The last claimant to the title of 17th Gyalwa Karmapa is a Bihari, named Narain Singh alias
Bihari Lama. The claimant's father, Narain Singh, was a monk of Karma Kagyu sect and student of the 16th Karmapa at Rumtek. He had married a US citizen and the couple had a son,
Matur Gregory Narain Singh, in 1986. Later, Narain Singh's wife returned to the US with their son and sought $200 per month as alimony.
It is reported that Narain Singh tried to get out of this situation by seeking recognition of his son as the reincarnation of 16th Karmapa from high Tibetan lamas , including the Dalai Lama.
He even received recognition from Mungpoo Rimpoche, a Tamang monk from Darjeeling , but failed to get any response from either the Dalai Lama or the Central Tibetan Administration.