition of the lasting power of the spoken word and storytelling to convey wisdom and universal human values. Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, also extended congratulations on the audiobook win.
A wider body of work
The Grammy follows the Dalai Lama's latest book, ‘Voice for the Voiceless', in which he revisits his decades-long engagement with China and reminds the world of Tibet's unresolved struggle for freedom. He was 16 when Communist China entered Tibet in 1950, 19 at his first meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing, and 25 when he escaped to India to begin life as a leader in exile.
What's next
The presentation comes ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on 6 July 2025, an occasion expected to draw global tributes and renewed focus on the question of his succession.
Point of View
Presented by an Indian classical titan in a Himachal hill town, is the kind of cultural moment that resists easy categorisation — part spiritual milestone, part diplomatic signal. It lands at a delicate juncture: the spiritual leader is about to turn 90, and the succession question looms over Beijing-Dharamshala tensions. Indian classical music's pairing with Tibetan reflection also quietly reaffirms India's role as custodian of a tradition China continues to contest. The honour is personal, but its resonance is geopolitical.
NationPress
20 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What Grammy did the Dalai Lama win?
The Dalai Lama won the Grammy in the ‘Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording' category for the album ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama'. It is his first-ever Grammy Award.
Who presented the Grammy to the Dalai Lama?
Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan formally presented the Grammy to the Dalai Lama at his Dharamshala residence on 3 June. He was accompanied by his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash.
What is the album ‘Meditations' about?
‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama' blends the Tibetan spiritual leader's reflections on compassion, peace and the oneness of humanity with Indian classical music. It is positioned as a cross-cultural work on inner peace and shared human values.
What did the Dalai Lama say about the recognition?
The Dalai Lama said he received the recognition ‘with gratitude and humility' and viewed it not as personal but as a reminder of shared universal responsibility. He added that he was grateful the Grammy could help spread messages of peace and compassion more widely.
Why is this Grammy significant now?
The formal presentation comes weeks before the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on 6 July 2025, an occasion expected to attract global attention. It also coincides with renewed international focus on Tibet's unresolved political status and the question of succession.
