Q. You mention that you were in a difficult phase of your life when you met His Holiness. What change did the meeting mean to you?
A. It was one of the toughest times of my professional life. I had no success in two ventures and then I had an opportunity to work with chef Gordon Ramsay in Kitchen Nightmares. We re-did Purnima, an Indian eatery, on the show and this became a cover story all over America in 2006. Then, within a few months of its glorious existence, it was closed down due to lease issues. I was at the lowest point in my life when I had to close the place that was close to my heart. As I was locking the door for the last time, my friend Tashi from Voices of Tibet called me to check if I would like to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he was visiting New York. My first reaction was “No”. Then I said “Yes,” and agreed to stop by for the lecture. We arrived at at Beacon Theatre and waited in line for His Holiness. He stepped in, with his humble presence and out of a crowd of thousands of New Yorkers, touched my forehead. I was a totally broken man at that time. His touch healed me and made me feel that I mattered.

Joking with members of a traditional Carinthian brass band which performed on his arrival in Klagenfurt, Austria. Pic courtesy/Tenzin Choejor, Bloomsbury India