Born in Kolkata, educated and professionally trained in the United States of America, seasoned in Delhi, and ultimately returning to Dharamshala in lifelong service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Taklha, 61, has received one of the Tibetan exile community’s most distinguished recognitions for public service and institutional stewardship.

Taklha — Secretary to the 14th Dalai Lama and longtime Chief of Security — was awarded a commemorative citation and medal honouring more than three decades of devoted service to the Tibetan cause and Himalayan cultural continuity. The event was held on May 20 at Thiksey Monastery in central Ladakh during celebrations marking the 84th birthday of 9th Thiksey Rinpoche.

The award, instituted by Thiksey Rinpoche in 2016 with the Dalai Lama himself as its inaugural recipient, recognizes individuals whose lives have been dedicated to sustaining Tibetan institutions in exile. Taklha becomes only the second recipient, a reflection of the trust and responsibility he has carried for nearly three decades behind the scenes of the Dalai Lama’s global engagements.

Born Tenzin Namdhak in Calcutta in 1965, Taklha’s life mirrors the journey of many Tibetans in exile. After infancy in Switzerland and childhood years in the United States, he returned to Dharamshala in 1978 and studied at Tibetan Children’s Village, where he initially struggled with Tibetan language studies before emerging as a strong student through persistence and discipline.

Taklha later graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, in 1988, before pursuing graduate studies in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Yet rather than pursuing a conventional international career, Taklha returned to work connected to the Tibetan exile community and the Dalai Lama’s office.

In 1990, he helped coordinate the resettlement of 1,000 Tibetan refugees across 16 regional clusters in the United States, work that demanded both administrative precision and emotional sensitivity. A later journey to Tibet in 1993, including a visit to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, deepened his commitment to preserving Tibetan identity and culture in exile.

Following professional security training in the United States, Taklha joined the Dalai Lama’s Private Office as Chief of Security in 1996. Over time, his responsibilities expanded far beyond security coordination to include managing international travel, diplomatic logistics, health schedules, official audiences, and liaison work with governments and host institutions worldwide.

In 2014, he was appointed secretary to His Holiness, while continuing to oversee security operations, making him one of the most trusted and indispensable figures within the Dalai Lama’s inner administrative circle.

The citation presented at Thiksey praised Taklha’s “integrity, discretion, and wisdom” — the qualities his colleagues frequently associate with his leadership style. Known for avoiding publicity and declining personal credit, Taklha has built a reputation as a calm and disciplined administrator who regards service itself as a spiritual practice.

“My practice is serving His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” he has often said, encapsulating a philosophy that has defined his career.