Champions of Rangzhi Nyetang

In the five years that I served as the Club Secretary of the Rotary Club of Thimphu, from 2017 to 2021, I helped the Club raise funding in excess of Nu.400.00 million that went into supporting meaningful projects in a number of areas such as Agriculture, Education, Health, WASH etc. etc.

Nothing was too small, or outlandish, for the Club to handle. I had a personal motto:

We Are Not God To Decide Who Needs Help and Who Does Not!

We have been called in to help with a mind-boggling array of services - from help in skilling the women inmates at Dawakha Open Air Prison, to supply of portable shit pots to every single RBP stations across the country, including, as gory as it sounds - to providing freezers to freeze the dead and the departed at Gelephu General Hospital etc. etc.

But there was one thing I adamantly refused to touch:

AWARENESS PROGRAMS!!

I am of the firm belief that trying to make the Bhutanese aware of anything is akin to throwing good money behind bad joke! Even a drunkard friend offered me the view that the only way to make a Bhutanese aware is through the use of - Taetha - the Stick! For proof, consider the following:

On 11th June, 2025 I was driving down to town. As I approached Pangrizampa Bazam, I saw a motley of people around a table fully laden with bottles and bottles of mineral water - the small sized ones. I was a little intrigued as to why that water station was set up. As I continued my drive towards Taba, I saw a haphazard string of joggers/runners advancing towards me.

Wellbeing at the cost of the Environment

I moved to the shoulder of the road and parked my car so that they could pass freely and without hindrance. It was then that I noticed a jogger gulping down water from a small mineral water bottle … and mindlessly chuck the empty bottle on the road! He was not alone – some others did the same.

I was aghast! How can they? As I continued my drive towards town, I noticed many empty bottles on the road - all of them of the same size and brand. I realized that the joggers/runners were responsible for all that trash …. So I retracted back to Parizampa Bazam and began picking up every discarded plastic bottle - to see how many of these bottles have been chucked on the road.

In a distance no more than 3 KMs, I gathered 69 empty bottles - some flattened - some whole.

Days later I got to know that the joggers/runners were all civil servants participating in an event designated “Celebrating Civil Service Well Being Day”.

The Program List does not show littering as part of the event activity

I couldn’t believe it! They do this? After decades of education on Rangzhi Nyetang (environment)? Have they learnt nothing at all??

I am dumb founded - I mean, we are supposed to be recipients of the Champions of the Earth Award, J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership, Murie Spirit of Conservation Award, Green Destinations' Silver Award …. and so many other awards.

There were 69 empty plastic mineral water bottles carelessly chucked on the road. Suppose 100 civil servants had participated in the event - that would account for a whooping 69% of them being totally uneducated.

If 200 had participated, it would still mean 34.5% of them.

It is so heart breaking - obviously being literate is not the same as being educated! How else can you explain such disgusting behavior from the supposed crème de la crème (to qualify to get into the civil service one is supposed to be the most excellent, outstanding, or the elite)?

Fellows, we seriously need to get serious about deserving the numerous environmental accolades the global community bestow upon us - or we will be caught out soon.

The Silent Watcher On The Hilltop

When construction of the Shakyamuni Buddha statue at Kuensel Phodrang began in 2006, I was excited - from all accounts the structure was destined to be a major crowd-puller - Buddhist faithfuls, as well as, the gawk-eyed tourists. And when the skeletal internal steel support frame came into shape, my interest was heightened even further - because there was some strange and eerie kind of appeal about it.

The internal steel frame for the cladding

Thereafter, I began photographing the statute as it began to take shape ….. every stage of the construction’s progress.

The steel frame now fully clad

The process of removing the scaffolding

The Third Eye is installed - workers in the process of removing the scaffolding

The construction of the statue is near complete - cladding is fully done and all the scaffolding is dismantled and removed

2015: the job is done. The Buddha sits serenely while a thick fog rises around him

Then one day sometime in 2010-2011, quiet unexpectedly, my camera captured a flaw on the Zhey (face) of the Buddha …. both on the right as well as on the left of the Buddha’s cheeks. The glaring welding defect could clearly bee seen - running horizontally across the Buddha’s cheek:

The flawed LEFT cheek of the Buddha's face

The flawed RIGHT cheek of the Buddha's face

Faith - any faith - is a powerful thing …. and I was aware that the Buddhists in Bhutan believe that it is bad omen to worship a statue with a flawed/scarred face. Thus, equipped with the photos of the Buddha’s flawed face, I went to see His Excellency JYT who was then head of the government. I showed him the photo of Buddha’s face. Within minutes, His Excellency called the Lam in charge and ordered the correction of the flaw.

I believe that the flaw was duly corrected .... and that was that!

Then, more than one and a half decades later, on 25th June, 2025, yet again, my camera captured the following scar on the right cheek of the statue:

A blemish on the right cheek of the Buddha's face - as it was visible on 25th June, 2025

This time I did not go to the government …. because I am told that some agency had taken over the management of Kuensel Phodrang. I hope one of these days they will LOOK and, even more important, SEE the problem. It is my hope that the authorities will investigate the matter and find out what is causing that ugly blemish on the serene face of the Buddha. To my untrained eyes, it looks like the problem is structural, and not merely superficial.

Over a thousand million Ngueltrums have been spent behind the construction of the beautiful statue. Even beyond that, millions have been spent in the beautification of Kuensel Phodrang. The greening efforts of the site was an event fit for the Guinness Book of World Records (2015).

And yet, in recent months the sacred site has fallen victim to human greed and mindlessness. For the sake of a handful of money, the site has been allowed to be subjected to defilement with waste and garbage – even to this day the surrounding forests’ floor remain littered with mounds of trash - it stinks of human excreta.

Thousands upon thousands of believers circumambulate the Buddha Dordenma statue all year round. But it is obvious that they are mostly mindless, sightless and clueless. They believe that they are engaged in the practice of religion. But I ask you - what kind of religion can they be practicing when, in their wake, they render asunder a sanctum sanctorum dedicated to the very Buddha whom they claim they so fervently worship?

Sad!

Setting The Record Straight!

I am not sure when Bhutan came to be called the “Land Of The Thunder Dragon”. Like everyone else, I found no reason to question the origins of the nomenclature - I just adopted it - as everyone else did. Then one day, a writer friend from Belgium sent me a photo of an impression of an old seal with the word “Druk” inscribed in Dzongkha script in the center of it.

Impression of the seal supposedly belonging to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal with the word "Druk" on the Doongkar in the center

He wanted to know; “Does Druk mean Bhutan? Do you think this seal belonged to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, as it is claimed?”

For a moment I was tempted to tell him “Yes - we are known as the “Land of The Thunder Dragon”, and that Druk means Dragon - the animal after which our country was supposedly named. But I am not sure if the seal belonged to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal".

The only seal I know of that was supposedly issued by the Zhabdrung was the following:

The Nga Chudrukma Seal of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal

I hesitated - because, in my knowledge, the dragon that roared like the thunder is a mythical animal that existed only in legends and mythologies - both in Bhutan as well as across the globe. In reality, it did not exist. And yet, when I started my Blog, its banner was worded thus:

But my sense of curiosity was tickled by the Belgian friend and, after pondering for days, and weeks, I concluded that the word “Druk” could have been used to signify Druk Yuel - country of the people of Drukpa Kagyu faith - accepted as Bhutan’s state religion. So, I changed my Blog’s Banner to read as follows:

Over time though, I realized that this simply cannot be true - agreed that Drukpa Kagyu sect of Buddhism is accepted as the state religion practiced by Bhutan's State Monk Body (Zhung Dratsang). But side by side, we also have followers of the Nyingma sect - we have Christians, we have Hindus, Muslims and, quite surprisingly, even practitioners of a religious faith few would have heard of - the Baha’i faith.

So, once again, my Blog’s Banner went through a change - now, as you can see above, it reads:

I think the above is more appropriate and just - it encompasses the whole spectrum of people who are bona fide Bhutanese - and it leaves out the fire-spewing, jewel clutching reptilian that never existed!

Photographing At Microscopic Level

This is the season for Moths and Butterflies. Although they belong to the same Lepidoptera order of winged insects, my experience is that they behave quiet differently from each other – I have noticed that the Butterflies are active during the day …. while the Moths seem to be wholly nocturnal.

They have a huge range – they are found in the extreme alpine regions of the North, as well as in tropical places of the South. Another feature I have noticed about Moths is that they are larger in size in the warmer places – while they do not grow much bigger in the higher altitudes.

The wing patterns of the Butterflies and Moths are exquisite to say the least – and their coloring is simply out of this world!

To date, the smallest Moth I have photographed is the following:

Jasmine Bud Borer Moth (Trichophysetis cretacea): 0.47 - 0.59 inch long

Not a moth but a fly, the smallest fly I photographed is the following:

The Moth Fly: Clogmia albipunctata: 0.11 – 0.19 inch long

Noticing them is one thing - but to be able to photograph them in all their hairy splendor is another. I am lucky – I have the necessary equipment to compliment my zest for photographing these wonderful creatures of the animal world. Take a look at the above images – I agree that they are not the last word in image sharpness – but you have to accept that the reproduction of the fluffy insects’ details is not too bad. For the benefit of the photographers among you, the following is the list of equipment/setting I used to capture the images:

Camera Body     :  Canon EOS R5 Full frame

Lens            :  Carl Zeiss f/2 50mm Macro

Tripod Head    :  RSS Ball Head

Tripod            :  GITZO Carbon Fiber 3 Sections

Film Speed.        :  100ASA

Aperture            :  f/22

Shutter Speed    :  0.30

Color Space    :  RGB

Shooting Mode  :  Aperture Priority

To improve on the quality of the image even better, I will need to replace some of the above with the following:

Camera Body     :  Canon EOS R1

Lens                   :  Canon RF 100mm f.2.8L Macro IS USM

Shutter Release  :  Canon RS-80N3 (this one already in the bag)

ENJOY!

In Loving Memory Of My Late Aunt

Last Saturday one of my cousins posted a photograph of her late mother - who was also the mother of late Dasho Tsering Wangda. I am clueless as to why she decided to do that - but it set into motion a train of loving, warm thoughts in my mind … going back all the way to 1959, the year I was first enrolled in Zhemgang school.

My late Aunt Yangzom

I recall that I used to get regularly spanked by her - for stealing her stock of sugar, in connivance with her eldest daughter - we used to sneak away and munch the raw white sugar - YUCK!

Amazingly, now that I recollect, she used to run a small shop as far back as 1959 - until now, I had held the view that Tashi Group had pioneered business/shop keeping in Bhutan. Although the official website of Tashi Group states that the Group was formed in 1959, I was told, in no uncertain terms, by a retired RAW Agent of Government of India from Nagaland, that Dasho Rimp actually started business sometime in 1958.

I was my late aunt Yangzom’s most favorite nephew - she loved me dearly - perhaps even more than her own children. Every once in a while, to counter the occasional bickering by my other close relatives in the family, she would warn them:

"Ngai Yishi Dooji na zhang labtoh mechok warey win gungpo – gonoi la gamigumi burang mibu – ngui kaachen buzey bran!"

(Don’t any one of you dare - none of you are permitted to speak ill of my Yishi Dooji - I know very well that he will do no wrong).

Sometime in 1990 I had some cash to spare … so I wanted by buy some land to build a house. Well, my late cousin Dasho Wangda had a substantial land holding at Langjopakha …. so I asked him to sell me some of it - I was willing to pay any asking price. But months passed and while he did not refuse outright, he would not commit to sell me either - perhaps under the influence of others or for whatever reason.

I ran out of patience …. So one day I drove down to Gelephu where his mother, my aunt, was domiciled - to complain to her that her son was not selling me a piece of his land that I wanted.

She said:

"Doesh khith ---- Ngui labcho ---- migey tokpamen ra. Wera loktse galai … ngui ra cho khitna labtoh".

(OK … you just wait ... I will deal with him … you go back … I will come and talk to him … may be others are influencing him ….)

Few days later … my aunt turned up in Thimphu and got Dasho Wangda and me together. She thundered at Dasho Wangda:

"Waith aatoh buzey Yishi Dooji na saa mibiloyo - waithna sa lungtoh na - dararung biyo - waith gong awrey goparey bigey rey. Werai noh wen minya, aaah …. Rig machiigpai mi ney min - werai noh wenta --- dararung biyo wera, wartii!"

(Why aren’t you selling a small piece of land to Yishi Dooji … you have more than enough --- he is willing to pay any asking price …. Give him now - he is not a stranger to you - he is your brother - give him now, immediately!!!)

End of matter - it took a little arm twisting - but I got my land 😛 - curtesy of my late aunt who headed one branch of the Taagma Doong family.

PHPA-I: Step-by-Step Record of An Impending Catastrophe's Journey

To date, I have 78 articles (including this one) on the subject related to Bhutan's hydropower projects. For years, I have been hollering for the shutting down of the PHPA-I. My fear is that should the dam ever gets built - the provability of it failing cannot be ruled out. If this happens, it will sweep away the PHPA-II downstream of it, and everything else - all the way to the Bay of Bengal - to serve as fish feed.

Nature has given us warnings – again and again and again, but we are adamant and the project is still standing, regardless.

Sinking, sinking and sinking!!! ... The PHPA-I & II are located in seismically hazardous zone.

Not only nature … but even human experts have warned us. One of them is supposed to have declared thus:

Dr. Yash Pal Shardha, a retired senior Engineering Geologist from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) is on record, as follow:

“This project is the best example of deceit and dishonesty by project people. A very good investigative Detailed Project Report at one place was done but the project was shifted to another place without conducting any investigation and whatever investigations were done were cooked up data knowing fully well we are going to face problems and we went for the tender stage and drilled a few holes and the project started for construction and now see fate of the project and will it ever be completed.”

And yet, despite all that, the Project is still standing. The Project authorities adamantly refuse to heed nature’s warnings …. they blatantly ignore qualified expert's views! Well, no matter …. I am still hollering! - if not in the hope that it will make any difference - but for the sake of posterity. When the shit finally hits the fan, the Project authorities cannot feign ignorance - they have been forewarned!

Let me walk you through the following step-by-step journey of the doomed Project:

October 1, 2007

The Constitution of the Punatsangchu Hydro Power Authority (PHPA-I) is approved by the Royal Government of Bhutan.

2008

Shifting the PHPA-I’s Dam Site proposed and Accepted

R. N. Khazanchi (although he became MD of the PHPA only in 2009, he was given additional charge of PHPA-I even while he was still serving as MD of Tala Project). This explains why he is named as the person responsible for making the recommendations to shift the original dam site. He offered the excuse that doing so would result in more power generation - by as much as 105MW. He further reasoned that the depth of the dam would be lesser by 45 Mtrs.

Based on his recommendations, the Bhutanese Cabinet approved the shifting of the construction of the PHPA-I dam to the new site - at the current unstable location - roughly 1.5 KMs upstream of the original site.

Strangely, no one seems to have questioned that such an important and impactful decision was being made - without carrying out a proper geological study/investigation of the new dam site.

November 11, 2008

Implementation of the Project begins - with a completion date set for 2016.

2009: Appointment of the Project’s CEO

Mr. Rajinder Nath Khazanchi (R. N. Khazanchi) is appointed Managing Director of PHPA.

2011

The first sign of instability was detected on the right abutment of the dam site.

2012

In recognition and appreciation of his dedicated service, and for his contributions to the country’s socio-economic development, R. N. Khazanchi is awarded Druk Thuksey Medal.

July, 2013

First slide on the right bank of the dam occurs.

Strangely, monitoring of both the surface and subsurface was started only from January 2015 - after two long years of the occurrence of the ominous slide.

August, 2016

Another slide occurs.

April, 2018

R. N. Khanchi’s term with the PHPA ends. But before he departs, he gifts the country with the now famous coinage: “Geological Surprises” - in a bid to explain the repeated disasters occurring at the PHPA-I’s dam site.

January, 2019

Yet again, another slide at the right bank of the dam site occurs.

This time, the Project authorities embark on a series of preventive measures such as grouting, cable anchor, RCC pile etc. etc. Shotcretings were carried out at various levels and benches - in a futile attempt to best nature.

February, 2019

Nothing they do seems to be working. In desperation, the PHPA-I authorities sought divine intervention - they conducted a Rimdro seeking God’s help.

Beginning 28th February, 2019, the Project authorities began the performance of a 3-days Rimdro (a religious prayer ritual) at the PHPA-I dam site in an effort to seek God's help. The event was presided over by His Eminence the Yonten Lopen of Zhung Dratsang (Central Monk Body) along with 30 monks.

November, 2021

It is announced that PHPA-I dam construction is likely to be abandoned – based on a third-party foreign expert’s recommendations that a barrage upstream would likely be a less costly and more effective alternative to building a dam at the geologically unstable site that had already experienced multiple slides.

July, 2022

Reporting to the joint sitting of the Parliament, the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) charges PHPA-I of financial irregularity - for the period 2020-21 - amounting to a staggering Nu. 1,920.237 million.

September, 2023

It is announced that dam construction is back on the table - the idea of a barrage is put to rest.

August, 2024

During a public debate on the issue on BBS TV, the Energy & Natural Resources Minister reiterates that the PHPA-I will proceed with the construction of a dam, effectively putting to an end the prolonged debate over whether to build a dam or a barrage.

March, 2025

MoENR Minister announces that PHPA-I authorities will resume dam construction by June, 2025.

AS YOU SAW, SO SHALL YOU REAP!

It has taken the Project authorities a total of 17 years of delays, caused by periodic sliding of the mountain side, strange and persistent geological surprises, monumental financial mismanagement, corruption at unprecedented scale, and deliberate omissions and calculated indecisions - but the decision is yet again made - to go ahead and do the Project.

May God Almighty save us all 🙏

Four & Half Decades of Confusion

We have to hand it to our Parliamentarians – their eloquence is riveting! That said, I am afraid that their glibness fails to mask their apparent lack of adequate knowledge on some of the subjects they speak on.

A case in point is the ongoing discussions related to forestry - in both the Upper, as well as, in the Lower Houses of the Parliament. It is clear that some of the Honorable Members are confusing PRESERVATION for CONSERVATION. Perhaps the following will help bring some bit of clarity to the issue, so that the goat is not confused for the sheep.

Quality of our forests - valuable renewable natural resources left to turn to dust and debris!

It is my view that the intergenerational confusion began in the late 1970s when His Majesty the IVth Druk Gyalpo banned timber harvesting and nationalized illegal brown jacket cardamom plantations. In my understanding, that act has to be viewed as an act of preservation – and not be confused as an act of conservation.

In the North-Western regions of the country, powerful and influential private timber merchants, in cahoots with corrupt Forestry officials, caused indiscriminate and illegal felling of the trees. In the South-Central parts of the country, large swaths of virgin forests were being usurped and cleared of mature trees – for illegal plantation of the highly lucrative brown jacket cardamom, and for firing tens of hundreds of Battis - to dry the harvested cardamom.

The King was so infuriated by the mindless acts of destruction caused to the country’s forest stand that He ordered the seizure of the illegal cardamom plantations and banning of the harvesting of trees. It was an act designed to PRESERVE our forests from total annihilation – it was NOT an act of CONSERVATION. I know because I was one among the principal players in implementing the policy – for disposing off the residual stock of semi-processed lumber taken over from the timber merchants, and marketing of the yield of cardamom (from illegal plantations), harvesting of which was mandated to be overseen by the district administration officials. (How the policy implementation was botched up is an interesting story to be told another day)

Modern, scientific forest management practices encourage mindful human intervention – both for a robust ecosystem, as well as for biodiversity. Unfortunately, it is clear that we in Bhutan have come to believe that a densely populated forest is a sign of a successful conservation policy. That is why we unfailingly take great pride in claiming that we have forest coverage in excess of 70% of our land mass – clueless that those forests are causing more harm than good.

Please pause for a minute and think:

Why do lionesses deliberately abandon some of their cubs?
Why do some birds push some of their chicks off the nests?
Why do farmers prune their fruit trees and weed their kitchen gardens?
Why does silviculture promote thinning of the forest stand?
Why do human couples practice birth control?

A Most Fulfilling Conversation

5/29/2025

Hi Yeshey ….. I need your advice

8:00 PM

Is it good to invest?

8:36 PM

It is good ... if you have the money .... ofcourse I have not done any math on the offer …. but if I had the money .. I most certainly would – no need for maths!

8:44 PM

Not because I will make a huge profit ... but because as a subject and citizen of Bhutan ... I owe it to the country and the King --- to show that we care and that our support is solidly behind Him - our King.

8:44 PM

Okay

8:45 PM

I am likely to be able to spare Nu.300000 … so thinking of investing in the Bond.

8:46 PM

After 10 years I will get Nu.600000 I understand

8:46 PM

Wai, talk to you tomorrow … it is 9:00 PM already so going to watch BBS. Good Night

9:02 PM

You know what? …. I will deposit only Nu.200000 ... you can take Nu.100000

9:03 PM

Aii ... you are trying ot serve the king .. you take Nu.100000 and make the deposit ..... 

9:09 PM

Your wish to support our king will be fulfilled.

9:10 PM

I don't want the money back – I am offering it to you free. You deserve it.

9:13 PM

I mean it.

9:14 PM

NO NO NO NO … you do your deposit … dont miss the opportunity ... you may never get anpther opportunity of this nature .... I will find my way around it somehow. Good Night.

9:14 PM

An Apocalypse Waiting To Happen

It has been close to two decades since I have been attempting to alert the leaders who have the power, and the authority - about the potential risk posed by the location of vehicle fueling stations within or, in close proximity, of human dwellings. I have been trying to encourage authorities to consider relocating Thimphu’s fueling stations to safer and less risky locations – away from centers of human habitat.

Thus far, my concerns have been nothing more than a call in the wilderness. But I would like to emphasis once again that the dangers are real – it is an all-consuming inferno waiting to break out.

One of Thimphu's six vehicle fueling stations

To be fair, according to the following article from where the above image was extracted, it appears that Thimphu Thromde was not entirely unaware of the dangers posed by the perilous location of Thimphu's vehicle fueling stations. However, it appears that public safety and human life and property were considered to be of lesser value than some other loftier considerations, due to which the case never saw the light of day:

https://thebhutanese.bt/thimphu-thromde-determined-to-acquire-bod-land-and-relocate-fuel-depot/#google_vignette

Not a single day passes by without the news of a calamity happening some place around the globe. There are wars breaking out - there are news of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plummeting aircrafts, of raging wild fires, flooding and of tornadoes and cyclones devastating human dwellings and properties on a daily basis.

In the first four months of this year alone, Bhutan has recorded 25 forest fires across the country, with Thimphu topping the list. Some of the fires have blazed on for weeks, destroying many hundred acres of prime forest land. Now we are warned of the likelihood of GLOF, caused by Thorthorme lake and, perhaps, many other lakes that are quietly on the swell, caused by glaciers melting at an alarming rate!

People tell me that it is a sign that God is punishing the human race for electing a lunatic like Donald Trump to power. Jokes aside, for me, it is a sign that we are paying for our irresponsibility - nature is rebelling against us for what we did to it - it is clear that it is no longer willing to be tolerant.

There is no gainsaying that human race’s acts of recklessness are beyond redemption. The ferocity and the regularity with which nature is dealing us its displeasure tells us that we are incapable of building any effective fortifications against it’s power and intent – all that we can do is try and give ourselves a modicum of chance – by trying to forestall that which is inevitable - for as long as we are able to.

Trust me, the mind can see what the eyes can’t! REMEMBER, to have to arrive at a point when leaders have to say sorry means that we are already too late.

Stoically Sits The Buddha

These days early morning vehicular traffic gridlock extends from Lungtenphu RBA camp to all the way to Luntenzampa overhead bridge. And while you are waiting to untangle yourself from the snarl-up, your attention is drawn to the following scene on the hillside across the river to the left of you:

Kuensel Phodrang as seen today - littered with make-ship blue plastic sheet tents

The impassive Buddha Dordenma sits serenely – mute, eyes half closed and lifeless – unable to raise a finger even as his domain is desecrated with close to a hundred makeshift blue plastic sheet tents set up by His staunch believers seeking a fast ticket to Nirvana.

Kuensel Phodrang was/is supposed to be a sanctified space of prayer and worship – a sphere of unhindered greenery. In June 2 of 2015, this green space saw the setting of a world record - Bhutan entered the Guinness Book of World Records when we planted 49,672 tree saplings in an hour.

Just for the Guinness Book of World Records

In June of 2021, yet another initiative saw the plantation of few thousand tree saplings by a voluntary group called the Bhutan Forest Restoration. I was so taken up by the initiative that I wanted to help build water tanks in order that the plantations can be watered from time to time. I even started to work on a Global Grant Project in the USA and the UK – for the supply of 2 mobile Water Tankers. Sadly, I was informed that no structures constructed with manmade artificial material (plastic/cement/metal) would be allowed to come up within the periphery of the plantation area.

The next best thing I did was donate an automated mechanical Earth Auger Machine that could dig 1 sapling holes into the parched earth of Kuensel Phodrang - every 3 minutes. The idea was to make the process of digging less laborious, and to hasten the speed of digging the pits for planting the saplings. It cost me close to Nu.70,000.00 of my private money.

German made STIHL Earth Auger Machine donated to hasten the process of digging the pits

And now - what do I see? - another example of the mindlessness of the Bhutanese people. How could they have allowed setting up of plastic tents in such a holy place that has seen repeated greening efforts?

The plantation at Kuensel Phodrang overaken by human dwellings made of blue plastic sheets

Can you imagine the state of the plantation in Kuensel Phodrang? It is enough to make you want to cry in helplessness!

Bhutan’s Press Freedom: Why Speaking Out Is an Act of Patriotism

Some 16,000 kilometers and a dozen time zones away, in a distant land called the United States of America—a country considered first among First World nations and populated, we are constantly reminded, by highly educated and knowledgeable people—the electorate chose a proven nutcase as their President. At our ostensibly safe remove, we watch gawk-eyed at the ludicrousness of the American people’s choice.

Closer to home, we are rattled by the news that India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, in retaliation for its role in the cowardly murder of 26 Indian and Nepalese tourists in Pahalgam, a town in the Indian state of Kashmir.

And now, as if we did not have enough to worry about, comes the shameful revelation that our beloved country’s press freedom ranking has plummeted a stupendous 119 places—in just four years!

This is simply incredible. Article 7 of our Constitution explicitly grants us “freedom of speech, opinion and expression”, including the “right to information”. With all that going for us, what the hell are we doing scrapping the bottom of the ladder? My hunch is that it has to do with the League of the Three Monkeys.

The First Monkey and leader of the pack:

The footloose Dasho who thinks he has the power to supercede the Constitution and decide that he can interpret press freedom in a way that makes it convenient for him to cover up his own failings.

The Second Monkey:

The foot soldier and the custodian of the Fourth Estate who is so feeble that he allows himself to be trampled all over by the First Monkey—effectively surrendering editorial independence to rank outsiders with vested interest.

The Third Monkey:

The self-righteous Bhutanese who prefers to stay muted, under the mistaken belief that self-censorship is an act of patriotism and loyalty, and that remaining hushed is a sign of maturity and wisdom.

It is sad. We have so much potential, nature has been so bountiful to us, and our leadership toils tirelessly and with unflinching hope and faith. Yet we squander our good fortune through cowardice and aloofness, because being truthful is mistaken for being courageous. In today’s Bhutan, frankness—being forthright and speaking boldly—is considered dangerous. 

I have been told repeatedly by readers that I am “brave” to write the things I do—a sentiment with which I completely disagree. To bite one’s tongue when one’s country is facing monumental challenges is unconscionable. The result of our free-floating and often baseless anxiety is that Bhutanese citizens are too afraid to claim the right to express themselves freely.

I myself have experienced unjust treatment in the hands of those who took upon themselves the role of moral guardian. In 2012, BBS TV silenced me because I was speaking the truth, on camera:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2012/05/too-much-unrestrained-freedom-recently.html

Years later, during a media gathering, Kuensel management urged me to contribute to their paper once in a while. I agreed, although I pointed out to them that since they are the mouthpiece of the government, they may not be able to handle my unvarnished views. They dismissed my worry as rubbish, assuring me that they could handle whatever I write. Within days, I contributed an article and, true to their word, they carried the piece in the print edition of Kuensel, dated June 29, 2024:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2024/07/a-funeral-for-bhutanese-tourism.html

Two days later, however, a reader overseas wrote to tell me that my article had been removed from Kuensel’s website.

To this day, Kuensel has not told me why the article that they saw fit to be published in hard copy was scrubbed from their website. Personally, I don’t care. But it is heartbreaking to realize that after 60 years in the business, our national newspaper is clueless about the central role it plays as upholder of the nation’s conscience. 

In my view, I do not believe that there is a need to feel petty indignation at our feeble press-freedom ranking. Instead, it’s time for serious introspection.

Redefining GNH: Lump The 9 Domains And 33 Indicators - Apply Common Sense

Sangay Dema, whoever she is, spoke my mind. The following is what she wrote in yesterday’s Kuensel:

Exactly my sentiments!!!

I have said this for years – that the Bhutanese society is not a thinking society. Our whole focus is in sounding good and looking good. We excel in the art of verbosity – but we are simply INCAPABLE OF THINKING. As incredible as it may sound, we simply do not bother what may be the consequences of our thoughtless actions.

In her above article in the Kuensel Sangay Dema quotes four examples of our mindlessness - I can give you few thousand examples how unthinking we are. But I know you do not have the time to read through them all. Likewise, I do not have the time to write them all out. But just to give you an example of our mindlessness, I leave you with the following:

A year or two back, the CSO (Civil Society Organization) Authority came up with a rule that required every registered CSO to maintain a captive fund of Nu.4.0 million in the form of a Term Deposit in a bank.

I was aghast! I mean, what kind of idiots could have thought up a scheme that would make it mandatory for a CSO/NGO to keep Nu.4.0 million locked up in a bank – when the fund could be used to do good in the society – to help build shelters for the poor and the destitute; to finance the education of few rural children, to help farmers protect their crops from wildlife predation, to provide safe drinking water and improve sanitation?

I mean, don’t they know that the money that does not serve a useful purpose is useless money?

In any event, what makes the CSO Authority think that Bhutanese CSOs are so rich that they have Nu.4.0 million of idle money to be left languishing in a bank vault???? 😡

Kuche, please GROW UP!!!!