Bhubaneswar: Dark-skinned people and oppressed sections of society should shun inferiority complex and gain self-confidence to face challenges, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Tuesday.

The 82-year-old Buddhist monk was addressing a gathering of tribal students at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) after being honoured with the 10th KISS Humanitarian Award on the campus here. “We are all human beings, be it black or white in colour. All of  us have similar brains. There is no difference between the brain of a white man and a black man. Therefore, one should not feel inferior due to his or her colour,” the Dalai Lama, who is on a two-day visit to Odisha after seven years, said.

Citing an instance, the Dalai Lama said he met some black people in South Africa, who had inferiority complex due to the colour of their skin.  “We should work hard with self-confidence and face the challenges of the world,” the Nobel laureate said, adding all human beings were equal and there should not be any distinction on the basis of the colour of their skin.

The Dalai Lama was speaking to the gathering of over 25,000 students, who came from financially weak families. He said the young students had a lot of opportunities as well as responsibilities. You should not be lazy but strive for success.

Noting that the modern world lacked moral principles and knowledge required to deal with emotions, he asked the youth to ensure there was compassion among people.