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.

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.

An Intriguing Old Bhutanese Saying

One evening, during my most recent trek to Masagung and Gungchen Taag areas, I got to hear of an intriguing old Bhutanese saying, an idiom of sorts, which had me thinking for a while. As idioms go, this one wasn’t all that earth shattering in its relevance, nor was I hearing of such an idiom for the first time. But it was something else that held my attention and caused me to brood over it; beyond the wisdom that is inherent in it, there was something far more revealing about it - something that possibly points to its origin.

The saying went thus:

“Ngado Goe Gii Chaag; Kaang Oro Gii Jiip”

Translated into English, the saying would go thus:

“The Raptor cracks open the thigh bone but the Raven gets the marrow”
 

What the saying means is that the raptor goes to all the trouble of cracking open the thigh bone but the low lying Oro gets at the marrow faster than the high flying raptor.

But as I said earlier, for me, beyond the significance of the saying, it was the reference it makes to two high altitude birds that got me thinking. Consider this:

The raptor in question cannot be any old raptor but the famous Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) - a vulture species with a unique skill. In Bhutan these high altitude birds live above 3,300 Mtrs. I have seen them in Soe-Yaktsa. Now, this is the only raptor that I know of who picks up thigh bones of carcasses, flies high into the sky and then, with unfailing precision, drops it onto a boulder - to crack it open to get at the marrow inside.

The Oro, on the other hand, is the Common Raven (Corvus corax) - Bhutan’s national bird. This bird too is a high altitude bird - living at altitudes beyond 4,000 Mtrs.

Majority of the Bhutanese people live at altitudes lower than 2,800 Mtrs. Thus, it is unlikely that they would ever see these birds in their life time. In fact, most of them would not have even heard of them.

Therefore, I am inclined to believe that the saying was coined by the nomadic Bjops of North-Western Bhutan or, even possibly, the Dakpas of Eastern Bhutan. They are the only people who inhabit the areas where these birds live and breed.

Any views on this?

The Mystery Of The Pebbles Atop The Dreaded Ngele-La Pass

Ngele-La pass is the strangest, almost unreal high mountain pass that I have crossed in all my treks in the alpine regions. It is strange because at an altitude of 4,702 Meters, this pass does not have a spec of snow or a tiny patch of ice or a single blade of grass growing at its top. It does not even have a fistful of earth! At this height and at this time of the year, the pass should be covered in snow. Something was seriously amiss here!

As you can see from the photo below, the top of the pass is draped in a continuous sheath of flat, splintered pebbles as far as the eyes can see. Strangely, there are no boulders or stones or granites anywhere around. So then where did the flat, splintered stone gravels come from?

As I looked on incredulously, my horse contractor informed me that the Ngele-La pass experiences some strangely powerful windy conditions. He said that the ferocity of the wind is so strong that horses are known to have been lifted off their feet and pushed off the pass to be deposited few hundred meters below the pass. He narrated an incident when, at one time, he was returning from Lingzhi on his way to Soe-Yaktsa when he ran into a serious windy condition as he was ascending to the top of the Ngele-La Pass. Half way through to the top, he was felled by the strong gusts of wind that was blowing and he ended up, not once, but thrice at the bottom of the valley. Finally, he clawed his way up to the pass and then attempted to roll down the other side of the pass - only to be pushed right back all the way to the top. He had no other way but to bury his head into his Gho and wait for the wind to subside and then roll down once again.

Is it possible that the winds have lifted the pebbles off the bottom of the valley below and deposited them at the top of the pass? I think this is very likely because, half way down the pass, one can see the same pebbles strewn all over the grassy slopes. This would also explain why there is no snow or ice or grass there - the strong wind must be blowing them off to kingdom come!

I was lucky to have been able to cross the pass - both ways - without being caught in the dreaded windy condition of the Ngele-Las pass.

She Found It Very Funny

As I said in one of my earlier posts, the ponies couldn’t make it across the Bonte-La pass so I ended up at Soe-Yaktsa without my tent. As a result, I had to take shelter in a house belonging to my horse contractor’s sister.

In the morning as we were preparing to depart for Shana, the landlady wanted herself photographed. As I looked at her through the lens and began to compose the shot, the morning sun combined with a shallow DoF made her look really nice against a smooth, beautifully blurred background. I commented that she looked beautiful. She found that remark so incredibly funny that she burst out laughing - and that is when I decided to shoot her. Not too bad for a hasty mug shot :)

 

Random Shots

There are times when I love to shoot not because there is some interesting subject to shoot, but simply because the mood is right. The photo below of an uncle carrying his nephew caught my attention because of the beautiful, rich lighting provided by the setting sun. Under the crystal clear atmosphere of Soe-Yaktsa, the evening sun shone on the boy looked so beautifully rich that I could not resist taking a shot of him.

Laboring Up The Ngele-La Pass

The pack ponies are seen laboring up the dreaded Ngele-La Pass. Take note of the splintered rocks on the ground - remind me to tell you something about them when I have time. This is an amazing pass that every one required to pass it dreads being caught here on a windy day.

The three snow-capped peaks on the back ground are, from right to left, Jichudrake, Tserim-Gung and Jumolhari.

It Is Lonely At The Top

One of my Camera Assistants descending into Jangothang from Ngele-La on the return trip from Lingzhi. The solitary figure of the assistant makes it look even more desolate. The peak on the background is my favorite Mt. Jichudrake.

Buddha Statue At Kuenselphodrang

Today I was supposed to be already in Gasa on my way to Laya and Masagang Basecamp. But Dochu-La pass was closed this morning due to heavy snow yesterday night. So I had to postpone my trip to tomorrow.

The following photo of the Buddha statue at Kuenselphodrang was photographed this morning. The image was shrouded in the early morning mist rising from the valley below - making the image look even more serene and compassionate.

The Magical Lingzhi Dzong

For the past three decades since I first saw a photograph of Bhutan’s remotest Dzong, its mystic and allure remained unabated in my heart. To me, Lingzhi Dzong was something out of a fable - mysterious, unattainable, hidden somewhere in the cradle of the insurmountable mighty Himalayas.

But early this month, I had the opportunity to sift through myth and fantasy and experience the real deal. I finally made it to Lingzhi! In two days, I photographed the Dzong and the surrounding areas like a man possessed. I climbed all the surrounding ridges so that I can photograph the Dzong from all sides and angles. Like I said to my camera assistant while returning from an early jaunt, if the Dzong were wearing a panty, I have photographed it with its panty down.

Built on a hillock that rises steeply out of the centre of the narrow valley, the Dzong is flanked on two sides by the villages of Zombuthang and Misayue. To the North-West of the Dzong rises the twin peaks of Jichu Drake and Tserim Gung. Viewed from Lingzhi, it is as if Jichu Drake had morphed into something else - it looses its conical shape and assumes a form that looks more like Mount Fujiyama of Japan.

The Dzong’s design is unique in that it does not look anything like other Dzongs around the country. It is obvious that the Dzong is constantly battered by strong winds - the Dzong’s torn and tattered roof bear testimony to it. A substantial number of the roof’s wooden shingles at the fringes seems to have gone missing, making the Dzong’s roof look ragged and unkept. But the Dzong still looks majestic and imposing against the backdrop of the alpine barrenness that surrounds it. Framed against the distant snow-capped mountains and the cascading Himalayan ranges that envelope it, the image is breath-taking and makes for a captivating photographic subject of mythical proportions.

Lingzhi is beyond Shangri-La - it is pure heaven. Those who seek to experience pure wilderness in its wildest form should visit Lingzhi. No other place in Bhutan can match it. The experience starts from the time you enter Jangothang (Jumolhari Base camp) and traverse the terrifying Ngele-La Pass. The beautiful Jichu Drake looms large on your left and keeps you company all the way to Lingzhi. The vast, treeless alpine meadows are crisscrossed with rivers of ice that sparkle and shine in the morning sun. As you climb higher, curiously gazing groups of Blue Sheep that number close to a hundred graze on the mountain sides.

No where else was I so completely boxed in by plunging precipices and enormous mountains that looked like they were going to crush me to death any minute - and yet, gave me a feeling of space, freedom and a sense of goodliness and contentment - as did the isolated but magical valley of Lingzhi.

For those of you who may never make it to Lingzhi in this life time, I post the following two photos so that you too may feel the magic. Over time, if I have the time, I will try and post some more - but I leave for Laya on the 17^th so it is unlikely.

If ever someone should ask me if there is something that I want to do before I die, my answer would be: I want to go back to Lingzhi once again.

The Dreaded Bonte-La Ice Patch

My last attempt during end of December, 2010 to cross over into the desolate but beautiful valleys of Lingzhi and Soe-Yaktsa was thwarted by the dreaded ice patches on the trails leading up to the Bonte-La (4,900 Meters) and Ngele-La (4,704 Meters) passes. The passes were then closed to both ponies as well as humans. So I had to abandon my trip to Lingzhi and Soe-Yaktsa.

I came back from the trip defeated but more determined to make another attempt at it. I simply could not pass up the photo opportunities presented by the sparkling weather conditions of the winter months. But first, I had to be better prepared to take on the ice that was causing all the trouble. The problem was not, unlike in earlier years, snow on the passes - but ice on the roads. The paths were caked with mounds of ice that caused humans and ponies to slip and fall. A peculiar condition this year was that while there was very less snow than usual, the temperatures were lot colder thereby causing frigid conditions.

In preparation of my second attempt, I bought 2 hand axes from Sherub Enterprises at Changlam Plaza and began to build a sturdy handle each for them. These axes will come handy in breaking the ice on the road so that the ponies can safely tread over the roughened ice. I then ordered 4 pairs of ice cleats and a crampon for myself and my assistants. These will help me and my assistants tread over the ice safely and without slipping - hopefully!

My second attempt started on the 30^th January, 2011. This time, I and my team managed to cross over into the beautiful valley of Lingzhi. We had to break ice at about 5 places - but the ponies could pass over the Ngele-La safely and we were into Lingzhi and from there on to Chebesa village - a day’s journey further away. It was a worthwhile effort and in due course I will post some photos of the Lingzhi Dzong and the valleys surrounding it.

The Ngele-La pass has got to be Bhutan’s most unique pass. At 4,704 Meters (15,433 feet), this pass has neither a speck of snow or ice on it nor a blade of grass growing on it - a condition I found to be truly amazing! Much later I understood why - perhaps I will come around to telling you why - if I get the time.

Upon return from Lingzhi, I and two of my assistants managed to cross the Bonte-La pass (4,900 Meters). This time sadly, the ponies still couldn’t make it over the pass because the ice patches on the road leading upto Bonte-La was too thick and heavy. One has to see the ice fields to believe it! While we crossed over into Soe-Yaktsa, our ponies and the pony man took the direct road to Thangthangka. We rendezvoused the following day at a place called Tongsathangkha - just above Shana.

The photo below was shot at the base of Bonte-La pass on our way to Soe-Yaktsa. As you can see, the entire area is covered in a thick layer of ice. In the photo, you will see my assistants posing for me - on the ground is my camera tripod. The inset photo shows the ice cleats worn over the boot by one of my assistants. The peak in the background is the beautiful Jichu Drake.

The ice cleats worked like a charm! We could walk over the hardened ice without a problem. Talking of which I need to go and wash and clean the steel studs of the cleats. I will provably need to use them during my up-coming trip to Laya in about a week’s time.

ENJOY!

The Face Of A Young Weaver From The East

The girl below was 16 years old when I photographed her on 27^th February, 2009 at Trashi Yangtse. She told me she was a weaver at Trashigang. I love her face - she exudes confidence and easy grace.

But every time I look at her face, I get this nagging feeling that she is of mixed parentage. Take a look at those hypnotic eyes. Do they belong to a pure breed Sharchop? I don’t think so.

Frozen Boots and Ema Datsi

After reading my comments on the frozen water bottle and stiff trekking boots, a friend from the US writes as follows:

Dear Yeshey,

"........Second other thing... I just read your blog posts about the Druk Path trek. Man, see why I worry about you? :( The photos are lovely but your health is more important. I have done many weeks of canoeing and trekking in temps and storm conditions like those. The boot issue is important. I tried once to thaw mine out by putting them near the fire, and they burned and became hard as rocks. Finally I just began sleeping with them in the bottom of my sleeping bag on the worst nights, along with my socks for morning and underwear all tucked into the bottom of the bag so it wasn't damp or cold when I needed to put them on. That takes out too much of your body heat just to warm the base layers. The other thing that helps is to warm rocks on the fire, and warm it long enough that it is warm all the way through, not just the surface, and put a rock into each boot. Or a piece of soapstone or whatever you want. I had two bricks of soapstone that were my favorite for that. They radiate out heat for a long time, good for drying out boots or for keeping them from freezing through the night. Good for mittens and other things too.

Are you wearing a good warm wool hat to bed? That's crucial. And keeping your neck and the small of your back and your belly warm are super important. You're going to love the Ugg boots. Wish I could send you Ugg overalls hahaha ... Seriously, stay warm, drink lots of warm/hot liquids up there, lots of fat in your diet while you trek. It's cold and you can't generate enough heat yourself to warm your body; you need to rely on a lot of warm drinks and hot soups and fat in the food to keep your metabolism going. Spicy chillies make you sweat and take the heat to the outside of you instead of to the inside, so they aren't the best choice; they're warm initially but ultimately will cool you off. Just lots and lots of hot liquids and substantial foods, soups with meat, warm curries. I remember how fast the food turns cold on those treks...eat fast!!

Last but not least, go get the cordyceps and begin taking that now. It would be good for you to take right through until spring/summer warms you up. Take it for a week before you start your next trek and keep taking it as you go. Don't overdose yourself though. Take enough that your breathing improves and you feel like you had a nice cup of tea, but not so much that you are jittery or feel hyper or like you could leap over the mountains instead of just walk more easily. A little is good and a lot is harmful. A little more while you are trekking, less while you are in Thimphu. My sister-in-law loved it! She ran like a deer even while sick".

NOTE: The reference to chillies is because the friend knows of our penchant for ema datsi! Apparently, Menjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals (Indigenous Hospital in Kawajangtsa) manufactures some pills prepared out of Cordyceps sinensis called CordyPLUS and CordyACTIVE. The friend swears that they are magic for energy and stamina. I am doing pretty OK without them - so I am not sure that I will try them out - not just as yet anyway.

My Latest Trek

My most recent trek was an extended version of what is popularly known as the “Druk Path I” among the tourism circle. The trek started from Motithang over the Dupchu-La Pass above Phajoding at 4,083 Mtrs. I followed the route: Motithang-Phajoding-Simkota-Jangchulakha-Langripang-Jele Dzong-Boemri-Dongkala-Drakarpo-Shaba. The trek was covered in 6 days with a halt at Langripang which was needed to visit Jemilang-Tso. I had to camp and halt at Langripang because at this time of the year, Jemilang-Tso was out of bounds for ponies - due to ice. It is a 2 hours trek uphill to the lake.

The highest altitude on the entire route was recorded at Lava-La: 4,296 Mtrs. But the most treacherous route was the descend from Simkota to Jagne-Tso where the path was covered in ice.

One of the things I learnt on this trek is that if you expect to be treading in snow and ice all day long, you need to carry along 2 pairs of trekking boots. Even if the boot is waterproof, the leather uppers outside gets wet during the day which in turn turns into ice during the night. Try pulling on a boot that has turned as hard and as cold as the blacksmith’s anvil! The stiffness of the boot not only hurts your feet, it also freezes your feet thereby making walking a near impossiblility the next day - unless you wait for the sun to thaw the boots. That will loose you precious hours and, as a photographer who is perpetually chasing the first rays of the sun at wee hours of the morning, that is a NO NO NO!

The other thing I learned is that if you have the habit of waking up in the middle of the night to drink water, you had better learn to take the water bottle to bed with you! The night temperature freezes the water bottle into a chunk of ice and you will not be able to squeeze a drop of water out of the frozen bottle. In fact the standard instruction I give my camp assistants is that they bring two large pots of water to a boil and leave them on the gas stove before they go to bed. This way, we have two pots full of water in the morning - to make tea and cook breakfast. The water stored in the jerrican would have been frozen stiff.

I am glad that I have discovered the joy and beauty of trekking in the winter months. I have never before seen the alpine region with such clarity and starkness. As I climb higher and higher into the alpine regions, the frozen lakes and dripping icicles and the mighty mountains paint such a breathtaking picture that I wonder if the smog laden, mobile-crazed Thimphu is the right place to be in.

Some pictures below will show you what you are missing.

Jambeyang Lhakhang in the morning sun:

Prayer Flags at the Dupchu-La, Phajoding:

Sunrise at Phajoding:

View of Thimphu City as seen in morning from Phajoding:

Happy New Year

Here is wishing all the visitors to my Blog:

 

A VERY HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR!

Below is a photo of Mt. Jichu Drake (6,900 Mtrs.). In front is one of the twin lakes called “Tsophu” which, as you see, has been frozen over. These lakes are located about one hour’s trek from Jumolhari base camp en-route to Bonte-La Pass (4,980 Mtrs.) which you need to cross to reach the beautiful village of Soe-Yaktsa.

I took the photo on the 24^th December, 2010. Most people who knew I was headed for this trek to Lingzhi and Soe-Yaktsa agreed that I was totally mad to undertake this trek at this time of the year. But I suspected that if I were to get great, clear photos of the high mountain peaks, winter was the time to get them. And I was right! The weather was stunning and the peaks stood out against the clear blue skies like I have never seen before. This is my third trip to the base camp.

Sadly, I couldn’t make it to Lingzhi and Soe-Yaktsa. The passes were covered with ice and the ponies couldn’t tread over them. Even for humans, it was perilous to attempt to walk over the iced path - one could slip and drop off into the wilderness. But I am going back again - in February. By then I hope to be prepared to tackle the ice - with axes and cleats and crampons!

One word of caution: if you are going to Jumolhari during winter, make sure you take sun shades - the atmosphere is so pristine that the lighting is sparkling and so crystal clear that your eyes hurt. Also, make sure that you take lots of warm clothing - it is so cold that at one point icicles had formed on my hair which had become wet from sweating - while trudging up the ridges to get closer to the peaks.

Vice Ministers

I am a regular reader of His Excellency the Opposition Leader’s Blog (http://www.tsheringtobgay.com/government/2010/vice-ministers.html). The last post there deals with the proposed renaming of the Government Secretaries as “Vice Ministers”.

The Opposition Leader wonders why? I too wondered: why indeed?

On the face of it, the proposal seems totally meaningless. I mean like the Opposition Leader says, who do we need to impress? Simply none! And what do we get by impressing others? Simply nothing! So then, unless our elected leaders have nothing better to do than engage in affairs designed solely to impress others, there must be some purpose to this supposedly meaningless exercise. I began to think about the matter.

To begin with I was intrigued by the choice of the nomenclature “Vice Minister”. Why Vice Minister? Why not Deputy Minister? Deputy Minister is so much easier to pronounce than Vice Minister. I began to wonder: is there a reason why “Vice Minister” is preferred over “Deputy Minister”? I also wondered: how can a Vice Minister serve a function or a purpose that a Deputy Minister or a Secretary cannot? That is when I began to see the light of day.

The Constitution’s Article 20.2 does not allow the Executive to create more Ministries solely for the purpose of appointing Ministers. And it would be quiet ridiculous to appoint Ministers without a Ministry. However, Bhutan has a peculiar problem where we do not need more Ministries but need more Ministers. And why do we need more Ministers?

Because, our Ministers spend too much valuable time attending international conferences rather than doing meaningful work at home. By re-naming the Government Secretaries as Vice Ministers, most of the international Ministerial level conferences can be attended by the Vice Ministers; without breaking protocol. This lightens the burden on the Ministers. In addition, with more time in hand, the Ministers can visit their constituencies more often than they have been doing. This way, there is no fear of some upstart eating into their support base :)

I think this is a great idea. As to the legal basis of the Executive, it is simple enough. Like one great personality in Bhutan said (during a high level meeting in 1979); “If a National Assembly resolution is no longer valid in the present times, we should have no hesitation in disregarding the resolution on grounds of irrationality and introduce a new one that is more meaningful”.

But ofcourse, our life is now complicated by the need to adhere to the principals of democracy and the 20 additional mouths each and every Bhutanese seem to have acquired, under the aegis of the democratic rights of freedom of speech.

A Super Guard Dog Called Anatolian

I am still unable to post my fourth post on the BBC and their lies. I have been rather unwell for the past close to 2 weeks since my return from the trek to Mt. Gnagkharpuensum. That is not to say that it isn’t coming - it is coming.

In the meantime, one of the readers of my blog has something interesting to write about a super guard dog called “Anatolian”. The following is one of the 4 emails she sent me on the subject. I have given her the email addresses of some select NCD/WCD officials so that she may write to them and tell them her story.

Ofcourse, Jill recommends the introduction of Anatolian dogs to Bhutan - to protect our domestic animals such as sheep and Yaks from predators. But one never knows - may be we can teach a new trick to these Anatolians - to ward off poachers - now that the BBC has gone and revealed our tiger population to the whole world. Jill, if you are reading this, tell us, is that a possibility?

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

Dear Yeshey,

I do apologise for contacting you again as I know you have no knowledge of Anatolian dogs. I have read of your Livestock Protection in Bhutan, Wangchuk Nat Park Report by S.W.Wang/McDonald and also Nublang cattle. If I told you that the Anatolian dog would wipe out at a stroke, Bhutan's loss due to predators, of their livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and any other herd animal) you probably would not have any reason to believe me? If you have no knowledge/info on a matter, then how could you know? I am not writing to "popularise" a pet dog but of an ancient type that we know is thousands of years in the making. Possibly, even Bjops' dogs could have been an ancestor to Anatolians? However, I am writing in the hopes that you can please put me in touch with Wildlife/Parks Office? The above Report mentions loss of livestock through "not herding/corralling at night" the livestock. I am truly amazed that it has never been suggested previously to Bhutan Government how Anatolians not only work at night but do not need training or instruction from Shepherd to protect the flock. They will do this automatically even if no Shepherd is there! So from just writing to suggest these dogs are used in Tiger Corridoor, I would now also go further and tell you that NO LIVESTOCK WOULD BE LOST if placed with any flock. I urge you to please pass on my advice. I read of the Nublang cattle and could 100% truthfully tell you that if young (6/8 weeks) pups were placed with them and left 24/7 constantly, not tied up, as this breaks the "bond" between dog and flock, you would not loose any to predation, whether it be Bear, Tiger, Leopard even wild dogs.

When Wolves were going to be re-introduced in US, of course the Farmers and Ranchers were hostile to this plan. However, through Anatolians coming out as the No 1 Livestock Protection Dog of all the breeds trialled (I think she uses the word “trialled” to mean tried and tested) thoroughly over two years, this was why Dr Laurie Marker took them to Namibia to set up Cheetah Conservation Foundation to save them from extinction. The Farmers were shooting and poisoning to prevent predation. They now have these dogs working with their livestock with no losses encountered. Our Club sent them to Australia for ranchers back in late 1970's and same has occurred with no livestock being lost. I can understand Yeshey, if you have no knowledge of these dogs, you would not understand why I am contacting you. If say, these dogs were brought to Bhutan, trialled and proved successful, I am certain the word would spread quickly even to a Farmer with only a small flock. The dogs would solve Bhutan's problem straight away. All Veterinary care could be the responsibility of Bhutan's Ministry of Agriculture, with a six-monthly check with Farmer present. In Namibia, the Farmers do not pay for the puppy but are given instruction in this breed/type dog. I know Yeshey, how this Scheme would spread all over Bhutan. The Farmers' property and families would also be treated as "same flock" as the livestock by these dogs. In Lost Land film when Leopard was stalking ponies on infra-red camera (No 3?) the dogs stayed with Farmers for protection/safety. This would not have happened had Anatolians been present. I have tried e-mailing Ministry of Agriculture but they have been returned so I cannot contact the right Office. Could you please help me to do this? I am certain Yeshey that if this does take place in future, you will be writing of these brave, large, extremely intelligent dogs. They think for themselves in any situation, are calm, placid dogs, only ever barking if there is a cause. I only wrote in first instance because of the film but having now read of Bhutan's Livestock also needing protection by LPG, I can foresee a time when every Farmer will be asking for such a dog. They also warn of strangers not only arriving but can "read" stranger's intentions, be it good or bad. They love their families and small children, who are also part of "their flock". Please Yeshey, pass on my comments please, as I know how people of Bhutan will be so grateful for this wonderful guardian. I am sure you will then be writing of the Anatolian dog and how you didn't believe such a dog was possible. They are incredible, clever, brave yet kind and placid. You may even end up owning one for yourself? Many, many thanks for reading this. Jill Can I write to the King?

Signed “JILL SCOTT”

False Claims By The BBC Filming Team: Part III

In celebration of the BBC’s filming and release of the footage of the Royal Bengal tigers living in the alpine jungles of Bhutan which the BBC and the filming team have gone on to claim as the first ever evidence of the tiger’s existence at such high altitude, Gordon Buchanan the cameraman makes the following revealing statement: 

“Back at the start of the noughties I was making Tigers Of The Emerald Forest, a film about an isolated tiger population of about 30 individuals (a healthy breeding population) living in a little known national park in north central India. 

The film was about the success story of those tigers and how, despite the pressures they faced, they were doing really well. 

Within two years of my departure, all of them, every last one had been wiped out by illegal poaching. The news of that tragedy threw into sharp focus the realisation that the very worst was true - that we faced a future where tigers could no longer survive in the wild”. 

Here is the link: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2010/09/lost-land-of-the-tiger-filming.shtml 

So, by his own admission, is it possible that he and the BBC may have knowingly endangered our tigers that our government and a lot of people connected with the tiger conservation project have worked so hard to protect and preserve for the past close to two decades? Ofcourse not, because, in the words of Jonny Keeling, series producer of “Lost Land of the Tiger” on the same blog mentioned above; “Knowledge that tigers live in Bhutan can be found widely across the internet”. Now, isn’t that rather contradictory for someone who claimed that they had the first hard evidence of the tiger’s existence in Bhutan? 

Will our tigers face the same fate as those of the Emerald Forests of north central India? Perhaps we should invite Gordon Buchanan to give us a reading on the matter, given his past experience. 

One of the BBC sites also mentions; “Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan searched for tigers in the high Himalayas following rumours from local people that tigers live in the mountains”. What BBC means is that what we know and can prove with photographic evidence is nothing more than rumours and what they show is the real hard evidence. 

In another one of their sites, the BBC also proposes to suggest the establishment of a wildlife corridor for wildlife to move from place to place. Gordon Buchanan writes, in the same blog mentioned above; “If we care enough and can create a corridor spanning the Himalayas from Nepal to Thailand, tigers still have a chance”. This shows clear lack of knowledge and expertise on the part of the BBC filming team. These statements can only mean that they were unaware of the existence of our Biological Corridor that was established in the late 1990’s - specifically, in the words of Karma Jigme of the NCD; “that it was because of tigers that the concept of biological corridors came about and was established in 1998”. 

The BBC claims that they worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Forestry officials and staff. If that is the case, how is it possible that the BBC team was not aware of the existence of photographic and other evidences that establishes, beyond doubt, the tiger’s existence in Bhutan? The Department of Forestry is the custodian of all the evidences gathered over the years on all the work done and data collected on the tiger’s habitat, its protection and conservation. Did the Forestry officials conceal the truth from the BBC team or, did the BBC deliberately withhold established facts and evidences so that they can claim full credit for the “discovery” of the tigers? 

Tim Martin, BBC’s Executive Producer responded to the email of Sonam Wangdi of NCD, Department of Forestry who sought clarifications on the matter - but the Producer had nothing convincing to offer by way of reason - other than some vague and lame excuses. 

Jonny Keeling says that what the BBC claimed was that they have proof of tigers breeding at such high altitudes - based on the footage of a lactating female tiger. That is rather strange. If tigers have been known to be living in Bhutan for the past many centuries, isn’t it reasonable to assume that they would have been breeding? Otherwise wouldn’t they have been long extinct? 

Even when criticism of their falsehood is mounting, Keeling is adamant and states; “We made clear in the press release and in the series that people in Bhutan had seen tracks of tigers at high altitude”. Can you believe the audacity of the man? He still does not admit that he is aware of the existence of evidence of the tiger’s existence in Bhutan’s high altitude mountains. Even worst, he credits our biologists and conservationists with having seen only tracks of the tiger. 

To be continued …………..

False Claims By The BBC Filming Team: Part II

The blatant falsehood currently being broadcast by the BBC to their world audience claiming that their filming crew made a first time discovery of the Royal Bengal Tigers inhabiting the Bhutanese high mountains has caused much consternation among the Bhutanese and, perhaps, without our knowing, even among the conservationists and tiger experts around the world. I will revisit the issue in Part III of my post on the subject of BBC’s distortion of established facts and their callous disregard for the immense work done by others before them.

While still smarting over the BBC’s atrocious claims, something intrigued me. How on earth did the BBC manage to broadcast such a documentary film that the Bhutanese authorities would have known to be totally false? After all, all documentaries, films and news clippings acquired within the soil of Bhutan need to be first approved by the Bhutanese authorities before they are allowed to be broadcast to the general public. This is explicitly covered under the BICMA Act.

Is it possible that the BBC may have, in addition to falsifying facts, broken our rules pertaining to filming, entry into restricted areas, conducting scientific research etc.? Conversely, is it a case of our government officials in various departments not performing their duties with due diligence? Could the spread of the falsehood by the BBC filming crew have been prevented - had our officials done their job well?

Let us examine the processes involved.

When the BBC applies to enter the country for filming purpose, they need to apply through a local tour company. The local tour operator in turn applies for all the permits for the BBC crew before their arrival in the country. The tour operator also arranges logistics on behalf of the BBC crew. The visitation right is granted once the VISA is approved and issued by the Immigration Department.

The BBC crew, through their local tour operator or agent, has to deal with the following government agencies before they can undertake any planned activity in the country:

1. Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB)

2. Department of Immigration

3. BICMA

4. Nature Conservation Division

5. RBA

6. Park Officials

7. Ministry of Agriculture

8. Department of Revenue & Customs

1. Tourism Council of Bhutan: Unless the BBC crew hopes to enter Bhutan as government guests, their Visa Application needs to be routed through the TCB. All guests of the government and those of individuals can apply directly to the Department of Immigration. 

2. Department of Immigration: For Entry Visa clearance

3. BICMA: All filming within the country - whether documentary or commercial - is guided by the Bhutan Filming Regulation 2007 under the Bhutan Information, Communication and Media Act. The rules are enforced by a regulatory authority known as BICMA. Even if the BBC has obtained a waiver of the filming royalty, they still need to obtain a Permit from BICMA and cannot bypass the rules and regulations that govern filming within the country.

Two of the important provisions under the said rules are:

1. Security Deposit of Nu.100,000.00 (even if the Royalty of Nu.150,000.00 is waived off). The rule concerning this payment states as follows: 

8.2 Security Deposit

The security deposit shall be applicable to all types of filming activities carried out in Bhutan irrespective of whether any filming royalty fee has been waived off or not. The security deposit paid shall be forfeited if the requirements of Clause 8.4 of this Regulation are not met. However, the Authority shall not be liable for the payment of any direct or indirect interests on the security amount deposited with it as per this provision. 

2. Preview of Film: Upon completion of filming, the rule requires that the work be reviewed by BICMA and other competent authorities and states as follows: 

8.3. Preview of production 

i. Documentaries and Films: The Authority shall preview the documentaries and films made. The filmmakers shall be required to make changes, if any, to the part or parts of the film, as required by the Examiners. One copy each of the final edited version of the film shall be submitted to the Authority for its records. The security deposit shall be refunded on receipt of the final films. 

ii. Project-related films: Any project-related films or documentaries made with a government partner shall be previewed by the individual ministry or government organization concerned, wherein a member of the Authority shall be present. The government partners for these films shall be responsible for submitting a copy of the final film to the Authority for record. 

Has the BICMA obtained the Security Deposit as per rule? Has the BBC been required to submit their work for preview by the authorities? Have they or the collaborating government partner previewed it? If not, has the Security Deposit been forfeited? 

4. Nature Conservation Division (NCD): The entire Park systems within the country come under the NCD. Before access to the parks are permitted, a host of permits and clearances are to be obtained from the NCD under various provisions in a variety of rules and Acts such as: Forest and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan, 1995; Forest & Nature Conservation Rules of Bhutan, 2006, Rules on Biological Corridors, Biodiversity Act 2003 etc. Special permits, in addition to those issued by BICMA and any other government agency, are to be obtained from the NCD - for any restricted activities to be performed within the Park area. Has the NCD required the BBC crew to obtain the necessary permits to enter and conduct filming in: 

     a. National Parks
     b. Biological Corridors 

5. RBA: Has the BBC crew entered other restricted areas - other than the Parks and Biological corridors? If so, have they obtained permits from the RBA which is required as per rule? 

6. Park Officials: The Park officials in different Parks around the country are supposed to check and monitor the movement of people within the Park area. Has that been done? Did they see that the BBC crew had the necessary permits issued by the relevant authorities in Thimphu - to enter and conduct restricted activities within the Park area? I am also informed that certain Forestry officials and others accompanied the BBC crew. Was that because the work was of a collaborative nature between an agency of the RGoB and the BBC? 

7. Ministry of Agriculture: The filming and study of the tigers ought to fall under “scientific study” category which requires very special authorization from the highest authorities. Given the importance of the study, has the Ministry entered into an agreement with the BBC for “sharing of the research results and relevant information” emerging out of the filming being authorized? 

8. Department of Revenue & Customs: As per Customs rules, a Re-Export Certificate has to be obtained for all the filming and technical and professional equipment that the BBC brings in. Has such a list been submitted to the Customs authorities at the Paro airport and verified by them upon repatriation of the equipment at the end of the filming in Bhutan? 

There seems to be a need to review to what extent all the above named organizations have been involved and taken into confidence - before, during and post filming. The fact that the BBC footages contains atrociously inaccurate and false claims can only mean that the BBC never submitted the films for preview. Who authorized the waiver of the requirement for preview, if there was one?