New Delhi: For the first time, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje, has publicly asserted that he had approached the Indian government with a request for a visa on his new Dominica passport at the New York consulate last year.The latest statement on his delayed return to India was made in a video message that was released on the occasion of the last day of the annual Kagyu Monlam, one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist festivals.The Karmapa, who is described as the third highest ranking monk in Tibetan Buddhism, has been living outside India for over a year. His presence becomes a sensitive issue due to questions over the Dalai Lama’s successor, which have consequences for China’s Tibet issue and relations with India. He is one of the two claimants to the post of Karmapa, but the other claimant got married and fathered a child last year.The second highest Tibetan Buddhist monk, the Panchen Lama, is believed to be in China.In December 2018, highly-placed sources had denied that India was delaying granting the Karmapa a visa, claiming that no application had been made till then. “Despite all the reports, he (the Karmapa) has not even applied for visa till now,” they said.Also read: The Flight of the Karmapa is Further Proof That India Has No Tibet CardFurther, sources said on December 27 that “instructions had been given to Indian missions” in the United States to grant a visa to the Karmapa, but the first step had to be taken by him.In his video message recorded in Germany, the Karmapa begins by noting that he had been absent for two successive Kagyu Monlams. “This is quite noteworthy. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to apologise to all of you,” he said in Tibetan language in the 35-minute sermon. Another clip with an English voice-over was also uploaded on YouTube on Tuesday (January 22).He also mentioned that his “great wish” had been to attend the 13th religious conference on Tibetan Buddhism for the heads of various sects that was scheduled for last November. It was postponed due to the death of the seventh head of the Nyingmapa tradition, Kathok Getse Rinpoche.“But before this in October, I had thought that before going to Canada, I would quickly travel to India. I wanted to meet his holiness the Dalai Lama as I had not seen him for a long time. I also wanted to meet and talk with some people of the Indian government,” he stated.The Karmapa then refers to his new national identity, from the Caribbean nation of Dominica.“But as all of you know, I have a new passport. Once I got the new one, my old document, the IC (Identity Certificate) became invalidated,” he said.Tibetan refugees are issued an Identity Certificate, which allows them to travel abroad without a national passport.However, once the holder obtains a passport, the IC becomes automatically invalid and has to be surrendered to the nearest Indian passport issuing authority.Also read: The Politics of Reincarnation Will Be the Next Crisis in Sino-Indian RelationsAccordingly, the Karmapa said that the New York consulate was requested to accept the surrendered IC and grant an Indian visa.“As that was the case, as soon as I got the new document, I went to the Indian embassy in New York to turn it to them. I went there and told them that I wanted to turn in my old document and further requested them to grant me a visa in the new passport. But the people in that office said that they were not authorised to do so and needed to ask the offices in Delhi about it. There was a lot of back and forth which took a bit of time and in the end, I could not get things done.”As per informed sources, while the Karmapa is using the first person singular pronoun, he didn’t visit to the consulate himself, but through a close relative.Sources added that an online application was made for a visa in late November.However, Indian sources also stated that this could not be counted as a formal application till the entire submission process, which required physical presence, was not completed.Indian sources had also expressed annoyance that the Karmapa had not kept the Indian government informed immediately after getting the new passport.The intrigue over the Karmapa – since his dramatic escape to India in 2000 and suspicions that he was a Chinese agent – has often been a tale of differing perception between the various Indian security agencies.Towards the end of his recorded speech from his retreat in Germany, the Karmapa said that coupled with his ill-health, he was in a “period where I feel sad and discouraged”.“People say all kinds of things about us. They misunderstand or make up things. In my life, it has often happened from when I was little up till now,” he said.Also read: 1959: The Year the Dalai Lama and Thousands of Tibetan Refugees Fled to ArunachalAccording to his followers, his movement had been severely restricted within India and having an IC made his foreign travels difficult.The Karmapa indicated that the negotiations over the visa would require careful handling, but promised to return “as quickly as I can”.“All this work around the passport was not getting cleared up. So, I thought to set this aside and take it easy for a while. I was not feeling well physically so I thought to rest and do some retreat. I thought it would be good not to rush things around the passport but to work on it carefully,” said the 33-year-old Buddhist leader.There are reports that the Karmapa has sought an Indian visa with a longer stay provision. Indian officials had asserted that it was not a matter for discussion, since the type of visa was the exclusive sovereign right of a national government.The Karmapa indicated that he has not made a fresh bid to complete the application. He said that “conversations” continued with the Indian government.The Dalai Lama in an interview to Hindustan Times last month revealed that he had held discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs on the Karmapa’s return.“I recently had discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs and told them that it is between the government of India and Ogyen to decide. I have no problems. It is his business. Not an important matter. There is no question of the Tibetan movement splintering in this context,” he said.