India, Feb. 2 -- On a chilly Monday morning, the narrow, winding lanes of McLeodganj-the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile-buzzed with an unusual fervour. News had just filtered in from Los Angeles: the 14th Dalai Lama had secured his first Grammy Award at the 68th annual ceremony.

The 90-year-old spiritual leader won the award for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for his album, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A collaboration with sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, the project weaves the leader's spoken reflections on mindfulness and compassion into a soundscape of Indian classical music.

For Tibetan exiles who call this Himalayan h...