Dalai Lama marks 70th birthday

A three-day Tibetan dance and music festival has been organised in honour of the event. The Dalai Lama has lived in India since he fled Tibet in 1959, basing his government-in-exile in the hilltop town of Dharamsala.

He began Wednesday's festivities by unveiling a book on India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.

The Dalai Lama's personal secretary, Tensing Takala, told the BBC that various celebrations were planned. "The birthday celebrations began early today and are continuing with great enthusiasm, despite the heavy monsoon rain here. Large numbers of Tibetans have been standing outside his holiness' home since morning," he said.

The Dalai Lama also spoke to the journalists outside his home. Responding to a query whether the Tibetan dispute with China would be resolved in his lifetime, the Dalai Lama smiled and said: "I hope so. We need patience and determination".

But China is unlikely to give him the birthday gift he most wants - movement on negotiations over the future of Tibet.