Successive Kalöns

Mr. Lobsang Nyandak Zayul (September 20, 2001 – March 6, 2005)

Mr. Lobsang Nyandak Zayul, born in Kalimpong in 1965, is a distinguished Tibetan public servant who has made significant contributions to the Tibetan administration in exile. He served as a Member of the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies from 1996 to 2001 and was also the founding Executive Director of the…

Kriti Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin (April 2, 1997 – April 7, 1997)

His Eminence the 11th Kirti Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin Jigme Yeshe Gyamtso was born in 1942 in Thewo Takmoe Gang, Amdo, Tibet, and was recognised as the reincarnation of the 10th Kirti Rinpoche. Following his escape to India in 1959, he pursued both traditional Buddhist studies and modern Tibetan education, eventually attaining…

Mrs. Samkar Yangkyi (June 1, 1996 – April 1, 1997)

Mrs. Samkar Yangkyi was a distinguished Tibetan public servant who served as Health Kalön of the Central Tibetan Administration from 1996 to 2001, with a brief transition period in April 1997. She served during the 11th Kashag and played an important role in guiding the Department of Health during a significant…

Mr. Tashi Wangdu (August 1, 1994 – May 1, 1996)

Mr. Tashi Wangdi was born in Sangag Choeling, Tibet, and fled to India with his family in 1959. His education began at the first school for Tibetan refugee children established by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Musoorie. He furthered his studies in Britain, earning a B.A. (Honours) in Political Science…

Mr. Sonam Topgyal (September 1, 1993 – July 1, 1994)

Mr. Sonam Topgyal was born in Kham Dagyab in 1941 and fled to India in 1959. He studied at the Central University for Tibetan Studies in Sarnath and Banaras Hindu University before joining the Central Tibetan Administration in 1963. He held various positions, including deputy secretary of the Department of Information…

Mrs. Rinchen Khando (February 1, 1993 – August 1, 1993)

Mrs. Rinchen Khando was born in Kardze, in eastern Tibet on 22nd March 1946. At the age of seven, she moved to Lhasa, where she learned to read and write Tibetan. In 1958, she went to India and learnt English for one year. In 1959, she along with her family, shifted to…

Mr. Kelsang Yeshi (August 1, 1991 – January 1, 1993)

Mr. Kalsang Yeshi, former minister to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, was born in Lhasa in 1941. He spent his early childhood in Kham and was in Chamdo with his family when the PLA attacked in 1950. After the Tibetan army was defeated, he moved back to Lhasa. He attended school…

Mrs. Jetsun Pema (May 17, 1990 – June 28, 1991)

Mrs. Jetsun Pema was born in Lhasa, on 7 July 1940. She went to India in 1950 and studied first at St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong and later at Loreto Convent in Darjeeling from where she completed her Senior Cambridge in 1960. In 1961, she went to Switzerland and then to…

Mr. Lobsang Dhargyal (November 1, 1988 – May 11, 1990)

Mr. Lobsang Dhargyal Born in 1932 in Shang Namling, Shigatse Dzong, he received his early education in traditional Tibetan schools at Zimshak and Lhasa Nyarong Shar School, where he studied Tibetan language and literature, including the basic subjects of traditional Tibetan learning. At the age of twenty, he entered government service.…

Mr. Lodoe Gyaltsen Gyari (September 19, 1987 – November 10, 1988)

Mr. Gyari Lodoe Gyaltsen was a distinguished Tibetan public servant and statesman whose life was dedicated to the service of the Tibetan people and the advancement of the Tibetan administration in exile. He served as the Chairman of the Seventh Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies from 1979 to 1982, providing leadership…