When Jampel Gyatso first caught a glimpse of the yellow veil sheltering the Dalai Lama at the Potala Palace in 1951, the 13-year-old would have never dreamed that only four years later, he would be an interpreter for him as well as start a life-long friendship with the Panchen Lama.

Now 71, the renowned Tibetan scholar looks back on the historic events he witnessed with composure. With silver hair and graying eyebrows, the tall, lanky man has a firm handshake and recalls distant days in amazing detail. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Tibet's Democratic Reform.

As one of the few people who interpreted for both the Dalai Lama and the 10th Panchen Lama, Jampel found the former to be quiet and a voracious reader while the latter was lively and liked to seek inspiration through discussions.