5 minutes of readingUpdated: February 2, 2026 02:07 pm IST
At a politically charged Grammy ceremony headlined by artists including Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga, where ‘ICE Out’ was the featured chorus, the Dalai Lama, at 90, won his first Grammy for best audiobook recording, voice-over and narration. The brilliant 68th edition of the Grammy Awards They took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Tibetan spiritual leader won the award for ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’.
Canadian-American singer Rufus Wainwright, who appears on the album along with American singers Maggie Rogers and Andra Day, accepted the award. Produced by multi-Grammy and Emmy Award-winning producer, songwriter and composer Kabir Sehgal, the album also features sarod exponent Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with his children Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, as well as multi-Grammy Award-winning American saxophonist, flautist and composer Ted Nash; Grammy-nominated Costa Rican singer-songwriter Debi Nova and multi-Grammy Award-winning Peruvian-American percussionist, composer and producer Tony Succar.
“It was a privilege to participate in this project. It is an honor to accept this recognition on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whose wisdom is at the heart of this work,” Wainright said as he accepted the golden gramophone.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama receives Grammy Award highlighting universal responsibility and compassion
Grammy Award for Best Audiobook Narration – Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I don’t see… pic.twitter.com/YhK5zlyhem
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) February 2, 2026
The Dalai Lama, winning for the first time, defeated US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and comedian and former grandmother presenter Trevor Noah, actress Kathy Garver and French musician Fab Morvan to win the award. “I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I do not see it as something personal, but as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility. I truly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and understanding the unity of humanity are essential to the collective well-being of all eight billion human beings. I am grateful that this Grammy recognition can help spread these messages more widely,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, in a statement, said: “As a family, we are deeply honored to share our collaboration with His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the special album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness has been a guiding light for us for many years, and his message of peace, compassion and hope continues to inspire not only our music, but also our lives.”
Except this collaboration, no Indian nomination managed to get the golden gramophone. India ended the night without a single win, despite nominations that spanned genres and generations, including those of sitar player Anoushka Shankar, who was nominated along with Alam Khan and Sarathy for their recent album titled ‘Chapters III: We Return to Light’. Mature pianist Charu Suri, Indo-jazz group Shakti and a surprising debut nomination from Siddhant Bhatia for Sounds of Kumbha also failed to make the cut.
Shankar, who was nominated in two categories including Best Global Music Performance and Best Global Music Album (her 11th and 12th nominations, respectively) and who is currently on her tour of India, spoke about not attending the ceremony this year.
“Sometimes the process of spending literally thousands of dollars for the privilege of flying, attending, marketing, and getting sucked into the machine, hugely anxious about outfits and red carpets, starting to hope you win, and then not winning (over and over again!) can take its toll. There’s always a bigger artist who enters our global categories who has MORE money to spend on marketing; there’s always that one artist who chooses to spend months networking, attending nominee events, and making sure their music and name gets out there. “I don’t say this out of bitterness, but simply to recognize what the reality may be behind the scenes. If I win for the first time tonight, of course, it will be a joyful experience, but I really think it doesn’t matter in a deeper context,” he wrote on Facebook.