BHUTAN: Land Of The Thunder Dragon

2012-02-02T10:52:00.007+06:00

Attempt at World Record

I am happy to confirm that I have today submitted my entry to the Guinness World Records for the consideration of the colony of bee hives at Zhemgang as the largest colony of bee hives in existence. The following is the summary of my claim:

Summary Claim Details

Claim Title : Largest colony of bee hives at one location

Country : Bhutan

City/Town/Village : Thimphu

Date of attempt : 02 February 2012

Record Details : I, Mr. Yeshey Dorji from Bhutan is attempting to establish a world record that a colony of honey bee hives located at a place called Zhemgang, Bhutan is the largest colony of bee hive in existence. In support of the claim, I will submit a photographic evidence of the occurrence. I hope to establish the record through physical verification and enumeration. I am doing this in the hope that this natural phenomenon can be declared a Natural Heritage Site and thus, accord preservation and protection to the habitat surrounding the site. It is a small attempt at conservation of the natural environment.

Media : I have no sponsor. I will invite local media - print and visual.

As on now, I have been accorded a unique Claim ID as follows:

ARRA WebClaim ID : 387779

Now I will have to await confirmation from the GWR that they will or, will not, consider my entry. I am told it will take anywhere between 4-6 weeks.

I will keep you posted.

2012-01-31T07:35:00.009+06:00

CQ, CQ …. Alpha Five One Yankee Doodle calling …. CQ, CQ

“CQ” is a ham radio or amateur radio Code. When I call out “CQ, CQ” over my radio, I am inviting any ham radio operators listening in on the active frequency to respond to my call. “Alpha Five One Yankee Doodle” is supposed to be my unique amateur radio CallSign which will be recognized by amateurs around the world listening in on my call that I am an operator from Bhutan. In truth, my national CallSign is Alpha Five One Alpha Alpha (A51AA). I am using Alpha Five One Yankee Doodle (A51YD) since this is not a call made over the radio waves. Actually, if I was on air, I would be committing an act of piracy since the CallSign A51YD is already allocated to someone else. Under the amateur radio Code of Ethics and Conduct, it is a serious offence to use someone else's CallSign.

As some of you may have guessed, “Yankee Doodle” stands for my initials: YD. The international community recognizes "A5" as Bhutan’s country prefix and the number “1” after the A5 indicates that I am a national operator: under the BICMA amateur radio CallSign allocation conventions. Visiting Hams will be allocated a temporary national radio CallSign consisting of their 2-alphabet initials of choice, preceded by the alphanumeric "A52".

Now, the reason for this CQ: I am sending out this amateur radio code today in fulfillment of the commitment I made to some of you readers - to allow you a live demonstration of how an amateur radio operator operates. I would like to announce to all those to whom this may be of interest - that an English/British Ham will be operating from Paro as of the 11^th February, 2012. He will remain on air until the night of 16^th February, 2011.

Anyone interested to observe the proceedings is welcome to visit the ham shack in Paro. I will set aside a day - any one day that is convenient to you: between 11-16^th February, 2012. Please let me know if you are interested and which date would suite you. Please note that it would be unfair to distract the ham operator beyond one or two hours. I think 12^th February would be a good day since it falls on a Sunday.

Please mail me at: yesheydorji@gmail.com. Lunch is on me - after the demo and a chit chat with the operator who is visiting Bhutan for the first time – specifically for ham radio operation.

2012-01-30T08:21:00.003+06:00

My following article appeared in the 2011 issue of "Window on Bhutan" a yearly magazine published by the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, New Delhi, India.
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BHUTAN: Birding Capital of the World

The recently released Guinness Book of World Records 2012 features an extremely rare bird photographed in Bhutan – that of the White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis). It is listed as the rarest of the Heron species. The bird, whose global population is estimated at between 50 to 200 individuals, is so rare that Professor Peter Frederic PhD, a world renowned heron expert at the University of Florida, USA had never seen it before, until his coming to Bhutan in 2006. Since then, he has been coming to Bhutan every year and has greatly contributed to the ongoing study of the bird’s biology and ecology, spear-headed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Although the presence of this bird is reported in a number of other countries such as Burma and India, Bhutan is the only country where it can be seen without much difficulty. As on last count, 26 individuals have been enumerated in Bhutan where they can be easily sighted along the Punakha Phochu/Mochu Rivers and around the Berti/Mangdechu areas in Zhemgang. It is for this reason that American diplomat and one of the world’s top birders, Mr. Peter G. Kaestner, choose to come to Bhutan, in April, 2009, to sight two of his life birds – the White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) and the Fulvous Parrotbill (Paradoxornis fulvifrons). Upon request from the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, New Delhi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thimphu I accompanied Mr. Kaestner on his birding trip to Punakha. Not surprisingly, he was able to sight both his life birds – in a matter of less than one and a half days. Elsewhere in the world, it would be years before one can sight one’s life bird, if at all.

Mr. Peter G. Kaestner who was then the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs and Counsel General at the US Embassy, New Delhi is considered among the world’s top 5 birders, having recorded a life list of 8,399 birds, as of 2011, a record rivaled only by Ms Phoebe Snetsinger, another American, who has a record of over 8,400 sightings.

Among Bhutan’s famous birds are the Satyr Tragopan (Tragopan satyra), which ranks as the 10^th most colorful bird in the world.

Another bird that is the delight of most of the birders who visit Bhutan is the unusual Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) – ranked as the 21^st most beautiful bird of the world.

The world birding community considers Bhutan as one of the prime birding destinations in the world. Besides the White-bellied Heron, Bhutan is home to a large number of other globally endangered bird species, such as the Ward’s Trogon (Harpactes wardi), Beautiful Nuthatch (Sitta formosa), Rufous-necked Hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), Pallas's Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus), Blyth’s Tragopan (Tragopan blythii), Chestnut-breasted Partridge (Arborophila mandellii), Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) etc., to name a few.

The diversity of Bhutan’s avifauna is stunning. At close to 800 species, it is almost equal to the combined population of 925 species found in all of USA and Canada. The country’s wide altitudinal range produces suitable climactic conditions that help support Bhutan’s enviable biodiversity. However, its conservation is the result of the progressive environmental policies of Bhutan’s successive monarchs and the people who, being mainly Buddhists, revere and respect all natural elements. Bhutan is perhaps the only country in the world that has made a constitutional commitment to maintain a forest cover of 60% for all times. It is no wonder then that Bhutan has been the recipient of prestigious international awards such as the UNEP’s Champion of the Earth Award as well as the coveted J. Paul Getty Conservation Award.

In recent times, Bhutan has gained prominence on the world stage as the country that propounded the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH). While it may take a while for world leaders and economists and planners to adjust to the paradigm shift, a few thousand birders around the world have been finding their Gross Personal Happiness (GPH) at a short stretch of forest in Eastern Bhutan that offers an unmatched variety of avifauna. Birders around the world have declared that short stretch of broad-leaved forest between Sengore and Yongkola in Mongar Dzongkhag as the “Birding Capital of the World.”

2012-01-24T20:36:00.010+06:00

World’s Largest Colony of Bee Hives

The photo on my blog banner above was taken over a year back. It shows over one hundred abandoned honey combs on an imposing cliff face rising about three hundred meters above the motor road that runs beneath it. The site of this most amazing natural phenomenon is located in the most deprived Dzongkhag of Bhutan - Zhemgang.

I have not heard of such colonization on such a massive scale, anywhere else in the world. Therefore, I am encouraged to believe that this is a unique and one-of-a-kind occurrence. In the next few days, I am going to submit an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records to declare this site as the “Largest Colony of Bee Hives in the World”. I am not sure that it will qualify or even that such an entry will be accepted by the Guinness Book of Records – but I am going to try any way. And, if it does not qualify at this time, I am going to work at making it qualify in the next few years.

It is my hope that one day this extremely rare occurrence will qualify to be designated as one of Bhutan's Natural Heritage sites. For the moment, we need to work at minimizing destructive human intrusions in the vicinity of this natural wonder. If we can do that, I am sure that the colony of bee hives will grow to number even more!

In addition to being a natural wonder, these abandoned honey combs attract one of Bhutan’s rarest birds and one of the world’s near endangered bird species – the Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus). Thus, although until recently the area was out of bounds for tourists, the governemnt has recently lifted the ban thereby opening up the area for bird watchers. For the thousands of bird watchers who visit Bhutan every year, this site can become one of the most dependable birding destinations - to sight their life bird (for a large number of birders around the world, the Yellow-rumped Honeyguide remains a life bird).

By the way, although the photo shows that the bee hives have been abandoned, I am happy to say that duirng my visit to the area about a month back, I noticed that they have been re-colonized and the number of hives have increased even more.

2012-01-09T09:11:00.002+06:00

Great Comments!

On 2^nd November, 2011, I posted an article on this Blog titled “Shangri-la, GNH & Chewing Gum”. Of the 9 comments, I am so impressed by one comment posted by a Singaporean that I want to reproduce it below for the benefit of other fellow Bhutanese. I totally agree with the comments and I have been meaning to post it on the main page so that others may benefit from it.

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Disclosure: I'm a Singaporean but I've spent significantly more time in Bhutan than our Development minister.

While I do not necessarily agree that Singapore is the Shangri-la that Bhutan wants to emulate, I am somewhat amused by his very public assertion that Bhutan is not the Shangri-la on earth.

What is a Shangri-la? "Shangri-la" has always been a western invention. It originated in a work of fiction, but has evolved into a term used to describe anything that fits the Western romantic notion of an exotic eastern isolated haven. I always found it very annoying that Bhutan is tagged as the Last Shangri-la. Like you said, Shangri-la is a mythical construct, like Zeus or even Snow White. From some of the responses I've read online, it seems that this silly Shangri-la notion has gone into the heads of some.

I too am often bewildered by this abstract concept of GNH and it's relevance to the common people. K5's premise that GNH is "development with values" is enough of a definition for me. Coming from a former colony that was also invaded by an imperial power, I assure you that I'm not a fan of any monarchy, benevolent or not. However, I see in his words an undertone of pragmatic recognition that the long-term happiness of his people must lie in development, and not as an isolated Shangri-la.

Speaking of development, I understand the sentiment behind why Passu wrote "If we start mining our mountains and lumbering our forests, we can become Singapore in a year...". Passu is as guilty of being presumptuous as much as our minister. Even if Bhutan were to dam every river, mine every mountain, and cut down every tree, it will not be Singapore in even a decade.

Beneath the sparkling veneer, much much work and societal engineering takes place. Not all policies were gold (and many, such as the stop-at-two policy, would come to haunt us later), but almost all were implemented to the letter. That's what Bhutan lacks... execution. Too much said of abstract concepts and grandiose plans, but too little done in concrete matters. Bhutan is more than half-way past its first parliamentary term and the next general elections looms on the horizon. Will the government be held to account for its campaign promises? How will the people vote the second time round, based on the party or the representative?

A footnote. The hoopla about the chewing gum was really a storm in a teapot. I disagree with the spirit of the legislation but in day-to-day terms, banning chewing gum has had little impact. That said, I must confess. When I was living in Bhutan, every time I walked passed a pillar or on a red-stained pavement, I would wish that there was a ban on doma!

November 3, 2011 6:50 PM

2012-01-03T21:17:00.001+06:00

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

I watched, fascinated, as this little fellow went about fishing for his breakfast. It is a beautiful little bird - dainty and colorful. Nature has designed its outsized beak for one specific purpose - to grab and hold fish. I was in the Bertey-Chabang areas of Zhemgang – hoping to photograph the elusive and extremely rare White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis). For the past few years I have been visiting the area since it looks like this stretch of forests in the sparsely populated villages of Bertey and Chabang is destined to be an important and even critical White-bellied Heron habitat in the future.

As I patiently waited and watched, I saw this darling of a bird appear out of nowhere and perch on a small rock by the rivulet next to the Mangde-Chu in front of me. As I trained my camera and lens on it, the little fellow levitated and started to flutter and flap its little wings - while maintaining a perfectly stationary position horizontal to the rivulet. Suddenly, it plunked into the water and emerged out of it - with a fingerling wedged in between its outlandish beaks.

After twenty minutes or so of fishing and feeding, the little bird flew away and perched on a tree branch and seemed to be dozing off – his food gathering and feeding over for the present.

I looked on for a little while longer and - wondered! How so very nice that the animals in the wild hunt for only what they need; it is not in their character to amass and hoard for tomorrow. The human animal, on the other hand, is a compulsive hoarder; we are solely focused on amassing, building and hording for tomorrow. This endeavor is seen as a necessary measure of securing and providing for our future; for growth and progress – oblivious of the fact that the very act of safeguarding our tomorrow is what is putting it to peril!

2012-01-03T20:23:00.000+06:00

Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus immaculatus)

2012-01-01T17:15:00.007+06:00

Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus)

One of the highlights of my trip to Trongsa and Zhemgang (from where I returned a short while ago) this time was that I managed to get a folder full of one of Bhutan's most beautiful birds - the globally threatened Yellow-rumped Honeyguide perched on a honeycomb (these birds feed on the beewax once the bees abandon the hive). But it came at a price - I was stung by the bees twice on my head because I was going closer and closer to the bee-hives. But what an image I got for my pains :)-

Enjoy!!!!

Did you know?

Honeyguides are so named because one or two of these bird species have the exceptional ability to lure humans, bears and Honey badgers to colonies of bees. They do so because once the honey is taken, the crafty birds are then able to feed on the remaining beeswax and larvae.

In total there are seventeen species of these birds grouped under four different genera. Two are found in Asia and the rest are in Africa. Bhutan has one of them: Yellow-rumped Honeyguide which is NOT the species that leads humans and other bee hunters to beehives.

It is called "Yellow-rumped" because it has a bunch of yellow feathers on its rump - the abu :)-

2011-12-21T14:16:00.000+06:00

Nathula Pass as seen from Bori Goma. This is the Tibetan side of Nathula ... I think on the other side is Sikkim.

2011-12-21T14:13:00.000+06:00

A pack of Blue Sheep at the Gonzola Pass

2011-12-18T15:45:00.000+06:00

Alpine Regions of Haa

Now that I am back from my trek, I am inundated with requests from friends to mail them some photographs of what I saw in the frigid regions of Haa. It is an arduous process to mail images … so I am uploading few photos here on the Blog so that my readers and friends around the world can see them.

I intend to go back on the same trek after about a month. I want to shoot the lake Tsonapata when it is completely frozen! And, I want to shoot the full moon over Kanchenjunga with a long lens – perhaps with a 300mm or a 500mm super telephoto. The photo earlier posted was with a wide angle. I am going to use a polarizing filter so that the moon and the snow-capped Kanchenjunga stand out – should be AWESOME!!! But my pony man warns me that the passes may not be open :(

2011-12-18T15:43:00.000+06:00

A camp-fire in full blaze under the gaze of the moon.

2011-12-18T15:39:00.001+06:00

A caravan of sure-footed ponies cross the treacherous Gonzola Pass. They will return ladden with cheap Chinese goods. The smuggling of goods from Tibet has got to be a trade of desperation. The goods they bring are high volume and low value - so there is no worthwhile profits to be made. But the people I spoke to say that it makes them enough money to buy pony feed. There has got to be a better way to make money to buy pony feed!

2011-12-18T15:28:00.000+06:00

Chundugung in the evening sun. This is the abode of Aap Chundu, protecting deity of the the people of Haa. At its base is the Haa-Chu Kangu - source of the Haa river.

2011-12-18T15:23:00.000+06:00

My camp at the Gonzola Pass. At 15,770 ft., it is the highest point on the entire trek route.

2011-12-18T15:13:00.000+06:00

A close-up of Mt. Kanchenjunga as seen from Gonzola Pass. A 200mm telephoto was used to acquire this image.

2011-12-18T15:10:00.000+06:00

The famous Nob Tsonapata - I would love to reshoot this lake when it is completely frozen.

2011-12-18T15:07:00.000+06:00

Pack ponies passing over Tsonaphingey just before arriving at Nob Tsonapata

2011-12-18T15:02:00.001+06:00

Pack ponies atop the Tsona-La between Nob Tsonapata and Miruna

(Altitude: 14,370 ft.)

2011-12-18T14:57:00.003+06:00

The mountain range with Mt. Kanchenjunga as seen from Gonzola

2011-12-16T10:51:00.002+06:00

Full Moon Over Mt. Kanchenjunga

I just returned from a long and arduous trek to the Alpine regions of Haa. I was photographing the high peaks and the lakes in that area. The landscape is simply stunning.

My pony man assures me that I am provably the first one to have undertaken such a long trek in the thick of winter. In his 15 years as a pony man, he does not know of any other person – either Bhutanese or chilip - who took the route that I took: entering from Damthang, trudging up the dreaded Gonzola Pass and plunging down to the desolate Sinchulumpa and traversing across to the famous Nob Tsonapata and terminating at Takchu Goenpa above the Haa valley.

Of the many beautiful sceneries along the trek route, the photo below was an unexpected surprise. The full moon is seen setting over Mt. Kanchenjunga whose snow-capped summit is seen emerging out of the morning cloud. I didn’t expect to see the famous mountain from Bhutan. Talking of which, you may remember that the night of the full moon was a lunar eclipse. Sadly, I couldnt get an image of it since the sky was over-cast.

Over the days, as I get time, I will post more images. I am particularly proud of the image of lake Chundu Lha-Tso that I acquired while camped at Bori Goma. The pony man assures me that I am provably the first one ever to photograph the lake which is considered the heart of the protecting deity of the Haaps – Aap Chundu.

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000+06:00

Disclosure of the Identities of the 4 persons with HIV/AIDS II

I have news that the BBS is going to go ahead with the Show on the 1^st of December, 2011 as planned. It is sad.

Well, I tried … but I am not the moral guardian of this country and I do not have the mandate to take on this cause solely because I believe some wrong is being committed. But as a person who feels, and as someone who believes that life is beautiful, I find that I need to make and attempt to preserve life. Each of us must have the right to live life to the end. Life cannot come to an end simply because someone has been infected by HIV/AIDS - that must not be the end of life. Life is worth living - until the last minute, until it is snubbed out of us.

Fortunately, I won’t be anywhere close to human civilization – when the big Show takes place – so I do not have to be a witness to it. And given that we have such short memories, by the time I come back, the matter would have been forgotten.

2011-11-29T09:36:00.001+06:00

Disclosure of the Identities of the 4 persons with HIV/AIDS

On the evening of 26^th November, 2011, I just happened to be passing by the TV in my bed room – to go to the toilet. I noticed that the TV was on idle mode. On an impulse, I pushed the “ON” button on the remote and punched in the numbers “11” without intending to actually watch whatever BBS was broadcasting at that time - it was an impulsive act. A half-hearted sideways glance on the screen showed that the BBS was showing a live panel discussion anchored but Dawa. The three panelists consisted of two medical doctors and one High Court judge. Curious to know what was being discussed, I retraced my steps to take a closer look at the TV.

I realized that I was towards the fag-end of the program. I was about to shut off the TV when I heard Dawa say that the BBS TV would be hosting a live show on the 1^st of December, when he will showcase four persons who have been tested HIV/AIDS positive.

Consternation stuck me! WHATTTTTTTTTT??????

As the enormity of the tragedy of what they were planning began to sink into me, my mind was a tumultuous mess. It was so numbed that it couldn’t register much of what was being said. But I have hazy memories of what Dawa was saying and what the doctors were saying and what the judge was saying.

Dawa the anchor justified that the parading of the 4 HIV/AIDS positive cases would be in the larger interest of the people of Bhutan.

One of the doctors on the panel actually claimed that HIV is no longer the scourge that we believe it is – he claimed that it is as common as cancer or any other chronic disease. The other doctor who is supposed to be the head of some HIV/AIDS related organization claimed that the 4 persons have volunteered to come on the show – live! and that it is a first of its kind in the world.

The High Court judge rattled off some mumbo jumbo about the Constitution providing adequate protection against abuse of the individual right and the individual dignity of every Bhutanese individual.

All of the three panelists and Dawa the Anchor made it sound like it was all hunky dory and went on to assure us that there is a need for this cause célèbre.

I am amazed at the naivety of it all. Doctors and judges endorsing this 15 minutes of fame seem to ignore the devastating and life altering consequences – not so much to the 4 persons willing to appear live on TV, but hundreds of others – who will be affected by this misguided show of bravado and a misplaced sense of righteousness.

There are certain ethical and moral and legal issues that these people who have cajoled the 4 persons to come on live on the BBS TV, need to understand.

For the doctors: What do your professional code of ethics and conduct say – about encouraging your terminally ill patients with socially unacceptable disease, to reveal their identities on the national TV? Can your behavior be considered ethical – in advising and encouraging them to undertake a step that leaves them wide open to unfathomable reactions and, even ostracization from friends, relatives, co-workers and the rest of the society?

To the Judge: In quoting the Constitution and reminding us of the protection it accords us from abuse of individual rights, are you saying that there are legal provisions in the law that will protect these 4 persons (and their numerous family, spouses, children, siblings) from discrimination by individuals and society? Are there laws in place which could be applied, should they suffer ostracization as a result of public declaration of their illness?

To BBS TV: As a public service broadcaster, do you believe that you are doing the society at large a service by broadcasting a program that may well subject a huge number of people to discrimination, acts of intolerance and prejudice? Are you prepared to be an accessory to the ensuing disruption of life and happiness of a large number of people that the broadcast of the program may cause? Have you considered that these 4 HIV/AIDS positive persons may be willing but what of the others associated with them? Have you considered that you stand to jeopardize the lives and happiness of others associated with these 4 persons – who haven’t given their consent to the public disclosure of their conditions and who, either because they are ignorant or because their condition is still a secret, live a life of relative ordinariness?

To the 4 HIV/AIDS positive persons: What exactly do you hope to achieve by going public with your sickness? What will you tell the people that they do not already know about the consequences of contacting HIV/AIDS? Have you considered the consequences, once the 30 minutes glare is over?

Please remember that you do not exist in isolation. You are a part of the human society. You have parents; you have wives, children, friends, employers, employees, co-workers, landlords, tenants and sex partners. One way or the other, they identify with you – they are intrinsically linked to you and what you do will impact them - irreversibly.

Do you have their concurrence to draw them into something that they may not be willing to be drawn into? If not, who gave you the right to jeopardize their lives and happiness, and anonymity? Do you realize that their lives may already be affected as a result of your illness? Are you repentant about the fact that your spouses, your children and others may already be going through misery and unhappiness – because of you? How responsible are you being – in wanting to aggravate the situation further – by declaring to the world that you are a HIV/AIDS carrier?

Please remember that you are not alone in this. Lots of others who love you and care for you and who have stood by you all this while will be affected by your action - the outcome of which is as yet unfathomable.

Please remember that your children may lose friends in school – no one may want to sit next to them. In the vegetable market, your spouse may stand out like an oddity – a bull in a Chinese shop. You may get thrown out of your flat. You may have had sex with others who still are unaware of your dreaded disease – once you come out in the open, they will know. Imagine their misery and their anguish. Imagine how many lives you stand to ruin and bring to a stand still.

No amount of education has been able to squash the misconceptions surrounding HIV/AIDS. It is still looked upon as a disease that is abhorable and highly contagious.

In every part of the world, without exception, discrimination is looked upon as something that is undesirable. Governments and societies around the world legislate laws that are designed to fight discrimination. And yet, there is no society in the world that is free of discrimination. Bhutan is no different. Therefore, the contention that these four people and their kith and kin will not be discriminated against is something I am not willing to accept. Our proven records show otherwise.

AN APPEAL:

In conclusion, I appeal to the management and the Anchor of BBS TV to withdraw the broadcasting of the program on 1^st December where they will present the 4 persons with HIV/AIDS. Even if they insist on going ahead with it, I hope they will be reasonable enough to seek the consent and concurrence of the other people who stand to be affected by the broadcast.

2011-11-27T12:22:00.007+06:00

In Praise of a Teacher

For the better part of last year and early this year, the topical discussions that refused to die down concerned those of the high profile teachers who refused to be moved out of Thimphu, deteriorating quality of education - supposedly as a result of poorly trained and qualified teachers, and the introduction of NAPE system/method of teaching in our schools.

The Education Ministry brought out a rule that made it mandatory for a teacher posted in Thimphu for more than 20 years to be transferred out, without exception. Did the rule work? No idea, but I can bet you my last broken Chettrum that it most likely did not - given our penchant for breaking laws and opposing rules. Did the quality of education improve since? Most definitely NOT - most likely it has worsened even further.

I think the government and the people are barking up the wrong tree - in blaming the teachers and the NAPE system. They need to get a fresh perspective on what really ails our education system. Have we assessed the quality of our students? Is it possible that the falling standards of our education could be directly linked to the deteriorating quality of our students? Is it possible that if we work at improving the quality of our students, we could see improvement in the quality of education as well as the graduates we churn out?

However, my post is not really about the quality of education in Bhutan – but about a refreshingly “different” teacher I met in Langdurbi, Kheng Zhemgang during my tour of the Upper Kheng areas. His name is Yeshey Gyeltshen. His photo is posted below.

Mr. Yeshey Gyeltshen tells me that he has been posted in Langdurbi Community Primary School since 2009. Before that he was posted for three years (2006 – 2008) in Panbang – another community school in the remote Lower Kheng area. When I met him in 2010, he had already spent 5 years of his teaching career (and all of his working life) in the remote areas of Kheng. His wife is a NFE teacher and he has a daughter who studies in Class II.

He was enthusiastic, lively, cooperative and very, very helpful. He opened one of the dilapidated classrooms so that I and my assistants could sleep in it. In the evening I invited him and his family to dine with us. Although I was on the road for the past 16 days, I still had a few pieces of sikam in my zem that I wanted to share with him and his family, for his hospitality.

Over dinner the teacher explained to me why he was so happy to be working in rural Kheng. He explained that being in rural areas, he and his wife could save whatever they earned by way of salary. There were no shops to go to; since there was no road, he had no need for a car and therefore, no need to spend money on fuel; there was no party or dance culture in the villages, so he didn’t have to spend on gifts and such. And, as a teacher, the villagers and the parents of the students brought him vegetables and eggs and cheese and butter from time to time – a customary Bhutanese culture of Changjey for the venerable Lopen. The only money he needed to spend was on rice, salt and oil. Rest he either cultivated in his kitchen garden or the villagers provided them free. As a result, he did not experience the financial pressures his peers in the urban centres did.

At the end of the year, he confided to me that, even with their meager salaries, they easily saved close to Nu.90,000.00 between him and his wife. That money, he says, is enough for him to send home to help out his old parents. Further, with a glint in his eyes, he tells me that during the winter school workshops that he attends in the capital or Punakha or some such places, he finds that he is among the richest teachers in the group – because he finds that he is the only one who can treat the rest to lunches and dinners – because, although his colleagues drive cars, they barely have money enough to fuel them up.

He told me that he will be willing and happy to work in the rural areas. There is only one condition that he sets and hopes that his Ministry will understand. That is, he says that after his daughter passes out from Class VI, he wants to be transferred to some urban centre so that his daughter has the opportunity to continue her studies in a proper school.

Now, I dare say that Mr. Yeshey Gyeltshen is one school teacher who has his head screwed in on the right place.

2011-11-25T08:18:00.001+06:00

Langdurbi Community School Girls Hostel

The photo below is that of the girls’ hostel of Langdurbi Community School in Kheng Zhemgang. The photograph was taken on 5^th February, 2010. It would appear that there was no budget allocated to the school authorities to buy few dozen nails to hammer in the tin sheets that serve as hostel walls. As you can see, the tin sheets are held in place by wooden poles stuck into the cavities of the vertical wooden posts of the main structure.

Think Gorgan-Shinkhar road … and then consider this half-done chicken coop that will serve as accommodation to about 16 young girls when the school is in session.

You do get the drift, don’t you?

2011-11-24T08:37:00.004+06:00

A Matter of Perception

Yesterday evening, I was at the Karma’s Coffee with a friend who narrated to me a conversation that he had overheard at another restaurant where he was with another friend. He tells me that two senior civil servants on the adjoining table were engaged in a conversation which he found rather amusing. One of them proudly declared that in all his close to four decades of service to the Tsa Wa Sum, he had only one minor Audit memo issued against him. Not to be outdone, the other proclaimed that he had not even one memo to his name.

During my trip to the upper Kheng areas early last year, I was appalled by the impoverished condition of the people and the sub-human circumstances in which they survived. The government’s neglect of this region is apparent everywhere – from the lack of proper roads to basic medical facilities to shortage of safe drinking water. Although far from being remote, the people are so backward that at a village called Digala, we were mistaken for Khegpas (headhunters).

In an effort to understand what went wrong, I started to question the village elders in all the villages I visited. Since I believe that the Dzongkhag Administrator (Dzongda) is responsible for the development and progress in his Dzongkhag, my question to the people was: Which of the many Dzongdas who were posted in Zhemgang Dzong do you consider as your best Dzongda?

Time after time, unfailingly, one name cropped up - that of Dasho Ngawang Sangey, an ex-army officer from Wangduephodrang. All of those people I spoke to were in agreement that the only Dzongda who did any meaningful work and service to the people of Kheng was: Dasho Ngawang Sangey. I was told that most of what few mule tracks, suspension bridges and remote schools there were in the Khenga areas were established during his time. According to them, he is the only Dzongda they can remember and credit with, what they call, “Shue nakpai la” – work of any substance. At the end of my journey, I asked my father in Tingtingbi the same question. He too agreed that Dasho Ngawang Sangey would qualify as the best Dzongda that Khengri Namsum ever had.

Ironically, Dasho Ngawang Sangey has the singular distinction of being the only Dzongda of Zhemgang who was charged by the RAA for embezzlement of government funds, and thrown into jail for his troubles.

So, ladies and gentlemen, take your pick – a life of obscurity spent in sham and deception, fighting tooth and nail for your car quota or, a life in prison for the sake of the meek and the downtrodden, in whose heart you will forever live, a shinning star – as does Dasho Ngawang Sangey, Ex-Dzongda of Zhemgang, in the hearts of the poor Khengpa people.

Dasho Ngawang Sangey, wherever you are, please know that as far as the people of Khengrig Namsum are concerned, you are absolved of all Audit memos.

2011-11-19T15:07:00.004+06:00

My Answer to: PaSsu/Sangay/Penstar

To be qualified as a Ham and in order that you can be authorized to use a wireless transceiver, you need to pass an examination conducted by a qualified Ham under the aegis of the BICMA (Bhutan InfoCom & Media Authority, Ministry of Communications, Royal Government of Bhutan). Although BICMA is the regulatory authority that will issue you the licence and the call sign, I am afraid that they do not have a trained Ham who is capable to impart training or conduct examinations.

You need to be knowledgeable in subjects such as ITU’s (International Telecommunications Union) and our own laws governing telecommunications, amateur radio etiquette and, at the least, 5 WPM (5 words per minute) Morse code capability. Although Morse code around the world is no longer a necessity, BICMA’s rules still require you to pass the test in Morse code.

So, if you are interested to go into Ham radio, you first need to learn all the above and then request the BICMA to conduct the exams for you. However, as I said, they don’t have that capability in-house … so they will have to call in someone from outside – closest being from India. They may be willing to do that for you – provided you pay the expenses for the examiner to come to Bhutan and conduct the exams.

If you are really serious and if you are willing to wait until July, 2013, there is someone (of the highest class) coming to Bhutan during that time and will be in Bhutan for over a month. Let me know. I will be happy to request the person to arrange a training for you as well as anyone else interested, so that you can study for the examination which he will conduct under the authority of the BICMA. If you pass, you will get your licnece. Without a licence, it is illegal to operate a wireless set.

Regarding the equipment … all that you need is a transceiver, mike, keyer and a simple antennae to start with. The cost really depends on the type of equipment you want. It can start anywhere from US$ 300.00 for the complete set to all the way to US$500,000.00 which would include Yagi beams and powerful Amps and top-of-the-range transceivers and a gamut of other paraphernalia. If you don’t have the money for the set, I can help by lending you mine – I have about 7 full sets. But without first making sure that you have a licence to operate the wirless sets, I will claw out your eyeballs – if you even so much as look at them :)- Wireless equipment in the hands of irresponsible people can be a very, very dangerous tool!

Once you are on the air, if you have the time, you can have a blast. You will make friends around the world - from Kings to astronauts to doctors to inventors to lawyers to pirates in the Caribbean. There is only one danger – your wife might throw you out into the street from time to time since wireless transmission causes serious disruption in the reception of TV signals :)

2011-11-18T10:17:00.006+06:00

AC3PT - King Palden Thondup Namgyal, Chogyal of Sikkim (sk)

Three of my readers – Passu, Sangay and Penstar – who read my last post titled "Wireless Full of Wires" and wanted to know more about the distress call sent out by the late Palden Thondup Namgyal, Chogyal of Sikkim, over his Ham radio. Instead of responding to them in the form of a comment, I would like to post my reply as a separate post, so that others may get to read it. Here it is:

I bet that there were others around the world who heard Palden Thondup Namgyal, Chogyal of Sikkim when he sent out that distress call. But I know of only one person who exchanged words with him on that fateful day. His name was: Horst Geerken, a telecommunications engineer working for the German firm Telefunken. At that time, he was based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Although the Chogyal’s radio was silenced shortly thereafter by the invading forces, a friend of Horst Geerken was listening in on the conversation taking place between the Chogyal and Geerken. He was a Swedish journalist. He informed the press agencies in Sweden, Indonesia, Germany and Singapore. The next day the papers in those countries released the news of Sikkim’s annexation.

Two years after the annexation of Sikkim, Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal sent a letter of thanks to Geerkin – thanking him for his help during his moment of distress. The King wrote that his radio equipment was taken away from him. His Majesty Palden Thondup Namgyal invited Geerken to his Palace in Sikkim, provided that the Indian authorities gave him permission.

Geerken tried three times to enter Sikkim to meet the Chogyal – all three times he was refused permission. Finally, after twenty years of the demise of the Chogyal, Geerken managed to visit Sikkim in 2002. By than the radio antenna that must have been strung over the Palace roofs which helped him to put out the distress call on the 9^th April, 1975, were no more.

For the first time and the last time, I saw His Majesty Palden Thondup Namgyal, the Chogyal of Sikkim, during the coronation of His Majesty the IV^th Druk Gyalpo in June, 1974. I was then 18 years old. I was on coronation duty at the Motithang Hotel - I manned the Bank of Bhutan’s cash counter installed at the hotel - to cater to the local currency needs of the visiting dignitaries to the coronation.

Less than a year later, in April of 1975, Palden Thondup Namgyal was put under house arrest and his Kingdom taken away from him. He went Silent Key on 29^th January, 1982 in New York, USA. He died of cancer.

2011-11-16T15:08:00.004+06:00

Wireless Full of WIres

What is that thing that is oval in shape and is surrounded by hair?

You dirty pig, I am not answering that question.

What? What is dirty about it? It is an oval-shaped pond in the middle of a park and it is surrounded by lush green grass and flowers.

Oh OK. I didn’t think of that :)

So, once again, what did you say was that thing that is oval in shape and is surrounded by hair?

Simple - it is an oval-shaped pond in the middle of a park and it is surrounded by lush green grass and flowers.

No, No, No! It is that which you thought earlier.

That was a joke told to me by a friend with whom I was travelling in a bus from Siliguri to Calcutta. One of the Skylab space stations launched and operated by NASA had disintegrated and was hurtling towards earth. No one knew where it would land. Governments around the world ordered the grounding of train and airplane services. Thus, I had to take the Rocket bus from Siliguri to Calcutta where I was then posted.

The above joke reminded me of something that is not a joke. In fact it is something dead serious. So let me ask you the questions:

What is that thing that is called wireless but is full of wires?

What is that thing that comes to life when everything else is dead?

What is that thing that a King used to send out international distress calls, even as his Kingdom was being attacked and taken over by an invading power?

When the irritatingly pesky cellular network fails, when the internet is down and when the telephone system is bust, when the TV and the radio broadcasts are silenced, what is that thing that you can use to communicate freely and boundlessly - all the way to the South Pole and the North Pole and to all the Poles in between?

What is that means of communication that requires no set destination, no pre-determined recipient, no numbers and can be broadcast to few million people around the world?

In an era of super wide and fast bandwidth, in the age of super fast satellite communications, what is that primitive form of communication that still enthrall and attract passionate interest from the very best brains such as inventors, doctors, scientists, astronauts and engineers?

The answer to all that is: Ham Radio or Amateur Radio.

In times of natural disasters and emergencies and when every form of telecommunication fails, ham radio is the only means of communication that will still work and come to the rescue of relief workers. It can operate from the middle of the ocean or from the top of the Mount Everest. It can be set up and become operational in minutes. At any given time, close to four million users are active and listening in on to the radio signals around the world. Ham radio is perhaps the only multi-modal communication system that can transmit and receive Voice, Text, Morse Code, Graphics and Image data over the open airwaves. And, best of all, there is no charges to be paid to any service providers. It is all FREE!

Many people over the years have used the Ham Radio for a variety of purposes and emergencies but one of the most famous among them is the case of Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, the last King of Sikkim. A little after 6 PM on 9^th April, 1975, he sent out the following distress call using his Ham radio equipment:

“Mayday! Mayday! Alpha Charlie Three Papa Tango calling. I am the Chogyal of Sikkim, my name is Palden Thondup Namgyal. Please tell the world that my country is being attacked and taken over by Indian troops. There is fighting in my Palace. Some members of my Palace guard have already been killed. All telephone and communication lines have been cut off by the Indians. I have only got my amateur radio equipment to call attention to this. India wishes to keep this annexation secret as long as possible and to invent a cover-up story. Please help me by telling the world”.

From that day on, Sikkim ceased to exist as a nation.

Amateur radio employs the use of wireless transceivers (all modern wireless sets are transceivers - device that is a combination of a transmitter and a receiver). It is the earliest form of telecommunications invented by men. And yet, look at the list of luminaries who are the users of this primitive form of communication:

AC3PT King Palden Thondup Namgyal, Chogyal of Sikkim (sk)

HS1A King Bhumiphol Adulayadej - King of Thailand

JY1 King Hussain of Jordan (sk)

CN8MH King Hassan II - King of Morocco (sk)

EA0JC King Carlos of Spain

A4XAA King Qabus Bib Said, Sultan of Oman

SU1VN Prince Talal of Saudi Arabia

VU2RG Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (sk)

JI1KIT Keizo Obuchi - Japanese Prime Minister

UA1LO Yuri Gagarin - First man in space (sk)

N5YYV Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan Ph.D. NASA astronaut. First American woman to walk in space in 1984

GB1MIR Helen Sharman - First British woman into space

KG6FZX Dennis Tito - First space tourist

NY6YOS Priscilla Presley – Ex-wife of Elvis Presley

FO5GJ Marlon Brando, Actor (sk)

A51AA Yeshey Dorji, Bhutan :)-

Some pecularities about Ham aadio:

In Ham radio parlance, “SK” stands for “Silent Key” – meaning that the Ham operator is dead.

A lady Ham may be 100 years old, but she is always referred to as “YL” – meaning “Young Lady”. Likewise, a 12 year old male operator is addressed as “OM” which stands for “Old Man”.

The Hams may not speak English and yet, the medium of conversation is ENGLISH - they all converse in English when they communicate with each other over the radio.

A Ham may be stone deaf and you are likely to develop tonsillitis shouting at the top of your voice trying to converse with him/her and yet, he/she will hear the faintest of the crackle and squeak of radio signals emanating out of his wireless set.

The population figures for Hams around the world are as follows:

Japan 1,296,059 First place

USA 679,864 Second place

Bhutan 7 Possibly, the last place

Bhutan at 7 Hams may rank as the country with the lowest number of Hams, but it is possible that North Korea may not have even one since, in the Ham world, North Korea is ranked as the rarest in the world. The reason is that there is no Ham radio operating out of that country. Until the year 2000, Bhutan was ranked at #2 but our ranking has been sliding since we legalized Ham radio usage under an Act in 1999.

Bhutan’s legally licneced Hams are as follows:

A51YL Ambika Gurung

A51UD Dorji Yeshey

A51KC Kesang Namgyel (sk)

A51PK Parop Kinley Dorji

A51PR Pema Rinzin

A51WD Wangpo Dorji

A51AA Yeshey Dorji

Three of the earliest ladies who operated ham radio from Bhutan are:

A52FH Ms Thierry Veuve Le Cleach French

A52VJ Ms Vivien Johnson American

A52YL Ms Melissa Johnson American

The youngest ham to ever operate from Bhutan is Paul Johnson (W0PJ) from USA – he was 13 years of age in 2000-2001 when he operated from Bhutan. He used the Call Sign A52PJ.

The oldest Ham to operate from Bhutan was: Ms Thierry Veuve Le Cleach (F6HWU) - a French national. She was born in 1924. She operated from Bhutan in the year 2000. She was then over 76 years old!! She operated under the group Callsign: A52FH.

A Call Sign with the pre-fix “A51” is issued only to national amateurs. However, there are two none-Bhutanese persons who have been accorded the rare honour of having been issued Call Signs with a national prefix. They have been honored for their contribution to the development of Ham Radio activity in the Kingdom of Bhutan. They are:

Yasuo Miyazawa, Japan A51A

Glenn Johnson, USA A51B

Official records show that the first ever Ham radio call that was sent out from Bhutan was in the year 1955 – from Rida in Wangduephodrang.

The first western operator to operate from Bhutan was Mr. Gus Browning - a legendary Ham from USA.

Bhutan was first listed in the original pre-war ARRL, DXCC Countries list - published in 1937. However, due to lack of Ham radio activity, it appears that a country pre-fix was not allocated to Bhutan. In a letter dated 1972, the then Director of Bhutan Wireless writes that Bhutan has been allocated a country pre-fix - exact date when it was done in not known but it is safe to assume that it was an outcome of Bhutan joining the UN system in 1971.

It is rumoured that His Majesty the Third King of Bhutan kept himself abreast of world news – a Ham operator in New Delhi Embassy Morse-coded the entire day’s issue of the newspaper of his choice – a near impossible job!

2011-11-08T13:08:00.004+06:00

Pardon Me, Your Slip is Showing

I had never before visited the Bhutan Power Corporation’s payment counter for payment of my bills - someone had always done it on my behalf. Today, as I had time in hand, waiting for a friend to reach his office in Kawajangsa, I decided that I will visit the BPC’s Payment Counter above the UNDP office so that I can pay my bills that have been outstanding for a long time.

Each of their glass panes carried a notice each. But the following three caught my eyes:

REMINDER TO ALL THE

VALUED CUSTOMER

Please take note that date 29^th is the last due date for the water bill payment for every month. If date 29^th falls on government holidays or on a Saturday we are not responsible for that. After that we will remain closed for few days.

CITY CORPORATION

THIMPHU

---------------------------------------------

In the event of your cheque being DISHONORED Nu.1000/- per cheque will be debited to your account as company charges.

---------------------------------------------

CASH COUNTER TIMING TILL OUR IS-SAP

SYSTEM FULLY FUNCTION.

WEEKDAYS

9.00 AM – 1.00 PM

1.00 PM -1.30 PM LUNCH BREAK

1.30 AM – 4.00PM

SATURDAY

9.00 AM – 12.00

BPC COUNTER AT TELECOM WILL REMAIN CLOSED ON SATURDAY FOR ANY TRANSATION PLS COME TO BPC OFFICE. (EVERY TIME)

2011-11-02T10:15:00.006+06:00

Shangri-la, GNH & Chewing Gum

Did the National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan of Singapore say something erroneous when he said; “Bhutan is not the Shangri-la on earth?” Some think so. Now, I have this question for those of you who have taken offense at the remark: Do you believe that Bhutan is truly Shangri-la? Do you believe the Bhutanese people had true GNH in the past and, more importantly, do we have it now? Will we ever attain it and, if we do, will we be happy as a result?

From what little I know about GNH, I get the feeling that we cannot achieve it unless we go the Singapore way. In that respect, I fully agree with the Singapore Minister that; “In their (Bhutanese) minds, Singapore could well be the Shangri-la and they want Bhutan to emulate Singapore."

But Shangri-la was/is a mythical land and the people who lived in that valley were from a mythical era that didn’t have to battle the effects of climate change and global warming. Their realities were far removed from ours in which we have to face disparity of wealth, injustices, food shortages, polluted atmosphere, irrational wants and greed, depleting resources, diminishing water supplies and host of other problems that alter the very way we look at what constitutes happiness. We have to be suffering delirium to think that there is one country in this world that can be called a Shangri-la. Thus, I think, the conditions that are supposed to prevail in a Shangri-la must remain in the realm of the surreal.

GNH, GNH. GNH - Oh God, it is so confusing. This GNH has me totally baffled. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the principles of GNH are the antithesis to GPH - Gross Personal Happiness.

At one point soon, we must all calmly sit down and debate on the issue: Can GNH contribute to GPH; if not, what is the point? Can GNH be achieved without usurping GPH? Is GNH more important than GPH?

I think there is a serious paradox here. If ever we achieve our GNH, we may have to do so following in the footsteps of the great achiever - Singapore. They have a few thousand billion dollars in reserve, their city sparkle and shimmer; everything there works like a well-oiled Rolls-Royce engine.

Paradoxically, all that has been possible because they have been ruthless in imposing prohibitions on their citizens - such as the law on chewing gums - a starling example of how to achieve GNH at the cost of GPH.

2011-10-25T08:15:00.002+06:00

United Nations or United Ostriches?

Mr. Muammar Gaddafi is dead. Good riddance! There is a saying … he who lives by the gun, dies by the gun. He was a horrendously evil man and he deserved to go as he did. So, let us bundle him up, wrap him in rags, sprinkle camel piss over his lifeless body and bury him 10,000 miles deep into the sandy desert so that, if he should resurrect, it would take him a few millennium to resurface on the face of this earth.

Hang on, not so fast! The Human Rights Office of the UN wants to intervene. They want an investigation into his death. In their words; "More details are needed to ascertain whether he was killed in some form of fighting or was executed after his capture".

Oh really? Why is Mr. Muammar Gaddafi singled out for special treatment by the UN agency? What is so different or special about Mr. Muammar Gaddafi? Mr. Osama bin Laden was murdered in Pakistan (something that I still do not believe is the real truth) by the American soldiers and, supposedly, his body was thrown into the bottom of the sea – to serve as shark feed. The sentence of Mr. Saddam Hussein’s “death by hanging” was pronounced at Camp Cropper, an American controlled holding facility. Mr. Saddam Hussein’s hanging was carried out in the most humiliating manner – he was taunted till the end and an unauthorized mobile phone recording showed him falling through the trap door of the gallows.

Like ostriches, the moral eagles at the UNCHR stuck their heads into the sand and made no noise while all that was happening to lesser evils like Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Why are they doing so now? The answer is: Double standards!

The UNCHR has a habit of putting their feet in their mouths – every time they open them. If you recall, the whole Southern Bhutan problem spiraled out of control because of their thoughtless and wrongful intervention. In part, the exodus of people from the South into the Nepal camps was caused by the false sense of security and encouragement provided by the UNCHR and their hasty and misguided support.

The world seems to be going a little mad in recent years. Are there some cosmic realignment happening up in the heavens that is causing such numerous natural calamities all around the world? Is the proper functioning of the human mind being affected, as a result? Can the madness of some of our MPs wanting to break a law and build the Gorgan-Shingkhar farm road across the alpine wilderness be explained by these unseen forces at play?

I spoke to one of the MPs of the ruling party on the matter concerning this crazy idea of a farm road. He agrees that he is at times dumb founded. He believes that there are unseen forces at play that seems to be directing the hand of the government into doing things that is designed to deliver victory on a platter – to the Opposition party, in the next elections.

Is this madness or what?

2011-10-18T08:09:00.007+06:00

A Job Well Done

The royal wedding is over and everyone agrees that the ceremony and the celebrations were fantastic. No one doubts that His Majesty has made a good choice in his queen. I myself remained glued to the TV watching the proceedings – I refused to apply for accreditation for the occasion because I wanted to avoid another run-in with the agents of the ROM. I couldn’t have been able to sanely handle another tryst with them.

While there is no doubt that the Bhutanese people had a gala time, what of the international audience; what of the visiting media personnel? How did they view the arrangements that were made for their convenience? After all, an event is as good, or as bad, as it is presented to the audience.

I played host to a Delhi-based reporter of an international news organization. I did my part to ensure that the reporter had a good time while covering the all-important event. The following is my email to the reporter and the reply I got. From the reply it is obvious that, on the whole, the Government of Bhutan and the organizers did an excellent job.

Traffic control and flow was outstanding as well. Our men in blue did well.

CONGRATULATIONS!

……………………………………………..

Hi M,

Thank you for the mail ... I am impressed that you were kind enough to inform me of your safe arrival in Delhi so promptly.

Yea .. I intentionally wanted you to have a comfortable hotel while here in Bhutan ... and I think that Nak-sel hotel in Paro has nicely appointed rooms and calm and tranquility which I thought you might enjoy after your noisy Delhi. That is why I was eager that even your last night in Bhutan should be spent at Nak-sel. I am happy that I made no mistake there :)

I hope that our government was not found wanting in the arrangements they made for the visiting media. But I know that we do not have much experience in handling such a huge influx of media personnel. Surely, there must have been shortfalls but please forgive us if you were inconvenienced in any way. And, if there is any improvement you can suggest in the arrangements, please let me know .. We will not be offended but take it as a useful suggestion ……….

Bye and take care .. and it has been a pleasure knowing you.

Yeshey”

-----------------------------

Yeshey

Thanks for reply. Please give me your address, so that I can mail you the SIM card.

I think the Bhutan government did a good job taking care of us. First of all, we were granted very good and exclusive access to various occations during the wedding. Secondly, we were well fed, ha! Thirdly, although the stadium's internet did not work, internet at other places worked just fine. As far as I am concerned, the only thing that bothered me a bit was a liason officer who was supposed to attend me and three other journalists for three days was not helpful compared to other liason officers. He was nice enough and willing to be helpful but, in my case especially in Phunakha, he ended up creating confusions. You can ask Rinzin for the details. Journalists are one of the most demanding and abnoxious kind of people as you know. Especially, those journalists from the US and European countries are the worst, I think. They think the world is for them. To meet their demands is very difficult and it's just impossible. I think the government did well in spite of a lack of experience and the limited capacity.

I am not trying to be nice here. This is my honest opinion. I have seen so many ill equiped media centers in many countries. Compared to those cases, Bhutan indeed did a really good job.

M"

2011-10-13T10:33:00.001+06:00

The Royal Wedding

Even as I write this post, I have one of my eyes on the TV screen where the proceedings of the Royal Wedding that is currently underway in Punakha are being broadcast live by the BBS. It is a beautiful event. The color, the pomp and the pageantry is simply fabulous!

I am told that His Majesty had willed that the event should be a very subdued affair. When I look on the TV screen, I cannot fathom how such an event can ever be subdued – the profusion of colors, the solemnity of the occasion, the rituals, the reverberating resonance of the drums and the cymbals and the deep throated gurgling of the Dhung and the soulful musical sounds of the Jaling – they all combine to make the ceremony into something of a monumental celebration. And it should be rightly so, after all, this ceremony goes beyond the formalization of a matrimonial union of two beings. This event is the public legitimization of the appointment of the Queen of Bhutan.

As of today, Ashi Jetsun Pema is no longer an ordinary person. She now enters a life of discipline, of commitment and sacrifice, of renouncement and surrender – a life steeped in ceremony and officialdom. The crown comes at a heavy price and I hope she is up to it – for her own sake and for the sake of her subjects – the people of Bhutan.

On this momentous occasion, I pray that she is able to fulfill her duties as Her Majesty Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck the Queen of Bhutan. May this day prove to be as joyous as the people of Bhutan believe it to be.

2011-10-07T11:32:00.005+06:00

Deliberate Misinformation II

The recent declaration by the government that Lhuentse is the most poorly served Dzongkhag in the country is nothing short of rubbing salt to the wound of the people of Khengri Namsum. If the government feels that the people of Lhuentse are more deserving than the stoically tolerating Khengpas, they should have the courage to go ahead and do whatever they want to do - without resorting to falsehood.

As a Khengpa, I feel insulted that the government not only continues to ignore Zhemgang Dzongkhag but goes as far as to deny that it is the most poorly served Dzongkhag in the country. Such a deliberate distortion of facts has serious ramifications on the people of Kheng. By denying that Zhemgang Dzongkhag is the most poorly served Dzongkhag in the country, it becomes convenient for the government to divert funds else where. But in a sense I think I can understand why our government is so poorly educated about Khengpas and their continuing plight. I want to know: how many of the members of the Cabinet - both present and past - have visited inner Kheng? It may come as a shock that majority of them, even after being Ministers for decades, have not visited Kheng even once.

Today, when there are natural calamities in the East and the West, everybody is scrambling to outdo each other to deliver relief and reconstruction material. If such calamities were to happen in the Kheng region, the government would be soooooo terribly out of luck - because no way they would be able to be so quick with their kidu! There are no roads to deliver anything! That is when the government will truly understand the calamity of their neglect.

This post is still about the Gorgan-Shingkhar road. This stretch of road that will run through the TNP wilderness serves no purpose, its construction breaks laws, it will cause irreparable damage to the environment and in all provability it will remain unused for most part of the year, if at all. If the government has the will and the financial resources to do such a meaningless and destructive road, surely it has money enough to do some useful road in the severely deprived Zhemgang Dzongkhag. Let me show you how pathetic the road network in Zhemgang is.

In all of Zhemgang, there are currently three roads:

Tingtingbi- Gongphu road

Dakphai – Buli road

Tingtingbi – Wangdigang road

The construction of the Tingtingbi-Gongphu road was started in 1988. Amazingly, the entire stretch of this road runs through total wilderness - it does not touch any of the villages in the vicinity such as Tsanglajong, Subrang, Zurphey and Gongphu. The road is called Tingtingbu-Gongphu road but it stops short of Gongphu village by 8 KMs – in the middle of nowhere called Praleng! When it was finally completed in 2005 (including the 8KMs farm road that finally connected Gongphu village) this road measuring a total of 46 KMs took 17 (seventeen) years to build - an astounding construction rate of less than 3 KMs per year!

The second road in the Kheng area is the Dakphai-Buli road. This road is supposed to serve the upper Kheng areas. Its construction was started in 1996 but as of January 2010, it hasn’t yet reached Nimshong village. I cannot decide whether this is a farm road or a regular road. But the less than 40 KMs road so far has taken all of 14 years to construct - a construction rate of 2.85 KMs per year!

The Tingtingbi-Wangdigang road is actually a by-pass road that is not intended to benefit the Kheng people. This road is strictly to reduce the overall road length between Gaylegphug and Trogsa. It starts at Tingtingbi, goes through complete wilderness without touching a single village and would reconnect at Wangdigang on the existing highway, when finally done. For the Khengpas, this road is as good as not being there - like the Gorgan-Shingkhar road would be to the Lhuentsips - if ever it gets constructed.

2011-09-28T09:15:00.003+06:00

Deliberate Misinformation

There is something not quite right about this whole business about the proposed construction of the Shingkhar-Gorgan road across the wilderness of the TNP. The more I think about it, the more I am puzzled at the idiocy of the whole business. Nothing rings true - there is something fishy about this whole business. Lets us consider the following:

First and foremost, if the politicians are to be believed, it is the people of Lhuentse who want this road. So then why is it called Shingkhar-Gorgan road? It should rightly be called Gorgan-Shingkhar road. The nomenclature Shingkhar-Gorgan implies that the people of Bumthang want to get to Lhuentse and not the other way round.

Next, if this is a farm road, why is it constructed through a desolate area without a square inch of farm land or a single human settlement? How is a farm road defined and what purpose must it serve?

Third, by definition, farm roads are designed to carry vehicular traffic of the class of farm tractors and power tillers. How will it boost tourist arrivals in Lhuentse and the Eastern Dzongkhags? Are the proponents of the road saying that the tourists will be thrilled to bounce along bumpy and muddy farm roads that run through elevations over 4,000 Meters?

One of the arguments put forward by the proponents of the Shingkhar-Gorgan road is that it will cut travel time which will result in reduction of harmful emission. Does that mean that they hope that a caravan of power tillers and farm tractors will traverse through this perilous wilderness to get to Shingkhar and beyond? If not, how is it possible to reduce emission? Certainly, public transport such as buses and trucks and passenger cars will not drive over farm roads and that too, over a terrain fraught with unsafe climactic conditions such as fog, mist, ice and snow.

Regarding the reduction of travel time merely on the basis that distance will be shortened is something that I am not willing to believe. The distance may be shorter but what is the guarantee that the travel time will be reduced? Particularly when you are talking of treacherous terrain shrouded in mist and fog and caked in ice and snow all the year round? I personally would prefer to drive five hours more but through a route that I am certain will deliver me safely to my destination, rather than risk my life in trying to reduce travel time driving over 22 zigs that may not remain open most of the time.

The government’s established cost estimate for a farm road is Ngultrums three million per Km. The overall distance of the proposed road is as follows:

Shingkhar to Singmala 6 Kms

Singamala to Pelphu 30 Kms

Pelphu to Zhongmay 5 Kms

Zhongmay to Selibizam 6 Kms

Selibizam to Gorgan 5 Kms

TOTAL Distance 52 Kms

At Ngultrums three million a Km, the road should cost the exchequer a sum of Ngulturms one hundred and fifty six million. Additionally, the government has committed that the road will be constructed with the most stringent environment friendly construction practices. This will mean that the cost of the road will be will be four times more!

Why is a lie being put out that the road can be done in under Ngultrums sixty million?

Startlingly, the most Honorable MPs from Lhuentse, in their doggedness to get this road, declared that Lhuentse Dzongkhag is the poorest Dzongkhag in the country. That is in contrary to the government published statistics. Surely, putting out misinformation of this nature is being very irresponsible and designed to deliberately undermine some other Dzongkhags who deserve better treatment than they have been getting so far?

Does the government have so much money to build such lavish farm roads? If yes, then we the people in Khengri Nam Sum want some of that money because, as per the NSB’s fact sheet, as of 2008, Lhuentse has 77.5 Kms of farm road for a total population of 15,395, while the whole of Zhemgang with a population of 18,636 has only 28.5 Kms of farm road.

How about some fair deal for a change?

2011-09-22T09:28:00.004+06:00

No Thank You, Lhuentsips!

Yesterday evening I was in the BBS studio hoping to exchange views with the panelists on the matter concerning the proposed unlawful construction of the controversial Shingkhar-Gorgan road across the wilderness of the TNP. The set of questions that I wanted to ask could not have been answered by anyone who comprised the panelists. So I didn’t ask a single question. It was a wasted effort.

But as I plodded out of the BBS studio, something stuck me. I, as a member of the Kheng community, may no longer feel ashamed to be belonging to the poorest Dzongkhag in the Kingdom of Bhutan. It is now official - the government has declared it and the most Honorable MPs from Lhuentse have declared it - Lhuentse is now the poorest Dzongkhag in the country. In one stroke, the Shingkhar-Gorgan highway has been downgraded to the status of a farm road while, simultaneously, elevating Zhemgang Dzongkhag one notch up the economic/development ladder.

I am getting serious bad vibes here. Either the government is trying to hoodwink the people of Bhutan or they are totally clueless about the state of affairs in the country that they have been elected to govern.

The drama and theater aside, I strongly object to the government and the Lhuentse MPs usurping the Zhemgang Dzongkhag’s just and factual status as the poorest Dzongkhag in the country. Just because the government wishes to unfairly allocate a huge chunk of public money to do a luxuries by-pass that will enable the people of Lhuentse to get to Thimphu in a hurry, it is not good enough reason to put a blemish on the decades old reputation of my Dzongkhag as the poorest Dzongkhag in the country. That distinction belongs to the Kheng people and, unless the government wakes up and does something to alter that status, the reputation of the poorest Dzongkhag must belong to us Khengpas.

Sorry Lhuentsips, you are not welcome to that enviable status. It belongs to the Khengpas!

2011-09-18T14:48:00.004+06:00

Shingkhar-Gorgan Farm Road

For whatever reason, the unfathomable desperation to build a road across the wilderness from Shingkhar in Bumthang to Gorgan in Lhuentse is getting more and more preposterous. Are some of our elected leaders suffering from Brain fog or are they on a diet of Death Root? I am bewildered.

Today’s Bhutan Times features an article on their front page that is headlined “Farm Road in Place of Highway”. As incredulous as it may sound, the reporter of the news article stands by what she wrote in the article - that the government has now downgraded the proposed Shingkhar-Gorgan secondary highway to that of a farm road and that they intend to go ahead and build the road.

I was aghast at the implications of what was said in the article so I called up the reporter to reconfirm that she got her facts right. She was in no doubt that she reported exactly what she was told by the two MP’s she named in her news report.

It is incredible to say the least! I mean the government would actually build a Ngultrums sixty million worth of farm road across the wilderness that does not have a square inch of farmland or a single human settlement? Does it get any more bizarre?

According to the news report, the Gangzur-Minjay MP is quoted as saying; “……… the road is the biggest aspiration of the people of Lhuentse”. Something is totally amiss here. Why would the people of Lhuentse aspire for a road that would run through total wilderness, one that exits at Pelphu Goenpa and terminate at Shingkhar in Bumthang, at a cost of sixty million Ngultrums? Aren’t they better off asking for farm roads and other services in their gewogs and villages?

Of the two surveys and feasibility studies conducted, the latest one was undertaken from 8^th to 14^th October, 2010. Out of the 5 members that comprised the latest study group, the two Lhuentse MPs were members along with a member from the Dzongkhag Administration and two from the Department of Roads. A report submitted by this team categorically states that:

a. There is not a single human settlement between Shingkhar and Pelphu Goenpa - overall distance: 36 Kms.

b. Of that length, more than half of it will pass through altitudes over 3,000 Mtrs. Barely 8 Kms from Shingkhar, the road has to pass over a high pass called Singmala at an elevation of over 4,000 Mtrs - way higher than Thrumshingla pass which is a perennial problem during the winter months. The report also states that “because of the elevation, the construction and maintenance will be affected since the area will be snow bound for extended period of time”.

c. The report also states that the road alignment envisages a minimum total of 22 zigs. This clearly means that the terrain is very steep and thus, prone to land slides.

d. A Park (TNP) officer I spoke to tells me that the area is wet and shrouded in mist and fog half the year and the other half it is snow bound. He also tells me that the soil condition is very lose and sandy and very unstable.

e. On page 3 of the Checklist for Processing Environmental Clearance, it is stated that the construction will involve the use of explosives consisting of: Gelatin, Safety fuse, Detonator and Cordex. The results will be catastrophic - given that the whole area is unstable and fragile.

f. The TNP and the Forest Department have, on two occasions – once in April, 2007 and another in June, 2011 refused the clearance for the construction of the road on various grounds but mainly because there is a law in place that prohibits construction of any kind in the core areas of a Park.

g. The first ever photographic evidence of the existence of Bengal Tiger at high altitudes was acquired from a place called Pemi in 2001. This place is in the vicinity of proposed Shingkhar-Gorgan highway.

It is rumored that the required budget of Ngultrums sixty million to construct the road will be drawn from the overall seven billion of the SDP fund available for small development projects in the Dzongkhags. But it remains to be seen whether the SDP fund can be applied to construct a highway across the alpine wilderness that do not benefit any community. Other than that, there seems to be one other problem - I am told that a project to be funded with the SDP fund cannot exceed Ngultrums 30 million. Come to think of it, I wonder if the reason for the down gradation of the highway to the status of a farm road is to be able to qualify for funding from SDP fund? But what of the requirement that the project cost cannot exceed Ngultrums thirty million?

May be they will invite the Bumthang Dzongkhag MPs - Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho of Tang-Chhoekhor Constituency and Dungtsho Karma Wangchuk of Chume-Ura Constituency to participate in the project since the exit point of the high way falls under their Dzongkhag in Shingkhar.

That will be really funny.

2011-09-05T07:33:00.001+06:00

Much Ado About Nothing?

Years ago, a friend offered me this rather queer kind of logic. He told me that it is not a crime to commit a crime but being caught in the act. The thought of this rather uncommon logic came to mind because I am rummaging through old newspapers and for the life of me, I cannot find a single report on tobacco related arrests in the past many weeks. So what happened? Has the Tobacco Control Act finally broken the backs of the smugglers and the delinquent smokers?

Or, have they all turned into smart criminals?

While on the subject of criminals turning smart, another thought comes to mind - that of the government’s proposal to construct the Shingkhar-Gorgan by-pass: please notice that I am calling it a by-pass and not a highway because we already have a national highway and do not need an additional one. The proposed road is said to be passing through the core tiger conservation area and cutting right across our world famous Biological Corridor which we have proudly called “Gift to the Earth from Bhutan”.

Key to my support for the Tobacco Control Act was for the need for strong laws and even stronger will to enforce those laws. It wasn’t about the need to ban tobacco consumption, as some have mistakenly misunderstood. But should the government go ahead and build that road across the wilderness that is home to some of the rarest wildlife species in the world, I would say that the spirit of the Tobacco Control Act would have been broken.

I am told that there are a number of laws and by-laws that prohibit construction of any kind within the protected areas of the park systems of Bhutan. Unless those laws are first repealed, how can the construction of the by-pass go ahead? No amount of justification, humanitarian or otherwise, can condone the breaking of a law. In particular, it would be foolish for the central government to be seen to be doing so. On the other hand, it does not seem like it is justifiable that such an expensive road, both in monetary as well as environmental terms, is warranted merely on the grounds that the people from Lhuntse Dzongkhag has the urge to get to Thimphu in a hurry. The government must bear in mind that while it seems to be eager to extend the luxury of an exclusive by-bass to the people of Lhuntse, people in other Dzongkhags lack basic necessities such as piped drinking water, farm roads and proper school facilities.

No doubt environmental conservation cannot come at the cost of human progress and livelihood. But from all accounts, the environmental damage that will be caused by the Shingkhar-Gorgan by-pass is likely to far outweigh the benefits that will accrue to the people of Lhuntse. People may offer a host of reasons why the road must be constructed, but all of them will pale against the argument that this by-pass is not critical and is unnecessary and just too expensive for the purpose it is proposed.

And what of our reputation as a champion of environmental conservation? How do we explain this irresponsibility to our many donor agencies that pumped in millions of Ngultrums to help us create the Biological Corridor and the conservation initiatives that have been put into place? How do we hope to justify the saving of 1-2 hours of driving time over the dismantling of a conservation effort that is a shinning example of our commitment to conservation?

2011-08-13T20:18:00.003+06:00

Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail

The image posted below is the magnificent Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail (Bhutanitis ludlowi). This is the rarer of the two rare butterflies that I hope to photograph this season.

The image was acquired from Tobrang, which is about 5 hours trek from Bomdeling, Trashiyangtsi. The photo was shot at 9.30AM on 12^th August, 2011 at an altitude of 2,281 Mtrs. The butterfly is seen feeding on a white flowering plant called Viburnum cylindricum.

I have heard some Forestry officials mention that this butterfly may soon be named as the national butterfly of Bhutan. This stunningly beautiful butterfly certainly qualifies to be called one.

The existence of this butterfly came to be known sometime in 1933-34 in Trashiyangtse area of Eastern Bhutan (possibly discovered by the famous English naturalist F. Ludlow, given that the butterfly is named "Ludlow"). Claims have been made that it also exists in Yunnan, China. However, to date, the claim and the source remain unverified.

Seventy-seven years later, this extremely rare butterfly was rediscovered on 28^th August, 2009, by a Bhutanese Forester who was than working with the Bomdeling Wildlife Sanctuary. After two attempts, Mr. Karma Wangdi from Kheng Zurphey sighted and took a specimen of the butterfly from Tobrang area. He is currently attached with the Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for Conservation and Environment (UWICE), Bumthang.

A number of officials from the Nature Conservation Division, Thimphu and the UWICE, Bumthang are currently engaged in a collaborative research work with the Butterfly Society of Japan and NHK Television. This is perhaps the first ever such research done on the butterfly.

Honor is a serious business with the Japanese people so I am sure that they will not do a BBC tiger discovery job on us. I wish the research team the VERY BEST OF LUCK. They are still in Tobrang – I am on my way to the south of Trashigang – hunting for another less rare but even more beautiful butterfly called the BHUTAN GLORY.

Please wish me luck!

2011-08-13T20:15:00.000+06:00

2011-08-13T18:12:00.004+06:00

Butterflies from Trashiyangtsi

For the past close to two weeks, I have been on the road in and around Trashiyangtsi area – photographing butterflies. Trashiyangtsi may be Bhutan’s most important area for butterflies.

My primary target is to photograph the rare Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail (Bhutanitis ludlowi) and the Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii) both of which are extremely pretty butterflies. Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail (Bhutanitis ludlowi) is endemic to Bhutan and, as of now, it is found only in Tobrang area and nowhere else in the country. Bhutan Glory is found further down in Pemagatsel, Narphung and Riserbu areas including in Gedu-Taktikothi areas in the West.

The magnificent Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail (Bhutanitis ludlowi) is already in the bag :) - I will post an image of it in a while. I will now be hunting for the Bhutan Glory which our own “Bird Sherub” tells me can be found in and around Pemagatsel, Narphung and Riserbu areas. I will post an image of it later - if I am lucky enough to see and photograph one.

The following are few of the many butterflies that I photographed in Trashiyangtsi area.

2011-08-13T18:11:00.000+06:00

2011-07-19T07:44:00.012+06:00

New CEO/MD of Bhutan Telecom Limited

I am shocked. Something is totally amiss here. It is as if something or someone is directing events from behind the scene in such a way that Bhutan is steadily being steered on a course of self-destruction and chaos. I get the feeling that some mischief is afoot.

Yes, I am talking of the rumored appointment of the Director of CST, Phuentsholing as the new MD/CEO of the Bhutan Telecom Ltd. How the hell has that happened? It totally blows my mind. With due respect to all the brilliant minds who must have got together to set the criterion for the selection of the new CEO/MD of BTL, I have this question: How did an educator get to qualify to take the reins of a high technology commercial entity engaged in a highly specialized field of operation? It baffles me - how does a serving academician fit into a job that requires marketing skills, a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the technological trends and developments in the three core areas of the Corporation’s business, knowledge and expertise in innovative product design and packaging etc.? Can he even understand the language the techies who make up the bulk of the Corporation’s workforce, speak?

By no means I am inferring that the Director of the CST is an incompetent person. In fact I am told that he has been doing a great job at the CST. But, no one may refute that an educator’s competencies lie elsewhere. Actually, this reminds me of a funny ad of the Naukri.com that I use to see on TV. In that ad, an extremely competent cricketer is shown pounding away with his bat at a dhobi ghat – performing the job of a dhobi.

While one aspect of the issue is that of a wrong person in a wrong job, the other aspect is that we are wasting an extremely rare talent that the country sorely lacks - that of a competent educator. In my understanding, the Director of CST cannot be of a run-of-the-mill kind of a person. He must possess some outstanding qualities and be suitably educated and trained to head and oversee a premier educational institution such as the CST. How did the government release him?

Clearly this is a double whammy situation. What is happening here is that we are loosing an established and respected educator on the one hand and, on the other, we are putting the same rare talent in a job that he is not suited for. In the process, we are endangering one of the most successful and profitable public companies that have grown from strength to strength over the years. We need the BTL to be headed by someone who can not only count on the support and respect of the company’s numerous staff, but also with an expertise and the vision to take the company forward in this increasingly competitive business environment.

The government needs to intervene and take stock of the situation before disaster happens.

2011-07-17T10:00:00.004+06:00

A Page Out Of A Bygone Era

I was young and I was impressionable. It was a time when the skimpy “choosh” pants were being edged out of the closet by the silo-sized “GOGO” pants that became the rage of the day. It was “stylish” to sport an unruly, long and wildly flowing hairstyle known as the “Jesus cut” - not the sleek, pony-tailed type that the present-day aficionados prefer. One of the things that was in vogue those heady days was to be seen to be outlandish, nonconformist and something of a weirdo. The highest form of fashion sense was when you dared show a bit of your bottom peeping out of the opening that you intentionally slashed into your jeans. I was too much of a traditionalist and so I wasn’t into all that. But in keeping with the times, and to demonstrate my superior sense of sophistication and taste, I bought myself this utterly meaningless book titled “Book of Nothing”. A man-about-town had to be owning something funky and groovy. And, this book was simply far-out!

It was a regular A4-sized book, immaculately bound with its title exquisitely embossed in a text that exuded class and refinement. Inside, it contained pages upon pages of beautifully textured paper of the highest quality - containing absolutely NOTHING - except for a single short sentence at the bottom of each sheet – printed in the minutest print possible, resembling that of a insurance policy fine print that promises you nothing for everything. The small prints at the bottom of each of the pages read something like: “Nothing for nothing” or “It is very difficult to do nothing” or “You get nothing for nothing” etc.

On Sunday afternoons, I would take the book to such chic places as the Flury’s in Kolkata, select a corner table that is the most brightly lit among all the tables in the great hall - for visual effect. The measure of your standing is judged by how promptly a waiter presents himself to serve you. Any one needing to raise his hand or holler for the attention of a waiter is looked upon with pity and disdain. Having invested a substantial sum in generous tips during my past visits to the establishment, waiters jostled and scrambled to attend to my table. The most nimble-footed would edge out the rest and approach my table and, with supreme congeniality ask me, in usual formality; “Your usual, Sir?”

My “usual” would be a pot of fine Darjeeling tea and an assortment of pastries. While the waiter disappears into the back room to fill in my order, I would pull out my Book of Nothing and make a suave, visual survey of the great Fluy’s tearoom - to see if there were any one who I recognized. Even if there were, a knowing smile and a gentle nod of the head were all that was needed to acknowledge his/her presence. Anything beyond that was considered unsophisticated and inferior.

As the waiter begins to fawn all over me serving tea and laying out the pastries, I would begin my great act of reading the book with undistracted attention - unhindered by the clang and clatter of the cutlery of a great mass of people having their afternoon tea. To complete the show, my eyes would be strained with intense concentration at the blank pages of the Book of Nothing. Occasionally, an acquaintance would pass by my table and seek my permission to flip through the blank pages of the book and utter some words of appreciation such as; “Ah .. so refreshingly different and … umm … unique” - to demonstrate his/her own level of sophistication and worldliness.

The next sophisticated thing I did was to buy myself a largish, black and white, horizontally oriented comic book titled “The Fillipino Food”. During a period when quaint little comic books with prim and proper characters right out of the Mills & Boon classics were the order of the day, this comic book was filled with morbid graphics of an energetic hero brandishing a gargantuan syringe in place of his manhood. While he himself experienced a star-spangled orgasmic release, the person whose arm he poked with his syringe shriveled and died away. On one of the sixty odd pages of the book, a woman was shown lying on her back with her legs spread wide open and a TV screen in place of her Kesang Buthri. On it was depicted the cosmic mandala, the Milky Way and the gateway to the heavens. All these abstract renderings were totally beyond my sophistication and intellect - finally exposing me for the country bumpkin that I really was.

One portrayal in the comic book that remained etched in my mind over the years is its depiction of the human race sprouting out of an old, stinking tennis shoe. I clearly understood and commiserated with this uncommon theory. That is why, perhaps, the human race, even after so many centuries of continuous evolution, still secretes the stink and the stench of its place of origin.

2011-07-06T20:30:00.003+06:00

The Pitfalls of Half-Truths

Half truths, like half-knowledge, are extremely dangerous. They not only help permeate misinformation, they misguide and mislead people. This truth was brought home to me recently as a result of a local weekly printing only Part I of my three-part article I wrote on this Blog - supporting the Tobacco Control Act.

It would be, perhaps, unfair to assume that this weekly deliberately attempted to mislead its readers by failing to print all three parts of my article. However, the reporter at that paper could not have failed to see that unless Part I of my article is read in conjunction with Part II and III, the core issues I raise would be lost to his/her readers. In fact, read in isolation, the Part I of the article sounds more like an emotional outburst of an adolescent rather than a well thought-out view of a seriously concerned citizen.

The following true-life incident will demonstrate how a media house has to be careful about what they print or do not print in their papers. A thoughtless and irresponsible media can cause serious problems.

Blissfully unaware that a printed version of Part I of my article in my Blog was reproduced by one of the newspapers, I walked into the office of one of my long time friends for whom I have the highest esteem and respect. In a world filled with ass lickers and gold diggers, he remains one obstinately principled person who dares to speak his mind - to the point of sounding uncouth and rebellious. He is a no-nonsense person but for reasons unknown, this day, he sounded like a person gone totally bananas.

The moment I entered his office, he yelled; “Oh there you are you asshole! Who gives a shit about what you think?”

I was dumb founded. I had no idea what the guy was talking about. So I asked him; “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I am talking about your smart-aleck article in the Journalist. You want to know what I think about it?”

I said; “What the hell are you talking about? What article? I did not write any article in any paper”.

“The stupid article you wrote on the Tobacco Control Act”.

It dawned on me that the paper must have reproduced my article and the fellow must be referring to it. I told him I didn’t know that the article was reproduced there. I told him I will look it up.

Still fuming, he said: “You want to know what I think of your views?” With that he proceeded to pull out a cigarette from the packet that was lying on his table, lit it and started to puff away at it vigorously - until he was coughing breathlessly.

I looked on aghast. Why is such a level-headed guy acting like a man possessed? Obviously my article infuriated him so much that he forgot he is not allowed to smoke in a public space. He could stand to be penalized for what he was doing.

Once he cooled down a bit, I began to explain to him my point of view. He looked a little startled and said that I said nothing like that (I realized much later that he read only Part I of the article) in the article. Half an hour later, two of us began to discuss the flaws in the Act and what amendments were needed to be made to the Law.

At the end, he understood that the issue I was discussing went way beyond the need to control tobacco consumption. I laboriously explained to him that central to my argument is the need for strong laws to bring order and discipline into our society. I explained to him that the TCA is in no way a flawless Act but that is no reason for people to trash it as a bad law. It is a law that present day Bhutan needs desperately.

2011-06-29T06:57:00.003+06:00

Butterflies and Lizards

Can anyone ID the creatures? Look at the color variations on the two lizards. Could it be that one is a female? Or is it displaying colors of agitation?

2011-06-29T06:45:00.002+06:00

2011-06-28T04:45:00.005+06:00

All-Hail To All The Smart-asses Of This World!

I am currently lodged at my dad’s home in Tingtingbi. I was in the area shooting butterflies so I dropped by to participate in the Local Government (LG) elections that was conducted yesterday the 27^th of June, 2011.

My dad and me, we usually cover every topic on the first day of our meeting - as of the second day, he will go back to howling his prayers at the top of his voice as if the Gods were deaf and I will make a beeline for the woods and the riverside, shooting whatever there is to shoot. So, here we were, talking of things this and that. We began with the LG elections.

I knew exactly which Gup and which Tsogpa would get my vote but as far as the Mang-Gey-Aapa - that is what we Khengpas called them; others call them Maang-Gi-Aap or Mangmi - was concerned, although I did not know a thing about the candidates, my dad told be exactly who I should vote for. Well, why not? The old man does not realize it but in accepting to do his bidding now, I am thinking long term. Come 2013, if need be, I am going to remind him that it is pay back time. By accepting to do what he wants me to do now will give me the moral right to ask him to do a return of favor - to vote for the political party and the candidate of my choice. You see, the world over, horse-trading is accepted as a skillful form of effective negotiation.

Well, I agree that it is rather foxy of me, but the reality is that he is the local guy and thus, my dad, and not I, has to face the consequences of voting in a wrong Local Government candidate. So, it is only fair that his decision and wisdom should override mine. As a dweller of the Gyelsa Tewa, I am more concerned with the government at the national level. When it comes to that, I cannot have my dad farting around with opposing views to mine. If he does, I will, most pleasurably, remind him of this day :).

One topic that my dad unfailingly brings up is the unfair manner in which the government took over his family land at Tingtingbi - with the proposal to relocate the Zhemgang Dzong and to set up a modern Township. In the process, his family lost 13 acres of prime irrigation land. After two and half decades, the Zhemgang Dzong remains perched on the same ancient hillock where it has always been and, the proposed Township site is now overrun with grass and weed. Particularly for my dad, it was a painful loss because he spent 21 years of his prime youth - plodding to and from the Dzongkhag Court and the High Court - fighting a legal battle with his cousin who attempted to wrest the ownership of the land from him and his family. He won the case, only to lose the land to the government.

However, this narrative is not about the injustice done to my dad but the pathetic attitude of a Dzongda the likes of who, it would appear, may be behind a lot of suffering of the poor rural folks. This is the first time my dad told me of the incident and I am disgusted that such a moron can be appointed as a Dzongda.

My dad’s grouse is that the compensation offered for his family’s land was way too low as opposed to what was given in the Western part of the country suffering similar losses - such as those in Thimphu and Punakha. He appealed to the central government, through the local government (Dzongkhag in those days) requesting that his family be given enhanced cash compensation or, failing that, be recompensed with substitute land, in addition to the pitifully inadequate cash compensation that was paid his family. His argument was that since the land tax paid by him in Tingtingbi is at par with that paid by people in Thimphu and Punakha, it was not justified that he should receive lower land compensation rates than that which is paid to those in Thimphu or Punakha.

Term after term, he unfailingly appealed to every new Dzongda who took office in Zhemgang Dzong in the hope that the new appointee might be of a different mind set and see his viewpoint and thus, take up the issue with the government. No such luck. Then one day a very smart Dzongda took office in Zhemgang Dzong and suggested to him a way out. This Dzongda told him the following:

“If you wish to get the same compensation rates received by those people in Thimphu and Punakha, you ought to dislodge your land from Kheng area and carry it on your back and take it to Thimphu or Punakha.”

There is no dearth of smart-asses in this world.

2011-06-23T08:44:00.003+06:00

Viewshed Analysis

One reader from a distant land obviously feels as distressed as many of us here in Bhutan who have been silently suffering the humiliation of the Amankora being built along side the very special Wangdicholing Palace. The reader sent me the following mail.

The reader talks of something called “Viewshed Analysis”. I think I can guess what it means and I am excited by the concept. That is precisely my view as well. I am not objecting to the setting up of Amakora chain of hotels around the country. My objection is that they do so without taste or regard for our culture and heritage and as if to deliberately insult our sense of aesthetics. It is a pity that a bunch of unthinking and incompetent people agreed to allow such a grotesque structure to be built by the side of Wangdicholing Palace. If they cared, they should have allowed the construction of the hotel at another location where it was unlikely to be such an eye sore - like their other hotels in Thimphu, Paro, Punakha and Phobjikha.

One day, sitting at the Jorden restaurant in Hong Kong market, Tenzin Rigden, one of the senior most journalists of Bhutan asked me a question: How important and valid is culture and tradition in the context of Bhutan of present times?. One of these days, I am going to elaborate on the short answer I gave him, but for now, I invite you to read the following mail and get the implications of what the writer is saying:

------------------------------------------------

Hello Yeshey,

I am afraid I come across as a know-it-all whenever I comment on issues in Bhutan as I have spent mere months there. So, I usually keep my thoughts to myself although I am a follower of your blog and I read each post! The problem of the Jakar Amankora hotel forces me to speak up, however.

For all the talk about protecting Bhutan's culture from foreign influence and controlling the negative impacts of tourism, this is a major, tangible contravention.

There are ways to ensure that if a structure as special as Wangdicholing Palace were to have a development project proposed in its vicinity, it would not be adversely affected. One process would be 'viewshed analysis' which is simply considering the potential visual impact of the proposed development on the historic structure and landscape. The Amankora hotel, which leaves Wangdicholing Palace literally in its shadow, is clearly out of harmony with its historic context. I realize that local administrators in Bhutan don't have access to trained experts and funds to deal with landscape preservation but the monolithic hotel should have been permitted only in a less obtrusive part of the valley.

Since development is happening at such high speed here in my country, we have many processes in place to protect significant structures and landscapes although they don't always succeed. My work now is related to protecting archaeological sites from construction works. I'm working as a civil servant with the Ministry of Culture here in my home province.

Anyway, for whatever reason, I feel extremely inspired and motivated to contribute however I can to the management and protection of Bhutan's historic sites. I hope I can return and do some good work in this area, share what I've learned, maybe even train others. I've had the opportunity for education and experience in this uncommon field, in a setting of rapid development. Nobody in Bhutan right now has this background. I understand and appreciate why there's a continuing backlash against "foreign experts" and I know that non-nationals aren't easily employed in Bhutan (unless sponsored by an NGO, which is my hope) so it would be very difficult to make this happen. But, dreams are not supposed to be simple to achieve, right?

Anyway, thanks for reading all that. I hope you are well and I look forward to your continuing posts and photos.

Take care

2011-06-21T18:49:00.009+06:00

A Fallacy Of Gargantuan Proportions

One time a friend introduced me to his young son.

He said; “Yeshey, this is my son.”

In response, I asked him; “Are you sure?”

He looked flustered and asked; “What do you mean?”

I laughed and told him that I was joking. But ofcourse I wasn’t joking. I mean how far is he certain that he really is the progenitor of the boy?

Centuries of societal indoctrination has numbed our mind into believing that a child born out of the wedlock is, without contest, fathered by the husband of the woman bearing the child. This belief is so deep rooted in our consciousness that to suggest otherwise is anathema. But if you were to contemplate this matter a little deeper, you will realize that this is a fallacy of gargantuan proportions. The truth is that no one, but a mother alone may testify to the veracity of the fact. For all you know, the child could have been secretly fathered by someone from Timbuktu.

This brings us to the realization that where the Bhutaneseness of a child is needed to be established, nothing can be as authoritative and genuine and genetically pure as that of the Bhutanese mother who bore the child. Since there is room for duplicity, I think it is erroneous to set the criteria that the father of the child ought to be a Bhutanese for the child to qualify as a Bhutanese. This does not seem like a foolproof authentication means to validate the Bhutaneseness of a child because of the possibility that the Bhutanese father may not be the real progenitor of the child. On the contrary, there is no question of any doubt about the mother being not the mother of the child.

The continuing census problems faced by the fatherless children born to Bhutanese mothers not being recognized as bona fide Bhutanese on the grounds that their fathers are unidentifiable or have gone missing is something of a misnomer. As long as the mothers are Bhutanese that should be more than enough justification to warrant the recognition of these children as Bhutanese.

A benevolent law should not encourage gender bias and unequal treatment. We have always been a matriarchal society and thus, it is not in our character to treat our women as if they were second class citizens. Our laws should give them the same dignity, right and freedom as those that are accorded our men.

I hope our Parliamentarians will work towards amending the existing laws that allow such disparity in the recognition of the rights of our women.

2011-06-16T07:54:00.003+06:00

IN SUPPORT OF TOBACCO CONTROL ACT: PART III

We are a nation of barely 700,000 people. If we should fail as a society, it will not be because of our unmanageable population or because nature hasn’t been bountiful with us - it will be because we are morally corrupt, intellectually impotent, undisciplined and, above all, habitual law-breakers without a conscience or a sense of duty. The signs of decay and rot are far too evident. Look around you, everything is falling apart and nothing works. Nothing is as required by law.

Have you seen the abominable structure that is the Amankora hotel in Jakar, Bumthang? It has not only broken every single building code and guidelines prescribed for built-up structures in the urban spaces of Bhutan, but the audaciously inappropriate structure has been allowed to be built alongside the historic and iconic Wangdicholing Palace. How did such a sacrilegious monstrosity come to be built next to a national monument that is the citadel of the Wangchuck dynasty?

There is no two ways about it - the structure is a symbol of defiance and a challenge to our laws and disrespect for our heritage. But the shameful thing is that some Bhutanese who are supposed to control such blatant affront to the laws of the land did not do their job - whether knowingly or unknowingly. Who is responsible?

Am I flogging a dead horse? May be, but the very existence of this structure points to something so typically Bhutanese - our total disregard for the law. It is shameful - but I can bet you that those who failed to perform their duties still have the gumption to walk tall and talk of service to the Tsa-Wa-Sum while, those of us who care, has to hang our head in shame every time we pass the Palace because the very existence of that structure by the side of the Palace is a constant reminder to us of the depths to which we have fallen. For a fistful of dollars, we can be capable of selling our very soul!

The morality of the Bhutanese people is at its lowest ebb. Consider, for instance, the case of the car quota privilege accorded to a certain category of civil servants. Everything is so wrong about this supposed entitlement. This is a clear case of state sponsored corruption of the highest order and it has been going on for decades.

Firstly, it assumes that this category of citizens is more deserving than others. The award of this preferential treatment creates a class segregation that implies that those who are not entitled to it are inferior citizens who do not contribute to nation building. The reverse is true - the workers in the corporate and private sectors contribute way more than any civil servant does. It is unethical on the part of the government to reward some while ignoring others.

However, I bring up this issue not because the quota system goes against the concept of the government’s policy of Drangnam and Drangden (Equity & Justice), but because it is associated with one of the most shameful and enduring corrupt practices that has been going on for decades. And, this has happened because, true to form, the Bhutanese people have no shame about blatantly breaking a law.

Like backstreet touts, the civil servants shamelessly peddle their quota entitlements to the highest bidder in the open market. They know they are not allowed to do that, and yet, they have no compunctions about their illegal behavior. Even while the government is aware that such behavior has serious ramifications on the morality of the nation as a whole, it continues to turn a blind eye to this menace. All these point to one thing: something is seriously wrong with the Bhutanese mentality.

The government must accept sole responsibility for the proliferation of such illegal activity among some section of the civil service. In creating the quota system, the government has, in an indirect way, created an enabling condition to lure the civil servants into immorality. The abuse of the car quota system creates not one but two criminals - the seller and the buyer. Few hundred million Ngultrums are lost every year because these buyers are able to evade duty and taxes on the cars they buy in the names of the corrupt civil servants.

Why does our public service delivery fail? Why is a public servant playing computer games when he should be attending to people needing service? Why are civil servants playing archery and making out as if they are fulfilling a national objective while they should be in the office earning their keep? Why is a civil servant feeling chivalrous in spending half a day of public time at the cemetery attending a funeral of some one dead?

Even when there is a rule that prohibits government vehicles from being engaged in private work, why are government vehicles seen at the school parking lots and near chortens dropping off and picking up monks and children? Why is garbage dumped at the spaces where there is a signboard that specifically cautions: NO DUMPING?

Why are the Bhutanese people habitual lawbreakers? The answer is simple: we do not have respect for the law. And, the reason why people do not respect and follow the law is because the laws do not provide for punishments strong enough to deter wrong doers. And, even when there is a law in place, it is poorly enforced, if at all.

We have a desperate need for strong laws to save ourselves. Let us ask for them. We have a government that is showing signs of courage and commitment. Let us encourage them by rendering our support to their initiatives. Let us not be mislead into believing that the Tobacco Control Act does not have the support of the majority of the Bhutanese people - it does because the Act was passed by the Parliamentarians elected by the majority of the Bhutanese people.

We have many problems that need solving. Weak laws and even weaker enforcement isn’t going to solve our problems. To solve them, we need strong laws and determined enforcement agencies to enforce them. Therefore, let us demand for many more of the Tobacco Control Act and hope that, one day, we too will be counted among those nations and societies who respect and adhere to law.

2011-06-14T09:23:00.005+06:00

My Gross National Happiness II

Serious writing is energy sapping business and in writing 3 parts of my article to counter the anti tobacco control lobby, I have been drained of energy and spirit. When one feels so powerfully about something, one tends to pour out every bit of passion one has. In the process, one can be drained and I felt totally drained upon completion of my third part - yesterday night. After all that outpouring of passion, I was in doubt if what I write will make any difference and that doubt made me feel a little sad.

This morning I woke up and logged on to the net to check my mails. And there, I see that a friend had forwarded to me the following mail which touched me deeply and enthused me all over.

The writer of the mail is a wildlife photographer from India who was introduced to me by the designer of my book: BHUTAN BIRDS. I spent few days with him showing the sights and sounds of Bhutan. I spoke to him about our culture, our environment, our tourism policy and everything else. The photographer went back to India few days back and had apparently written the mail to his circle of friends.

What he writes about Bhutan is so encouraging. My GNH is that I was a part of the experience this photographer had in our country. It makes me feel that our country is still a worthy cause to fight over. So I am not going to lose hope. I will revise my third part to make it sizzling HOT. I will post it either this night or tomorrow morning:

Dear friends,
I first went to Bhutan in 1994. Now in 2011 with coz. Cuckoo and Pushpa it is the second time. The country has changed. So called 'progress' tends to change all countries. Africa,which I visited also for the first time in 1994, has also changed dramatically. Change is inevitable. But when it takes away the inherent spirit of the land it leaves behind an empty flavour of what it was.

Bhutan, till now has somehow, while keeping its character; its magical spirit, been able to keep that unique balance of a land steeped in its culture yet endeavouring to provide the discerning visitor the amenities he is used to in modern tourism.

We have been lucky to have been guests of a prominent local family, friends of my cousin Cuckoo. Also, I was fortunate enough to meet up with a fellow photographer. Both were instrumental in showing us their country from the 'inside'. If we had gone as regular tourists I don't know if we would have returned with the same indelible impression.

This is a country that measures progress not in GNP but in GNH (Gross National Happiness). This is no marketing cliché but the vision of its last monarch who had endeavoured to take Bhutan through the tough process from a feudal monarchy to a parliamentary monarchy. Jigme Singye Wangchuck born 11 November 1955 is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in favour of his eldest son in 2006. He is credited with many modern reforms in the country.

There are 5 Aman resorts in the country and even the formidable Mrs. Ong has a super luxury resort there. But this is not the reason to come to Bhutan. This is a country for trekkers and panorama fiends; for mystical experiences and Mahayana Buddhism and primal Hinduism. Where the pace of life has not lost its way into the monotonous desert of hedonistic experiences.

Truly, it is an experience different.

Affly.

rtw

2011-06-13T20:19:00.002+06:00

IN SUPPORT OF THE TOBACCO CONTROL ACT: PART II

The anti tobacco control lobby argues that the law is too draconian. Seriously, why should that be a source of worry for anybody - unless, ofcourse, one is a potential lawbreaker?

I believe that most of those who go half-cocked over this Tobacco Control Act have not really thought the matter through properly. If they did, it is simple to understand that the law can be said to be draconian only when, and if, it is invoked and enforced. Once you understand that, you will also understand that the law is enforced when it has been broken. This simply means that if you do not break a law, you need have no fear of the law - draconian or otherwise. Unless you are fearful of the certainty that you are likely to break a law one day in the future, no one may stand in dread of any law.

The whole purpose of a law is to deter people from committing offenses that are harmful to society and to thwart actions and behaviors that are undesirable. And, the only law that works is one that is strong and unbending; a law that is enforced rigidly and without exception. Unfortunately, we Bhutanese are a unique lot (as we are so proud to claim!) - we simply refuse to be deterred by any law. In fact, we diligently break every single law that comes into force.

Interestingly, there is something laughable about the claim that the Tobacco Control Act is too draconian. If it were so, how come the law is being broken with such unfailing regularity?

A novice monk by the name of Sonam Tshering was the first to be arrested under the Tobacco Control Act - he was arrested on 24th January, 2011. Since then, despite a continuous stream of news and a barrage of protestations concerning the severity of the punishment, there have been a total of 37 tobacco related arrests as of writing this post - an astounding average of over 9 arrests per month!

If the Act were draconian and if the punishment were as severe as it is touted to be, how is it possible that there is so much disregard for the law? How come people are not cowering in fear and fainting with dread? The only explanation can be that, the law is not draconian enough or, failing that, the Bhutanese people have got to be the world’s most incorrigible and pathological of lawbreakers. Other than that, the only other explanation that I can think of is that the myth that the law is too draconian is nothing more than a fiction conjured up by the idle minds of the Internet troopers that make up the anti tobacco control lobby.

I cannot remember of a more serious law. And, no law in this country has ever been enforced with the resoluteness and effectiveness as that which has been done in the case of the Tobacco Control Act. As I see it, it would be highly irresponsible on the part of this motley of people who oppose the law - to offer the constricted view that the Tobacco Control Act is designed to control consumption of tobacco and to infringe on the personal freedom of the people. The passage and enforcement of this Act goes way beyond that.

The passage and enforcement of an Act of this nature and substance is demonstrative of the fact that our Members of Parliament are serious about their responsibility to the people whose will they must respect and be subservient to. Even while being mindful of the fact that the Act is likely to be unpopular with some section of the population, they still had the courage and the determination to go ahead and do what is expected of them - for the benefit of the society. If this is not proof of their competence and courage, I do not know what is. The Tobacco Control Act is proof that our legislators - the NC and the MPs and the DPT government and the enforcement agencies are capable and willing to take some hard decisions. Therefore, instead of moaning away, as responsible citizens, let us give them support and encouragement to do more in all the areas where we need similar laws. It is not often that the politicians are encouraged to set aside their political agenda and do something truly meaningful and progressive.

We need strong laws to effectively fight such heinous crimes as rape, pedophilia and child molestation. We have been fighting a losing battle against drug abuse, gang fights, chorten vandalism, indiscipline and alcoholism. The reason is simple: our current laws that deal with them are so ineffectual and the punishment prescribed so weak that they fail to deter criminals from committing the offenses.

Let us not give up with the belief that we are beyond mending. We can always try. It is never too late. Just because there are stray instances when it would seem that the law is unenforceable, we cannot give up. This is not Utopia - this is the real world and in the real world, some we lose - but definitely we win some too.

Close on the heels of the denial they suffered in their attempt to introduce the well-intended tax reforms, if this Tobacco Control Act too should suffer defeat, I fear that the government and the legislators will be discouraged from doing things with spirit and boldness. As a result, we will slide back to doing things the same old Bhutanese way - being stuck in the same spot - whirring away like a top, very efficient but without effect - a kidu-centric society. Finally here is a law that means business, a law that has the potential to turn us into a law abiding and disciplined society. And what do we do? We oppose it vehemently.

........ To be continued

2011-06-10T09:09:00.007+06:00

IN SUPPORT OF THE TOBACCO CONTROL ACT: Part I

For quite sometime now, I have been aghast at the continuing protestations against the passage and the enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act. I know that no single law has ever found complete acceptance anywhere else in the world. There will always be those who will see things differently - either as a result of their ignorance or, lack of an intelligent understanding of the real issues involved or, in some cases, because of self interest.

The enactment and enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act does not cause any industrial disruption thereby causing loss of jobs and income to the people of Bhutan. And, no one may dispute that the premise and the principal behind introducing a law is because there is a need for it.

So then why is the government’s endeavor to curtail the use and consumption of a substance that can cause harm to the consumers, as well as to none consumers, being met with such organized and orchestrated resistance from the supposedly educated lot of the Bhutanese people? Is it borne out of a genuine concern for Bhutan and the Bhutanese people? Or is there something more sinister and evil at work - that which is designed to bring about the failure of a genuinely progressive and courageous piece of legislation?

I am seriously worried. In the aftermath of the awakening of a sense of trepidation provoked by the incessant propaganda assault unleashed by these faceless ravagers of the void, there is a real danger that a perfectly good and useful law may yet stand to be nullified and rendered ineffectual. The cancerous growth and spread of the malice propagated by theses doomsday soothsayers has the potential to derail a genuine attempt on the part of the government to get serious about meaningful governance. Even worst, there is now a concerted attempt to suggest that the views of this minuscule number of detractors represent the views of the mainstream Bhutanese.

Therefore, it is important to remind the government, the law makers, the judiciary and the people of Bhutan that these voices of dissent uttered from behind the cloak of anonymity in the social media of the World Wide Web do not represent the national view. The reason is simple. This negligible and insignificant number of people who are hell bent on spreading misinformation - number only a few hundred who dwell in the urban centers with internet access. The larger of the population is in the rural villages without any internet access and thus, without the means or the expertise to express their views. But that does not mean that this country can be allowed to be intimidated and coerced into submission by a minority group simply because the silent, unspeaking majority is not internet savvy.

Agreed that even the minority has the right to voice their views - irrespective of whether those views are educated or otherwise. They have that right. However, to go on and on and on, as if their views alone mattered and, in the process subject the majority of us to this barrage of bunkum has got to stop at some point. There is a limit to how much we can tolerate. There is a need for some of us to counter and oppose those who choose to attempt to scuttle a law that is well intended, necessary and RIGHT ON TRACK!

The detractors of the Act offer two primary arguments on the grounds of which they oppose the Act: (a) that it infringes on the liberty and the rights of the individual and, (b) that the law is too draconian.

LIBERTY & THE RIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL:

Since the advent of democracy in this country, too much has been spoken and written by too many about liberty and the right of the individual. But most seem to miss a very simple truth: that a certain amount of government control is essential, even imperative, if liberty and freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution is to be prevented from cannibalizing itself. The only way to guarantee the perpetuation of the right of the individual and liberty of the self is to ensure that those rights are not allowed to be abused. Because, when abuse happens, curtailment will follow. Thus, pre-empting abuse through legislative measures is another form of protecting the individual right and freedom.

The Tobacco Control Act does not ban the consumption of tobacco - meaning that it does not infringe on the individual right or freedom. What it does is require the users to be more responsible in the exercise of their rights and freedom. It requires the consumers of tobacco products to behave responsibly towards those who do not share their inclinations.

While every Bhutanese citizen can stake a claim to our individual right and freedom as our God-given birthright, each of us has the responsibility to ensure that in the exercise of those rights, we do not cause harm and discomfiture to others around us. With right come responsibility and when one fails to be responsible, that right becomes a hindrance and an obstacle and, thus, it can justly be restricted.

……………. To be continued

2011-05-21T21:45:00.004+06:00

Happiness & Joy To The Royal Couple

The announcement of the royal wedding scheduled for October this year is welcome news. And none too soon either! Our Constitution requires that a ruling monarch must abdicate when he reaches the age of 65 by which time, the royal successor should have attained the age of 21, to be able to ascend the Golden Throne. This is good timing.

Few kings around the world have had the good fortune to marry for love. There have been instances in history where a king had to relinquish his throne in order that he may prefer his love over his kingly obligations. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown and rarely has a king ever worn his heart on his sleeve. But the declaration His Majesty made on the 20^th of May, 2011, during the opening session of the Parliament was touching - almost the stuff of fairy tales.

By necessity, all conventional ties and relationships of the heir to the Golden Throne must end the day the Raven Crown is placed on his head. From that day on, he is neither a father, nor a son - or a husband. He is KING. And, in order that he can shoulder the weighty burdens of kingship, he must not be shackled by a need for allegiance to ordinary ties and attachments. He must rise above the ordinary and stand alone.

His Majesty Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has inherited from his peerless father a kingdom that is peaceful, prosperous and with its bountiful natural as well as its cultural resources largely intact. He has a nation full of subjects who are grateful and beholden to the Throne for all their successes and happiness. And now, by his own admission, His Majesty has found a Queen who is both warm and kind in heart and character and who will, with age and experience, make a great servant to the nation. With such fine qualities and with the full approval of His Majesty the IVth Druk Gyalpo and their Majesties the Queen Mothers, there should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that Ashi Jetsun Pema the future Queen of Bhutan will find resonance among his and her subjects.

I join the nation in wishing the royal couple MANY, MANY YEARS OF HAPPINESS AND JOY. May their union bring PEACE AND PROSPERITY to the people of Bhutan.

2011-05-20T11:31:00.012+06:00

Royal Wedding Announced

As I write this, His Majesty the Druk Gyelpo is announcing His proposed marriage to Ashi Jetsun Pema. The announcement is being made as His Majesty addresses the 7th opening session of Bhutan's First Parliament which is currently in progress.

2011-05-19T12:15:00.012+06:00

Kelly Dorji, Bhutan’s most famous international film star

2011-05-19T12:13:00.001+06:00

2011-05-10T14:55:00.003+06:00

Death of Osama bin Laden: A Monumental Hoax?

The Americans have finally announced the death of Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden. It took a while but it is finally here - the news that Mr. Osama bin Laden has been killed.

There is a school of thought that believes that Osama bin Laden was long killed in the caves of Tora Bora in Afghanistan but it wasn’t in the American interest to announce his death. I don’t know if that is the truth and, like the good professor James Bettinger of Stanford University once told me, a truth that cannot be proven is not a truth. However, I am intrigued - not so much by what is the real truth - as much as I am by the manner in which the truth is being orchestrated and presented to the world.

The “truths” that we are now being told do not ring true. There are so many things that do not fit together. In fact they sound downright stupid and implausible. Let us examine the following:

Osama bin Laden being labeled the world’s most wanted criminal

How far is this correct? The CNN, the BBC and even the NDTV calls Osama bin Laden the “world’s most wanted terrorist”. Is this fair? How does he qualify as the “world’s” most wanted? The term “world” would encompass all the countries on this earth. However, I know that in some countries, he is a hero and not a terrorist. Therefore, it is not fair to club those unwilling countries in the grouping of those countries who have declared him as a terrorist. Thus, I think we must downgrade him from the “world’s most wanted” to “America’s most wanted terrorist”.

Claim that the American Navy Seal entered the Pakistani state without the prior knowledge of the Pakistani government

I think this is bogus. I think the US had tacit approval of the Pakistani government and entered the Pakistani soil with prior knowledge of the Pakistani government and their security agencies. I cannot believe that the Americans would be so audacious as to commit an act of war on Pakistani soil, knowing full well that such an act is tantamount to infringement of Pakistani sovereignty. Pakistan is an ally and not a vassal state of the US.

However, it is convenient and, even expedient, to make such a claim. On the one hand, the Americans want to take full credit for the murder of their state enemy #1. It is good for politics. In fact, post killing, the American President grandly proclaimed that “Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan”. On the other hand, Pakistan as a Muslim state certainly would not want to be seen to be directly associated with the killing of a person who is seen as a martyr in most of the Muslim world. Thus, for the Pakistani government, it is good politics to claim ignorance and express consternation at the supposed unilateral American act. It is within the scheme of things for Pakistan to make feeble noises, once in a while, claiming infringement of their sovereignty etc. But at the end of it all, it serves their purpose to be seen as being totally ignorant of the American act.

Pakistan did not have a hand in the killing of Osama bin Laden

How could they have been involved, if it is really true that Osama was already killed in the Tora Bora caves years back? Also, if the claim that Osama was killed in the recent “targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan” is untrue and a charade, then surely the US cannot ask Pakistan to take part responsibility of the killing of Osama.

Further, Pakistan is a Muslim state and it will not go down well with their Muslim brethrens around the world - if it is known that they were directly responsible for the death of Osama. Thus, even if it is true that the Pakistanis collaborated with the Navy Seals to kill Osama, it will be in their interest to claim total disassociation with the act. The Americans recognize that compulsion on the part of the Pakistanis and, thus, they understand the need for the Pakistanis to distance themselves from the final act of killing Osama.

The death of Osama bin Laden is in no way the end of America’s fight against the Al Qaeda. In fact, it may be possible that this is actually the beginning of another phase in their war against terrorism. Thus, the value of Pakistani involvement as an ally in America’s fight against terrorism has not diminished in any way.

Sadly, however, the claim of Pakistani’s none-involvement is rather inconsistent and contradictory to what the American President had to say. I quote the following excerpts from the same speech quoted above:

“Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done. But it's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding”.

Burial of Osama bin Laden’s body in the sea

Why was it necessary to hastily bury the supposed dead body of Osama bin Laden at the bottom of the sea? The stated official version put out by the Americans for such a dubious way is to “prevent the final resting place of Osama bin Laden from becoming a shrine and a place of pilgrimage for his followers”. How far is this plausible? Is the truth something else? Could it be possible that the real objective is to make it impossible for any one to retrieve the body, if verifications were required? Was such a preposterous act necessitated for the reason that the dead body actually was not that of Osama bin Laden?

What exactly is the truth?

2011-05-07T11:31:00.005+06:00

I AM BACK!

Well, here I am - back to Thimphu. I was out in the East of the country, all the way to Morong which is beyond Narphu. This time, I was chasing birds - the feathered variety.

Sixteen days of toiling in the sun, the mud, the rain and the fog and driving for up to 13 hours a day is hard work. Even worst, when the weather turns foul and you end up sitting around the camp doing absolutely NOTHING, it can be nerve wrecking. It is soooooooooo difficult to do NOTHING! I have not heard of hard work killing anyone but I suspect that boredom surely must cause a few deaths. God, please spare me the days when I have nothing to do.

For me personally, bird photography has been a revelation of sorts. Both the joy of accomplishment, as well as the disappointment of failure, has provided me with vital clues to the fundamentals of how to increase one's success rate in life.

Countless hours and days and months of pursuing birds has taught me that nothing can be rushed - everything eventually falls on the lap of the man who is willing to be PATIENT. As they say, Rome was not built in a day.

After having exposed few thousand frames of bird images, it is my view that there is no such thing as a PERFECT shot. He who says that he has the perfect shot has no idea about what constitutes perfection. Your last perfect shot can always be bettered. The pursuit of excellence is a never ending process. Therefore, never give up on IMPROVEMENT. Shoot the same bird a thousand times - every frame you expose will be different - the posture, mood, lighting, perch, surrounding foliage, background, foreground etc.

Remain FOCUSED. If you are pursuing one particular bird that is in sight, forget the rest. Do not let other birds that flit around you to distract you. Straying attention can cause you to lose focus and, in the process, you end up getting nothing. Nail the one that you have set your eyes on - then move on to the next. You have surely heard of that fellow who is a jack of all but couldn’t master a single trade.

One very important lesson I learned this trip is that one should NEVER TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED - when it comes to the weather. If, where you are standing is foggy and rainy, do not make the mistake of assuming that it would be the same in all other places. I acquired the beautiful images of the Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler and the Satyr Tragopan (posted bellow) at a time when I had decided that I would move off from the place where I was camped. The weather was foul and did not look like the day was going to be very productive. But a leisurely drive just 12 Kms. away from the camp site, out of curiosity, brought me to a spot where the sky was clear and there was no ground fog. This place produced my life bird - the Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler.

Apply the above rules in real life and see how you begin to improve your success rate.

2011-05-06T21:17:00.003+06:00

2011-05-06T21:16:00.003+06:00

2011-05-06T21:15:00.001+06:00

2011-04-20T09:28:00.007+06:00

BBC Filming Crew Responsible For the Death of Two Tigers in Bangladesh

A few days back, over breakfast at the Galingkha restaurant, my friend from Bangladesh, Dr. Ronald Halder - dentalist, ornithologist, photographer and author, introduced me to Sirajul Hossain, a naturalist and a photographer, also from Bangladesh. Two of them, accompanied by another birder/photographer friend, Md. Zamiruddin Faisal, are currently in Bhutan on a 10-days bird watching/photography tour of Bhutan.

It was inevitable that given our shared interest in photography and birding, we mostly talked of the photographic and birding opportunities offered by Bhutan. One other matter we talked about was of the tigers living and breeding in the high Himalayas of Bhutan and of those that lived and roamed the mangroves of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh. That is when I mentioned about the shameless claims made by the BBC team who recently made a documentary on the tigers of Bhutan. What Sirajul told me next left me in total shock and disbelief!

It seems that the BBC did something even worst in Bangladesh than what they did in Bhutan. In Bangladesh, they actually caused the death of few tigers - in the process of their film making and in their attempt to be dramatic and theatrical.

Following the incidences of the death of two tigers at the hands of the BBC filming crew, Sirajul published two articles titled; “The Death of Two Tigers: Immature science in immature hands” and “On Death and Survival of Tigers”. Both the articles were published in Bangladesh’s largest circulating English daily: The Daily Star. The first article appeared on 22^nd February, 2008 and the second one appeared on 7^th June, 2008.

The two articles clearly show that in their quest to make a dramatic film, the BBC couldn’t care less about the consequences of their actions to their subjects. One of the articles point to the fact that there is nothing professional about the way the BBC does things. In fact, the title of one of the articles, “The Death of Two Tigers: Immature science in immature hands” is revealing.

Since I leave for the East tomorrow, I do not have the time. But when I return, I hope to post a detailed commentary on the two articles published by the naturalist Sirajul Hossain. In the meantime, I hope this will alert the Royal government and its agencies to be wary of any future proposals they receive from the BBC.

2011-04-13T09:08:00.001+06:00

15” of Mini Twinkies: II

The simple act of narrating a joke can sometimes test your ingenuity to its limit. So it was with me; when I decided to lighten the mood in my blog by posting a joke tiled, ‘15” of Mini Twinkies’. I did not realize what a challenge I was taking on when I decided to tell a joke that involved three multi-national ding-dongs measuring a perfect 15”.

I am not a practicing joker - not even an occasional one. My joke telling days were over close to two decades ago. The thing with jokes is that you have to keep telling them - to be able to tell them with a certain flair and style and ease. Even the funniest jokes can sound dour, if it is not delivered with the right combination of mimicry, wild gesticulations and contortions. Extricating guffaws from your audience is no mean joke. But my difficulties arose not from a lack of skill of writing or command over the language. I was challenged at an altogether different level.

The problem arose because the joke involves three different nationalities. And, if you have read the joke, you would have realized that the entire success of the joke hinges on the soldier who possesses a schlong measuring no more than 3”. That was at the root of my troubles.

While the real truth remains hidden within our crotches, no male of whatever nationality likes to be identified as being one who is poorly hung. This is totally a male thing. Thus, assigning a lingam that measured a miserly 3” to a specific nationality would be seen as insidious and libelous by that nationality! The joke would be in very poor taste.

But for the sake of the joke, someone has to take on that dishonor or the joke wouldn’t be so funny. But who? Who do I say possessed that very critical and life saving but very miniscule 3” ding-a-ling? How can I narrate my cute little joke without hurting sensibilities and provoking ire? How can I do it without leaving a sour after-taste in the mouth, after the laughter?

At the end of two days and two nights of brain-racking and after giving due consideration to history, logic, anatomical analysis, myth and mystery, I elected the Chinese soldier to be the baton bearer and, in doing so, I believe I resolved the delicate dilemma! In fact, I believe that it was a stroke of genius.

NOTE: Beyond being funny, some jokes are brain teasers. My joke ‘15” of Mini Twinkies’ is one such joke. I waited two days for some readers to point out the anomaly built-in into the joke. It seems that none have noticed it. Or, perhaps, you are being kind to me by not pointing out the deliberate flaw in the joke. Whatever the case may be, I encourage you to re-read the joke and, if this time you observe the irregularity in the joke, you will then understand the illogical logic behind this rejoinder.

PS: The correct nomenclature for the Allied Forces I referred to in my joke should be: Multi-National Force - Iraq.

2011-04-10T11:17:00.004+06:00

15” Of Mini Twinkies

I just realized that I have been posting rather serious stuff on my Blog. I think Blogging need not be a tedious process - neither for the readers nor for the Bloggers. So here is something, which I hope will lighten up your moods and make your trips to my Blog a happy and joyful experience.

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During the war in Iraq, a mixed group of three soldiers belonging to the Allied Forces were ambushed by the Iraqi army. They were herded before the Iraqi Commander who would decide their fate.

The Commander declared; “Let it not be said that the Iraqi army is without compassion and do not respect the Geneva Conventions on P.O.W. I am going to give you a fair chance to escape the inevitable death by firing. I will give you a test and if you pass the test, you will go free but if you fail, you die before my firing squad. Is that acceptable to you?”

The motley of chained and shackled soldiers comprising of an American, a German and a Chinese, huddled together to discuss the matter. They arrived at the consensus that it was sure death for them anyway but there might just be the remote possibility that they might pass the test and escape death. So they agreed that they will go through the test, whatever it was. They chorused; “Yes, we accept the test but what exactly is the test?”

The Commander said; “Good. The test is simple: I will have your mini twinkies measured out and if the sum total of your combined length is exactly 15 inches, you will go scot free. If they are even marginally longer or shorter, it is the firing squad for you. Do you accept?”

The POWs were stumped. They looked at each other in bewilderment but they were aware that they had hardly a choice so they agreed to take the test.

The Commander ordered two Iraqi soldiers to escort the soldiers one by one and have their ding-dongs measured out. The American soldier was the first to be taken behind the barracks and measured out.

The two Iraqi soldiers returned with the American soldier and reported;

“Exactly 5”, Sir!

Next, the German soldier was escorted behind the barracks. A little while later, the Iraqi soldiers returned with a brimming German soldier and declared;

“Commander, Sir, Exactly 7”!

It was now the turn of the Chinese soldier. Minutes later, the two forlorn looking Iraqi soldiers escorted back the Chinese soldier who was grinning from ear to ear, and reported;

“Incredible, Sir, but exactly 3”!

The sum total stood at exactly 15”! The Commander had no choice but to let go the soldiers. They had passed the test and earned their freedom.

As the three soldiers walked away in relief, each of them gloated about their role in the escape from death. The American took great pride in the fact that if it hadn’t been for his bountiful 5”, all three of them would be cold turkey right now and being buried 3’ under the ground.

The German declared; “Yea right! If mine did not measure a hulking 7”, both of you would be dead and not talking so big and boastful”.

The meek Chinese chimed in; “Please guys, let us offer prayers of thanks to God that if I hadn’t had a hard-on, we would all be history”.

2011-04-07T11:33:00.006+06:00

RTI & The Bhutanese Mentality?

I recently read a news item in Business Bhutan that a SAARC Group of Advisors on RTI was formed. Supposedly, this group will act as an informal forum where member states will exchange information and experiences to enable them to legislate and effectively implement RTI in their respective countries. Proponents of the RTI Act argue that its legislation and adoption will eliminate arbitrariness and corrupt practices in the government and public and civilian authorities. Some discussion on this issue has already taken place in Bhutan and while its adoption may be delayed for a variety of reasons, it is inevitable that it will finally come to be adopted.

RTI is a complex issue. The extent and scope of the Act will differ from country to country. What will be covered and what will not be covered will depend on a variety of factors and situations prevalent in each country. Bhutan, for instance, is a Constitutional Monarchy and thus, the RTI will include certain clauses that other countries in the region will see as irrelevant and decadent. Also, geopolitical realities will be a determining factor in the inclusion or exclusion of certain clauses that may be relevant and yet pertinent to be excluded from a written Law. No question, RTI will be a complex undertaking.

But in my opinion, the most daunting complexity will be the Bhutanese mentality and the manner in which we treat information. This stark reality hit me a week back when I tried to uncover some historical facts about Lingzhi Dzong. As ludicrous as it may sound, our public officials have this tendency to be secretive, even of matters that they are explicitly required to disseminate and propagate to the general public. This tendency is not limited to the big bosses of the bureaucracy alone, but is prevalent even among the workers in the lower rung of the hierarchy.

The following three incidences - more than two and a half decades apart - will demonstrate just how daunting the task of implementing the RTI Act is likely to be.

FIRST INCIDENT: Sometime in the mid 80’s, the Department of Revenue & Customs published the first ever written taxation rules of the country. For the first time in our history, there was a written and clearly defined tax rates and duty draw backs. The Forward to the Rules was authored by Her Royal Highness Ashi Sonam Choden Wangchuck, who was then the Representative of His Majesty in the Ministry of Finance - the parent Ministry of the Department of Revenue & Customs. Her Royal Highness wrote that the rule book was an important document and that it was important for the general public to understand it and follow the rules contained in the book. Therefore, she hoped that the book would be widely circulated among the general public.

On the cover of the rule book, a cautionary note was inscribed in bold that read: STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

SECOND INCIDENT: This incident occurs one and a half decades after the one described above. One of my friends from the US wanted to organize an archery match between 12 American archers and a like number of Bhutanese archers. The Americans had heard so much about archery being the national sports of Bhutan and how good we were at the sport. They would come to Bhutan for the match and would follow the Bhutanese format in all respects. In order that they could familiarize themselves with our rules and conventions, my friend asked me to acquire a copy of the Bhutan Archery Federation Rules and mail it to him.

I went to see the Secretary of the Bhutan Archery Federation in his office and made my request for the issue of a copy of the Rules, either free or on payment of a fee. After listening to me intently, he declared that the rules were STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL and refused to give me a copy. I was dumb founded - how can rules and regulations that people are supposed to read and understand and adhere to, be confidential? Me and my American friend got so disgusted, we trashed the whole idea.

THIRD AND LATEST INCIDENT: The latest incident took place on 31^st March, 2011. The posting of my photo on Lingzhi Dzong generated some vigorous interest on the historical background of the Dzong - who built it, when was it built, what was the purpose of building it etc. etc. So I began to hunt for information from various people and establishments that were likely to have some information on the Dzong. I spoke to 2 people from Lingzhi who are presently domiciled in Dechencholing. They had nothing to offer me. I then located the Lingzhi Gup who was attending a meeting here in Thimphu. He was clueless. I was then asked to contact Dasho Sangey Dorji of the DDC who offered some useful information derived from work done by late Lopen Pemala. Sangey Wangdi, Ex-Councilor from Dramitse suggested that I contact Lopen Kunzang Thinley, a prolific writer with the KMT publishers. He had nothing to offer but helped me reconfirm certain facts that I already possessed. I went and met Thimphu Dzongdah who is the administrative head of Lingzhi Dungkhag. He gave me the interesting input about how it was customary for the Dzong’s roof to be taken down every winter to prevent it being blown off by strong winds that batter the Dzong during the winter months.

Now, we do have a Cultural Division under the Ministry of Home and Culture. I decided that they surely ought to have some material on the Dzong; after all, they are supposed to be the depository for all information and material related to our culture and tradition. Upon visiting the office at lower Motithang, I was directed to meet a lady, the Head of the section being out of office - on maternity leave. This lady put me through a host of irrelevant questions but at the end, she implied that any information they possessed would be classified information and a national secret. I was aghast - a historical fact that concerns our culture being treated with secrecy? Damn! Either she was being ridiculous or the Division has no information whatsoever on the Dzong and she is trying to conceal that fact. Nonetheless, she took down my number and promised to call back after consulting her Head who was on maternity leave. Fives days went by and she still hadn’t called - so I posted my piece on the history of the Dzong on my blog without waiting for her to give me additional information. It is now eleven days since my meeting with her and she still hasn’t called me.

So, what do you think are the prospects that the RTI will work in Bhutan?

2011-04-05T10:26:00.003+06:00

The Lay Nun At Drakarpo

As I sat sipping hot tea on a clearing atop Lhakhang Drakarpo above Shaba in Paro, my horse contractor by my side, I saw an old lady of about 85 wobble up the steep incline; her back was bent with age and burdens unknown; her weather-beaten face was creased with lines of hardship and toil. Surprisingly for her age, she had a head full of hair which was pure gray.

I had been hiking for the past 5 hours - first on a straight line from Boemri to Dongkala and then straight downhill on my way to Shaba where I would end my 2-weeks long Druk Path Trek. I should have ended my trek at Taa Dzong had I taken the traditional route. However, I had heard such glowing reports about Boemri (Altitude: 3,831 Mtrs.) that I decided to veer off from Jele Dzong towards Boemri.

I spent one night at Boemri, which, by the way, I am told should be pronounced Boed-Mo-Richen; meaning Mighty Mountain of the Tibetan Lady. The hermit I spoke to at the Ngephug Drupkhang tells me that the Tibentan lady in question was named Ekazathri. Now, I am not sure if he is mispronouncing the name Ekajati - a powerful goddess in the Tibetan mythology.

The old lady invited us to her hermitage for a cup of tea. She said that she was under Tsam (meditation) for the past many years. I declined the offer since I told her that I am already having tea, as she could see, whereupon the following conversation ensued:

“So, where are you gentlemen coming from? Are you here to visit the Lhakhang?”

“No, we are coming down from Dongkala Lhakhang”

"Ahh … so, karmi phuewa iina?”

“No, I went there to take photos of the Lhakhang and the surrounding areas”

“Ahh … so how many monks did you see there at Dongkala?"

“About 5 of them”

“Ahh … the rest must have gone to the Bjangsa to take a head count of their heard of yaks”

“Herd of Yaks? They have yaks?”

“Yes they do and quiet a large number of them”

“So how did monks end up owning yaks?”

“There is a practice of devout people offering land and animals to Lhakhangs. This way, the Dratsangs can generate some bit of income to support themselves while the devotees can earn huge merit for their after life”

“Wai iina, that is a dang good idea. Why didn’t I think of this before? I think I too will come and give Wang & Choe to the people of Paro and they can offer me plenty of yaks and land. You think that is a good idea, Aangey?

That did it! The old lady flew into a rage. She demanded to know whether I was made of the stuff that Lamas are made of. She wanted to know about my lineage, my upbringing and whether I knew the scriptures enough to perform Choe and give Wang. Frothing at the mouth, she cursed me that I was a shameless, faithless person. She waved her frail fingers at my face and accused me of being a Sodey Soenam kamkambi gii mii.

She wobbled off in a huff, leaving me flummoxed and speechless. God Almighty! it was intended as a light hearted joke to give her a few laughs. Where was the need for her to fly off her handle? Isn’t she a person of religion? Doesn’t meditation teach her to be calm and collected; to subdue her anger and her greed and her attachment to material things? Isn’t the conquest and suppression of a person’s Ngajey and Thradong at the core of the practice of meditation?

As the old lady disappeared from view, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of sadness. She may have spent years in a hermitage, but it was obvious that her journey towards enlightenment hadn’t even begun yet. Eighty five years of life lived in ignorance and misconception and yet, she will pass into oblivion - a misguided soul to the end - unable and unwilling to see the light of day.

2011-04-03T13:59:00.002+06:00

2011-04-03T13:56:00.006+06:00

Historical Background of Lingzhi Dzong

The posting of my photos of the beautiful and remote Linzhi Dzong aroused lot of interest among my readers, including myself. So I did a little research into its historical background and came up with the following.

If some readers have more information, please share with me so that I may update this post.

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Chögyal Minjur Tenpa was appointed the third Druk Desi from 1667 to 1680. Of the many wars Bhutan fought with Tibet, two of them took place during his reign; first in 1667 and the second one in 1676 which lasted until 1678.

Lingzhi Dzong was constructed by Chögyal Minjur Tenpa in 1668 - to celebrate Bhutan’s victory over the Tibetans in the war of 1667. He named the Dzong as Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong. This Dzong is not to be confused with an older Dzong called Lingzhi Jagö Dzong which is located at Gungyül village about 4 hours walk from the main Lingzhi village towards Chebisa. Jagö Dzong is not a Dzong in the conventional sense but rather a temple constructed into the face of a huge cliff that rises steeply behind Gungyül village. Photo below.

In the modern times, the term “Dzong” has come to be identified with huge building structures that house the district administration and the monk body. However, when the word was originally coined, it did not always refer to a built-up structure. When references are made to “Dzongs” or “Phodrangs” in the ancient text books and scriptures, it could mean anything - a stone boulder, a cave, a temple, a cliff, a place of meditation etc. Thus, if you go to Singye Dzong in Lhuntse, you will be told of many Dzongs as Nges that are nothing more than caves and stones. Even the main structure that is referred to as the Singye Dzong, it is nothing more than a small temple.

Lingzhi Jagö Dzong finds mention in the Namthar (biography) of Phajo Drugom Zhigpo. He was a well-known and highly revered lama of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage who came to Bhutan from Ralung in Tibet. He lived during the period 1208-1276. Thus, it is interesting to note that the Lingzhi Jagö Dzong is over 400 years older than the Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong which was built in 1668.

The catastrophic earthquake of June 12, 1897 which measured 8.7 on the Richter scale damaged Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong, as it did the Dzongs of Punakha, Wangdue, Trongsa, Jakar and the Utse of Tashichho Dzong. It was rebuilt and served as the main defensive fortress to guard the northern borders with Tibet.

Currently, Lingzhi Yügyal Dzong houses about 30 monks headed by a Lam Neten. It is under the administrative control of Thimphu Dzongkhag.

Readers will be happy to know that there is a project that is underway to renovate the old Dzong. I am thrilled about this fact - this is what I have always supported - the renovation and maintenance of the old Dzongs and temples, instead of building new ones. In spite of modern techniques of construction and material, the beauty, the symmetry and the proportions of the old structures are far superior to the new Dzongs and temples being constructed around the country.

UNCOMMON FACT

Thimphu Dzongdah informs me that Lingzhi Dzong is battered by strong winds during the winter months. As a result, it is customary for the Dzong’s wooden shingles and stone boulders that weigh them down, to be removed every winter and stacked them up on the ground below. The Dzong is reroofed every summer when the wind is not as strong. If this is not done, he tells me that the whole roof, including the wooden trusses would be lifted off and blown away.

This corroborates nicely with my contention (in my earlier posts on the Ngele-La Pass and Lingzhi Dzong) that the stone pebbles on Ngele-La pass and the mountain sides of Lingzhi were deposited there by the strong winds that batter the area.

NOTE ON THE TERM “DRUK DESI”

“Druk Desi” was the title given to the secular rulers of ancient Bhutan under the dual system of governance that existed during those days. Under that system, government authority was divided among secular and religious administrations, both of which were unified under a single leader - Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. While the post of the Druk Desi has long been abolished, the ancient practice of the Je Khenpo heading the religious affairs still remain to this day.

2011-04-03T13:54:00.003+06:00

2011-03-31T10:05:00.005+06:00

My Gross National Happiness

Last Saturday, the 26^th of March, 2011 was one of those rare days when I accepted a dinner invitation at the Bhutan Suites being hosted for a visiting group of tourists from mainland China. I am not much of a party man and I generally try and avoid attending dinners and gatherings because I hate the air of pomp and formality and the need to be prim and proper and knowledgeable and funny and interesting. And, all of that has to be achieved wearing a Gho and shinning, virginal white Lagey and in an atmosphere where each one is trying to outshout the other - in an attempt to be heard and appreciated.

I accepted the dinner invitation because one of the members in the Chinese group was representing the Chinese National Geography that is planning to publish a book on Bhutan in collaboration with Ridge House International Ltd. of Beijing. She wanted to meet me because the publishers are keen to include some of my photographs in the upcoming book that is scheduled for release sometime this year.

The food was good and the wine and the booze flowed uninterrupted. I was particularly impressed with the efficiency of the dinning staff at the Bhutan Suites. They kept a hawk-eyed vigil over the entire guests and ensured that every single food plate and side plate and wine glass and whiskey glass remained filled and overflowing.

It is in the Chinese genes to be loud and boisterous at dinning tables and drinking places. Those of you who have been to eating places in China and Hong Kong would have experienced the cacophony and the high pitched voices and laughter they kick up at every table where they sit and drink. They simply love the fun of laughter and loud talk.

The dinner on Saturday was no different. The Chinese guests simply loved their trip to Bhutan and they were having great fun. The noise and the laughter got even louder than I remember from my past experiences at eateries in Singapore, Hong Kong and China. I was very happy for them but a man can take only so much noise and fume, so I moved out of the dinning hall and into the lounge to escape all the sound of happiness and mirth.

There is where I saw Karma Singye of Peljorekhang and many other khangs, seated on the sofa, quietly nursing a glass of whiskey. My acquaintance with him dates back to the time when I pioneered the computer business in this country. After about 5 years of my playing the field - alone and without competition, Karma Singye stepped in and decided to give me a hard time. But I like the man, he is persistent and focused and likely to succeed in whatever he does. I wished him all the best and got out of the game.

We began to talk of this and of that and I inevitably ended up asking him that one persistent question which I never fail to ask him, every time I bump into him;

“Have you remarried”?

The answer, after close to 20 years of having been divorced from his wife was, still;

“No, I have not yet remarried”.

Wai, wai … God Almighty, will some one out there grab him? He is good looking, eligible, loaded to his eyeballs and solidly dependable. HELP!!!!! This guy is going to waste! :)

Anyway, now coming to the reason for this post, Karma Singye told me something heartwarming that night. He tells me that whenever he chooses to present his suppliers and associates outside the country with a gift, he chooses my book “BHUTAN BIRDS” the cover photo of which I am posting below for those of you who have not yet seen the book.

He tells me something that makes me even more proud. He tells me that three of the recipients of his gifts of the book wrote to him to say that after reading my book, they have decided that they must visit Bhutan at any cost. Karma Singye feels that through that book, I have been able to promote Bhutan as a tourist destination and, thus, rendered a small service to the nation.

Some one also told me that during the PM’s visit to NYC to attend the GA, he also chose to present my book to the heads of states whom he met during the course of his stay there.

Now, for me, this is GNH. I thank my Publishers for their trust in me and the Designer for her superlative work and the Printers for the excellent job they did in the choice of paper and printing work. This strengthens my confidence in myself. I need this from time to time - so does everyone else.

2011-03-31T10:03:00.001+06:00

2011-03-20T10:09:00.002+06:00

Oriental White-eye

The photograph below is that of an Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus), a small bird no bigger than 10cm. It is seen feeding on the nectar of a Bottle-brush flower. The photo was shot at Mangdechu where I had gone a few days back to see my dad.

Spring is here and the birds and the flowers are going to come alive. In the next few weeks, I will start my quest for birds and flowers. Trek to the Alpine regions will be shelved until end September when I will start the biggest trek of my life - the stupendous Snowman Trek that is likely to take me close to a month to complete.

Originally I had planned that I will start my chase for the birds from Kheng area. But I changed my mind since I have the exciting possibility of photographing a nesting Rufous-necked Hornbill (Aceros nipalensis). They nest during May and a nest has been located in the lower Kheng area. I want to be there! So, I will start with the East first.

This year, I want to try and photograph the elusive Ward’s Trogon (Harpactes wardi) in Namling area in the East. My quest for it last year failed to yield any results. I am going to give it a shot this year too and hopefully, I will be luckier this time.

While in the East, I am also going to chase that most beautiful bird called the Satyr Tragopan (Tragopan satyra). I think it is Bhutan’s most beautiful bird. I do have a pretty good image of the bird, but I believe that one can always aspire for better ones.

One other bird that I want is the shy little bird called Beautiful Nuthatch (Sitta formosa) - one of Bhutan’s rarest and most popular birds. But every time I think of it, I am overwhelmed with despair. The bird lives and feeds so high up in the tree tops, it is very difficult to see them, let alone photograph them.

2011-03-20T10:07:00.001+06:00

2011-03-07T09:21:00.005+06:00

The Lammergeier And The Raven