Twenty One Packets of THANK YOU

During August this year, the Rotary Club of Thimphu had installed and handed over a solar fencing project in Kheng Goleng, Zhemgang. The 4-KMs long solar fencing was a collaborative initiative between the Rotary Club of Handa, Japan and the Rotary Club of Thimphu. Close to 85 acres of rice fields have been protected by this project from wildlife predation.

The rice fields of Goleng that was solar fenced with funding from the Rotary Club of Handa

The project was implemented through the Khengrig Namsum Cooperative (KNC) - headed by its CEO Thinley Wangdi. KNC is a cooperative formed by 16 educated youth who chose to go back to their homes in rural Bhutan, to venture into agriculture production.

Few days back, the CEO of Khengrig Namsum Cooperative called me up to say that he was on his way to Thimphu from Zhemgang. He arrived Thimphu with the express purpose of delivering to me freshly milled rice - harvested from the rice fields that we had helped protect in Kheng Goleng.

The rice was a gift of gratitude from the people of Kheng Goleng, to the Members of the Rotary Club of Thimphu. They sent word that because of our solar fencing they were, for the first time in recent history, able to harvest 90% of their crop.

The Members of the Rotary Club of Thimphu were touched by this show of gratitude and said so to the CEO of KNC, who was invited to join our weekly meeting on 18.11.2016.

The following image shows 21 small bags of rice that will be distributed to the Members and staff of the Rotary Club of Thimphu. It is not the quantity that matter - but the thought behind the gift.

 21 small bags of rice gifted by the villagers of Kheng Goleng to the Members of the Rotary Club of Thimphu - in appreciation

It is these small differences that we are able to make in the lives of the people that make Rotary work fulfilling and meaningful. It is appreciation such as this that makes us realize that we have finally graduated to being a Rotarian, from being merely a Member of the Rotary.

In the coming months, the Rotary Club of Thimphu is hoping to be able to fund the solar fencing of some more fields in a village called - Nimshong, in fulfillment of a request received from the Dzongkhag Administration, Zhemgang. The Club is also working towards funding 3 youth agriculture cooperative societies - one each in Zhemgang, Tsimasham and Sarpang.

BBIN MVA Rejected by Bhutan’s Upper House

It comes as heartening news that Bhutan’s Upper House – the National Council – has rejected the terribly ruinous BBIN MVA. If this Agreement gets ratified, all sorts of problems will overwhelm Bhutan – and we do not have the wherewithal to stand up to the forces that will come into play.

But alas! I suspect that we may not be able to stall it for long. Already events have been set into motion that tells me that we have to soon, as the Indians would say “ink the Agreement”.

So what exactly is this Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Motor Vehicle Agreement (BBIN MVA)?

India originally proposed the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement during the Kathmandu SAARC Summit in 2014. Opposition by one of the Members - Pakistan, torpedoed the plan. India then pursued its aspirations through the BBIN - a sub regional body called the South Asian Growth Quadrangle (SAGQ) – of which Pakistan is not a member. With the effective exclusion of the “stick-in-the-mud” Pakistan from the grouping, it was possible for India to have the Motor Vehicle Agreement signed by the BBIN member states on 15th June, 2015. Bhutan is a signatory to the Agreement.

However, signing the Agreement is not enough – it has to be ratified by the Parliament.

Bhutan’s on-again, off-again process of ratification began in real earnest – first during the 6th Session of the Second Parliament. Despite the Opposition’s impassioned plea to delay the ratification in order that its implications could be understood properly, the National Assembly ratified the BBIN MVA on 17th November, 2015 based on 22 YES votes, 14 NO votes and 3 ABSTENTIONS.

Three days later, the ratification was unceremoniously REVOKED! – because the Parliament had failed to read the fine print in the Constitution. The Parliament had ratified the BBIN MVA on the strength of the majority votes of the sitting MPs while the Constitution calls for majority vote of the total strength of the MP – 24 votes.

Once again, during its 7th Session of Second Parliament, Bhutan’s National Assembly ratified the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement (BBIN MVA) on 21st June, 2016 with 28 votes in its favor. However, to pass into law, it now requires the Upper House of the Parliament to endorse it.

The Upper House rejected the BBIN MVA. So for now the BBIN MVA hasn't passed into law. But for how long?

US Election Results: Dark Forces Will Be Unleashed

An American friend in USA sent me the following mail this morning:
.........................................

Hi Yeshey —

My friends and I are absolutely devastated by the US election. It is beyond belief.

I live in a very liberal city. We never considered that the vote could go toward such a malign, psychopathic candidate. The analogy to Hitler is not far-fetched -- dark forces will be unleashed, for sure. The US is ruinously divided at the moment (Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote), and there are already protests underway. I have never feared for the country and for the planet as much as I do now. You should know that Trump is stridently against one of the issues that you are passionate about: environmental conservation.

.........................................

 
We all agree that Donald Trump winning the US elections was something totally unexpected. But by now we know that Americans tend to do the unexpected, once in a while.

According to many, Mr. Trump is supposed to be the vilest of all the evil in the world. I am a little intrigued though. It is simply impossible that millions of supposedly educated people in the world’s most advanced country would elect such a supposedly evil person, to govern and lead them. Something is amiss here. May be the American people know something that we don't.

But one thing is for sure - we should all be concerned - what America does and how it behaves, impacts us all. As the self-elected custodians of world order and morality, the American people should understand that they have a responsibility to the rest of the human race, beyond their borders. Fortunately the American democracy is mature enough and there are checks and balances in place, that would prevent any modern day Hitler a free hand to dismantle all that their past 44 Presidents have built and worked for.

Now that all the election posturing is behind him, may be Mr. Trump will surprise us all by NOT delivering on most of the promises he made during his election campaigns.

Thank God I am in Bhutan

For the past more than one week or so, the residents of Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital city, have been waking up to a spotless, sparkling atmosphere awash with the warmth of the morning sun under a crystal clear blue sky. On the other hand, cities in our neighborhood have been cloaked in stifling smog and pollution, causing poor visibility and risk to health.

Delhi in the morning smog

Photo: https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2015/04/02/car-exhaust-now-officially-blamed-beijings-pollution

Beijing shrouded under heavy smog

Photo: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/31/world/delhi-in-smog-after-diwali-celebrations/

Thimphu this morning at 7.48 AM - sparkling and crystal clear

Look again at my image of Tashichho Dzong - sparkling in the morning sun - with clear blue skies and pristine atmosphere that surround it. Thereafter, think:

     ~ Is our country worth fighting for?

     ~ Is our environment worth protecting?

If yes, then think before you cause destruction to our natural world.

Stop building roads we do not need.

Stop justifying building of hydro-power plants that are prone to repeated “geological surprises” - one that is causing the country to spiral out of control into an irretrievable debt trap, and environmental devastation that we can ill afford.

Consider deeply and you will discover that we have done poor little to fulfill our Constitutional responsibility towards safeguarding our environment.

Accept that if it hadn’t been for our successive monarchs’ vigilant stewardship of our natural world, combined with the extremely difficult geological make of our landscape, left to the Bhutanese people, we would have long destroyed our environment.

We need to go beyond the talk - and start to translate our talk into action. If we don't, we will lose what we have and get what we deserve - disasters such as Beijing and Delhi.

Rotary Club of Thimphu Recognized in Australia

The Rotary Club of Thimphu has been toasted in Australia for our achievements in a short period since our Charter in 2012. We were informed as follows:

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

My name is Jamie Clyne. I am the International Service Director for our Rotary Club in Goondiwindi, Australia. Each week we toast another Rotary club from around the world. Last week we toasted Bhutan Thimphu Rotary Club. We were all very impressed with the achievements your club has managed since your charter in 2012. After a recent visit to Nepal with my family I was impressed with the achievements from the Rotary clubs around Nepal. I suggested to our members to have a look online and see what these smaller, newer Rotary Clubs can achieve. A fellow presented to us Thimphu-Bhutan Rotary Club and their good work. You are very worthy of congratulations and our international toast. I traveled to Nepal with some Rotary work and hope to travel to Bhutan one day soon and meet some Rotarians from your country.

Many kind regards

Rtn Jamie Clyne
Goondiwindi, Australia.
-----------------------------

www.rotarybhutan.org

 
The Rotary Club of Thimphu is due for even more recognition. On November 11, 2016 - Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the 4th Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck - the Club is making a donation of 6 Dialysis Machines to the Ministry of Health for the benefit of Bhutanese people with renal insufficiency. The Rotary Club of Thimphu has been working on this multi-million humanitarian service project for the past one year.

Shame on UNICEF & Aamir Khan II

In less than 3 days, my article titled “Shame on UNICEF & Aamir Khan” generated a staggering 30,507 pageviews. The visitors, broken down by countries, were as follows:

Bhutan                          23,229
India                               4,145
United State                   2,747
Australia                        1,696
Thailand                            692
Nepal                                 480
United Arab Emirates        346
Malaysia                            265
France                                179
United Kingdom                158

But what was even more extraordinary was the quality of comments generated by the post. The post generated 68 comments – sadly, most of these comments missed the point I was trying to make.

My post wasn't about what Aamir Khan was wearing – I wouldn't give two hoots what he was wearing - it had to do with when and where he was wearing what.

As members of the civilized human society, we are expected to behave and conduct ourselves within the bounds of civility. Those who choose to live outside the boundaries of social norms, and those who behave with lawlessness and disregard all that keep the human society civilized and orderly, they have no right to claim to belong to a civilized society.

Dresses certainly do not make the man – but knowing how to dress and what to dress, given the occasion, distinguishes him from the uneducated and the depraved.

Underpants is an acceptable clothing under certain circumstances; in some occasions and places, nothing but swimsuits are acceptable – Hawaiian shirts are standard apparel for beach side walks – being suitably clad for the occasion is what sets the humans apart from the animals.

Aamir Khan is nothing more than a flash-in-the-pan and his two days’ visit is inconsequential. He brings no value to Bhutan or the Bhutanese people.

What I am upset about is his insensitivity and his total disregard for the country’s rules. If he didn't know, he should have asked and if he didn't ask, his promoters should have told him.

He and his promoters – the UNICEF – have paid scant regard to the established rules and decency that every Bhutanese, including visiting dignitaries, are required to observe. They have trivialized the institution of the Prime Minister of Bhutan. As a Bhutanese I am not going to remain gawk-eyed about this affront to the highest executive of the country’s government.

They must be reminded of their uncouth behavior so that they know we Bhutanese will not remain muted, if slighted. We will defend our right to be treated with respect, in our own country. In future, UNICEF must learn to elect their Ambassadors who are better schooled in decorum and social grace.

Shame on UNICEF & Aamir Khan

UNICEF has been in Bhutan since 1974 – and yet, after 42 years of being in the country – they remain oblivious to the country’s culture, tradition and etiquette.

Indian actor Amir Khan can be forgiven for his poor sense of dress - after all he is merely an actor not generally known for their sensitivity to cultural etiquette or social grace. But what is UNICEF’s excuse for allowing their Regional Goodwill Ambassador to present himself so inappropriately dressed in the presence of a Prime Minister of a country? UNICEF’s officials in the country should know that such informal dress (jeans) and head gear that resemble those worn by the underworld thugs of Mumbai, is not allowed inside the Gyalyong Tshokhang.

How can UNICEF be proud to present such a shabbily dressed, culturally insensitive person to be a torchbearer of their organization’s cause? They should have had the common sense to inform their Goodwill Ambassador that the organization would be better represented, if he exhibited a level of social etiquette, in particular, when presenting himself to the highest executive in the country.

Shamefully uneducated and insulting!

Et tu, BBIN MVA?

So the wailing has begun!!

Way later than I had expected - but it has begun and it will only get more and more cantankerous, with the passage of time. It had to happen. Because the disaster that was inherent in the road-widening project touches every section of the Bhutanese society - not just the motorists; not just the tourists - not to forget the environment!

According to Kuensel’s 20th October, 2016 news report, 750 of the usual 1,000 tourists could not make it to Bumthang during the Tamzhing Phagla Chothpa, because of road block. That is a whooping cancelation rate of 75%! This is serious bad news. And it will get worse, if we do not see the writing on the wall, and act hastily and decisively.

According to the Kuensel news, the Bumtap hoteliers hope that things will improve - provided the road contractors and the Department of Roads are able to keep the roads open during the Jambay Lhakhang festival due to take place soon - a real crowd puller. That is rather wishful thinking. In nature nothing can be taken for granted and we have messed with nature big time.

What the hoteliers forget is that if incessant rains do not cause roadblocks, sunny conditions will cause dust to rise and cause misery to the tourists. Their troubles are just beginning!

When the government announced the road widening works early last year, I pleaded that we should not do it because we do not have a need for it - not as yet. I had proposed that even if we have to do the work for whatever reason, we should do it in manageable stretches of 20 – 30 KMs at a time, and not dig up the road all the way to Trashigang. I have written close to 20 articles on the subject. Please read my articles under the label “Tourism Industry” listed on the left. In those articles, I have predicted exactly what is now happening.

The government has said that the road widening will be completed in 3 years. I have said that it will take 20 years. Now, one and a half years into the works, I get the feeling that the roads will never be done.

For the past one and a half years since the road widening works started, I have been trying to see a reason, a purpose for such a huge road running from west to center to the east. There are no factories en-route and economic activities in this region is practically zilch! The volume of traffic is more towards the south rather than to the center and the east. Then where is the need for such a gargantuan road that we can ill afford to build or to maintain, thereafter? I was totally nonplussed - until the embarrassing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement imbroglio during the 6th session of the second Parliament.

Some have said that it was the hand of providence - that caused the drama and theater surrounding the on-again, off-again ratification of the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement during the 6th Session of the second Parliament. I am beginning to believe that there may be hell of a lot of truth in that. Since that peculiar affair, I began to wonder:

Can it be that the road widening works is linked to the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement initiative?

If it is, then we are in serious trouble. I have this sickening feeling that we have yet again been had!

The Rotray Club of Thimphu's Project of Compassion & Healing

The Migraine Treatment Clinic of the Rotary Club of Thimphu was successfully concluded at the close of day on 10th October, 2016. It began on the evening of 25th September, 2016. This was a humanitarian service initiative conducted in collaboration with the National Traditional Medicine Hospital (NTMH), Kawajangtsa.

The team that worked on the Clinic - some Members of the Rotary Club of Thimphu with NTMH officials posing with Dr. Yu

 

Dr. Yu Huang shut down her successful private practice in Boston, USA to heed the call of many Bhutanese suffering the dreaded illness called migraine. Every day, she worked from 7.30AM in the morning till 11PM in the night – almost always missing her dinner. During the two weeks period she administered acupuncture to close to fifteen hundred patients. The NTMH’s resident Dungtso’s (traditional doctors/healers) worked tirelessly to keep up with the marathon consultation and treatment that, at times, seemed near impossible to manage. Rotarian Sonam Wangmo was roped in to act the Sergeant-at-Arms, to bring some semblance of order in the management of the crowd thronging at the doors of the consultation and treatment rooms.

Dr. Yu treating a policeman and a Gomchen - ably assisted by the resident Dungtso Dorji Euden

 The Rotary Club of Thimphu would like to believe that the project was a success; that it has brought relief to many and liberated a few from the pain and the discomfort of suffering the dreadful disease. Even if 10 people are cured of the disease, we are satisfied that ours have been a worthwhile cause.

The Clinic has served the Royalty, the commoners, monks, nuns; a traffic policeman, including his officer. I am proud to have been associated with the project that has, according to daily reports, cured a number of people of migraine, back pain and a host of ailments that the Clinic was never intended to treat.

The acupuncture’s curative powers have now been firmly established in Bhutan. We wait for the day when this form of ancient Chinese treatment is accepted as a mainstream treatment by the Health authorities.

There are many people who suffer illnesses – for reasons that are not of their doing. It is a mystery – why one has the gift of life, and yet has to suffer pain and agony, to live it. But one thing I know: no one suffers because they deserve it.

The Rotary Club of Thimphu would like to be able to conduct a follow-up Clinic next year. Dr. Yu is willing and will try to get some more acupuncturists to join her during her second trip next year. Until then, here is wishing a good and painless life to all those who came to the Clinic with hope and optimism. 

Project completion dinner for Dr. Yu and her husband Sanjun Chen

A grateful patient's touching gesture:
Of the many cases Dr. Yu has treated, one was an 18 years old boy who suffered a chronic case of Cerebral Palsy. For most of his life, the boy was tied in a contorted knot and could not move or sleep properly. Speech was strenuous. Two acupuncture sessions later, the boy loosened up and could flex his fingers and arms. Movement was not easy but he could now move. And he could sleep.

In gratefulness, as physically and verbally constrained as he was, he communicated to his mother that he would be happy if she could invite Dr. Yu to his home for dinner. That was touching - Dr. Yu had her last dinner in Thimphu with the boy at his home - she departs Thimphu today morning. A touching send off from a grateful patient!

The boy got one last session of acupuncture at his home yesterday night - from a visibly moved Dr. Yu.

Rotary Club of Thimphu’s Service Project – Conception to Execution

The Rotary Club of Thimphu is constantly looking out to do meaningful projects to help the Bhutanese people. As small and new as we are, the Rotary Club of Thimphu is among the most active Clubs that is the envy of many older and bigger Clubs around the world. In the last two months we have done 5 projects. Currently one more service project is under way – Treatment of Migraine by Acupuncture - at the Traditional Medicine Hospital, Thimphu. The following is how fast paced our projects are conceived, put together and implemented.

28th October, 2015
My guest Mr. Dilip Raval - a retired Nestle executive from USA and I was talking of this and that at the Hotel Yugarling, Bumthang. The guide walked in to say that she was going to retire since her head was hurting from an attack of migraine. She is among 5-6 people I know who suffer from this excruciatingly painful disease.

I told Mr. Dilip how painful the migraine attack can be and how I have seen people driven to tears from the unbearable pain. He turned around and said;

“I know because I suffered this disease for 40 years."

I was puzzled and asked him; “Now you do not suffer from it?"

“No, I have been fully cured of it for the past 35 years”.

“But I thought migraine was a lifelong and incurable disease?"

“No, it can be cured by acupuncture treatment”.

29th November, 2015

  

Dear Vijay,

I hope this finds you and Harsha in good health and spirit. Dilip your brother tells me that you know of an acupuncturist who can cure migraine and that you have undergone the treatment yourself. I write to you with the request to put me in touch with the good doctor.

2nd December, 2015

Dear Yeshey:

So nice hearing from you.

The acupuncturist who treated me many years ago is in an ashram - I have lost touch – may be not alive and even if alive may be in his late nineties.

However, Harsha/Harsha’s friend from Taiwan knows a famous acupuncturist who might be interested in exploring your offer.

We will get in touch and let you know shortly.

Regards,

Vijay


December 19, 2015

Dear Yeshey:

Our good friends Vijay and Harsha shared your recent emails with them regarding an interest in having an acupuncturist visit Bhutan to treat migraines. They asked us to assist in making the initial inquiries with our acupuncturist (who by the way have treated both of them).  I would appreciate more information regarding your specific needs. Are you asking for a permanent relocation to set up a practice or merely a temporary short time visit?

Sincerely,

Daniel Mao


December 22, 2015

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your mail.

I really do not have an idea of how many persons suffer from migraines …. However I know that there are a large number. I have seen friends and family suffer and the suffering is just too great. I am fortunate not to suffer from this disease but see that the pain is so very excruciating. I have seen people go into isolation in dark rooms and suffer.

I do not know what the treatments are for the disease but when I met Mr. Dilip Raval, Vijay’s elder brother, he told me that he was cured of the disease by acupuncture treatment. I was very encouraged – because I was under the impression that migraines was incurable.


January 11, 2016

Dear Uncle Danny,

My dad says he has been asking doctors here in N.Y. from his association and some are saying they're afraid they won't be good use there because they themselves will suffer from the high altitude migraines or have other reactions.

My dad has decided to talk to his fellow board members at International Acupuncture Associations, appealing to their compassion and also help them to see it as an opportunity to spread Traditional Chinese Medicine to a new audience, sort of a diplomatic component.


January 13, 2016

Hi Claire & Danny,

Thank you for your mails.

First and foremost, let me assure you that Thimphu the capital city of Bhutan is located below 8,000 ft. altitude. It is said that people normally to not suffer from AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) at altitudes up to 8,000 ft. a.s.l. So I think you can dispense with the fear of altitude sickness.

…… If the acupuncturist can cure some of our patients in Bhutan, it certainly will re-enforce the validity of the curative powers of Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM). I certainly have been informed of the potency of acupuncture in treating migraine. Dilip & Vijay Raval swears by it and they are living example of how effective the treatment is.


January 14, 2016

Dear Yeshey,

The friends in China that my father spoke to do not think ….. It will become a whole long bureaucratic process and considering, unfortunately, that Bhutan does not have official diplomatic relations with China, it looks rather difficult.

HOWEVER, as if heaven-sent, we have found the perfect physician for your request. Dr. Huang Yu, cc'd here, is a licensed acupuncturist with her own clinic practicing in Boston. She comes highly recommended by my father, who has taught her in the past. Not only is she a competent acupuncturist, she is also a close family friend, world traveler and a truly generous spirit. She is willing to shut down her clinic and travel to Bhutan for a first time stay of 2-3 weeks to see if she can be of help, she is amenable to future visits as well!

She is willing to operate as a free clinic, not charging her patients, if lodging and airfare could be provided.

Please communicate further details with her.

Claire


January 14, 2016

Good morning everyone! Thank you all to make the connection, give me a possibility to serve the people in Bhuton.

Hello Yeshey, looking forward to talk to you, I will be busy in my clinic whole day but will have time at night if I get your email!

Take care!

Huang Yu


February 24, 2016

Dr. Yu Huang created a fund raising website to raise US$ 5,000.00 to make purchases of needles, heater, moxa etc. for her trip to Bhutan and for donation to the Traditional Medicine Hospital. In three days she raised US$ 5,471.00 from 33 generous donors.

https://www.gofundme.com/w4qgtbsk?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_content=campaign_link_t&utm_campaign=welcome

May 4, 2016 

Visa clearance obtained for the visit of Dr. Yu

September 25, 2016 

Dr. Yu arrives Bhutan and she treats her first migraine patient the same evening.

She will perform acupuncture until October 10, 2016.

Latest Service Projects of The Rotary Club of Thimphu

The months of August and September have been the most fulfilling months for the Rotary Club of Thimphu. During these two months, the Rotary Club of Thimphu (RCT) has implemented or is in the process of implementing 4-5 Community Service Projects. This has to be a record in the Rotary World - no single Rotary Club in the world may have done so many Community Service Projects within such a short period of time.

During early August, 2016 RCT completed and handed over the Water Storage and Safe Drinking Water Project to the Mendhagang Primary School in Punakha. RCT provided three water storage tanks of 3,000 liters each. We also installed Water Filtration and UV Treatment System to provide safe drinking water to the students and the villagers in the periphery of the school. In addition, we have provided funds to pave the school compound, to eliminate dust.

Funding for this project was made available by the Rotary Club of Koeln-Ville, Germany.

 

Mendhagang Primary School

 Water filtration and UV Treatment System

 The school's courtyard that needs paving - RC Thimphu will take this up during the second phase soon to be implemented

 RC Thimphu's Director of Community Services - Rtn. Dawa Penjor with some students of the school

During end of August, we completed the installation and inauguration of 4-KMs of Solar Fencing at Goleng village in Zhemgang. The rice fields of close to 100 acres was apparently started by Dasho Nishioka, a Japanese agriculturist who worked in the Kheng areas during 1976 - 1980. Interestingly, funding for this project was made available by a Japanese Rotary Club - The Rotary Club of Handa, Japan.

 

The three Members of the Rotary Club of Handa, Japan pose for pictures

 

Section of the solar fencing that runs over 4 KMs long and covers close to 100 acres of rice fields

Goleng villagers are treated to lunch by the Rotary Club of Thimphu. We had to get special permission from the ECB for the gathering

  

Upon hearing that some Japanese donors were in his Dzongkhag, Dasho Dzongdah invited the Japanese group for tea at the Dzongkhag Administration in Zhemgang. I was impressed with Dasho Dzongdah's gesture - particularly in consideration of the fact that we are now working with the Handa Club at securing a Global Grant amounting to US$79,000.00

 

 Members of the Rotary Club of Handa with the youth who all got together to form the agriculture production and marketing group known as Khengrig Namsum Cooperative. This pioneering cooperative is formed by16 educated youth - an increasingly encouraging trend that is now prevalent among the educated youth. The RC Thimphu is encouraged by this trend among the educated youth and thus, committed to secure funding so rural villages are restocked with young energetic youth

During the third week of September, 2016 the RCT handed over Water Storage and Safe Drinking Water Project at the Zilukha Middle Secondary School. This too was funded by another Japanese Club - The Rotary Club of Kushiro, Japan.

The Water Storage facility being handed over to the school in the presence of the officials from the Ministry of Education

 

The two Presidents of the collaborating Clubs - Rotary Club of Kushiro, Japan and the Rotary Club of Thimphu inaugurate the Hand Wash Station

School children demonstrate hand washing after the inauguration of the facility

Time for some speech - the two Presidents of the Rotary Club of Kushiro and Thimphu speaking to the students

A girl students delivering her vote of thanks

In a day or two, the Rotary Club of Thimphu will be placing an order with the Karma Group - for supply and delivery of 6 (six) units of Dialysis Machines - to be donated to the Ministry of Health. This Nu.6.9 million project for the health sector is made possible through a TRF Global Grant in which Rotary Clubs from four countries are involved:

Bhutan, Japan, South Korea and USA.

The Members of the Rotary Club of Thimphu is happy to have been able to touch all three of our core areas of focus: Agriculture, Education and Health, during this short period spanning less than 2 months.

BLOGGING: Part II of II

MY BLOGGING EXPERIENCE 

Like everything else in my life, blogging for me was not a planned or premeditated effort – I got into it without being aware that I was doing it. I did not even know that I was blogging. Some friends suggested that I create a website to post my photos online so that they could see my pictures. Over time, instead of photos, I began to post articles and, as I went along, I began to understand that I was into blogging instead of merely posting photos.

As my blog began to gain popularity and my readership increased, realization hit me that my blog was no longer my own where I could say whatever I felt like. Because it was being read by a large audience all over the world, I had to be careful what I wrote and how I wrote them. A friend once cautioned me; “You are bigger than you think so make sure you remain responsible. You can no longer afford to be imprudent or flippant”.

That has been the worst part of my blogging experience - the need to be restrained, responsible, educated, objective, meaningful, fair and, above all, be persistent with my posts so that I am able to retain my readers’ attention. The downside of popularity is that it robs you of the one thing you started out to achieve - the liberty of free expression and thought.

RETAINING THE CROWD
A useful lesson I learnt as a Charter member of the Rotary Club of Thimphu is that being able to draw a crowd is only half the battle - the more challenging battle is to be able to keep it herded and retain its attention. I have understood that the best way to attract new readers is to keep the old ones happy and interested. Thus, in order to maintain my blog’s current level of popularity, I ensure that:

~   I blog on a variety of issues so that it appeals to a diverse audience base - and not to a specialist group;

~   I go to great lengths to ensure that I keep my posts short and petite - whenever possible
     - because only tall girls are appealing - anything else that are tall and long are tedious; and

~  That my posts are meaningful and progressive and that they are well researched and written
     in the simplest of language.

WHAT DO I WRITE ABOUT AND WHY
I write about issues that afflict the country. In particular, my concern for the environment and its destruction, hydro-power projects that are destined to shackle the country to eternal debt, poor governance, rural-urban migration and the tourism industry that is headed for doom.

I devote considerable amount of time and effort behind my blogging. I do not trivialize important issues - when I write I put my heart and soul into it. My passion about an issue will be evident in the manner I set out to write about it. If I chose to make a statement, I will present the facts as they really are - I will not pussyfoot around an issue - I will tell it like it is. This tendency has lead many of my Bhutanese readers to conclude that I am a courageous person. That is not true - I do not write because I want to prove that I am a courageous person - I have no need to do such a thing. I write on some issues because I believe that doing so might contribute to correcting some of the many problems that beset us.

I blog because I believe that there are some things that a private citizen can articulate better than the government. I blog because I believe that there are some things that need to be said and only a private citizen can say it openly and frankly, without fear of reprisal.

I have blogged on issues that have seldom been, if ever, discussed openly. The need for such dramatic departure from the usual Bhutanese timidity is necessary, I believe, because most Bhutanese have become so complacent that they are no longer capable of critical thinking. They have a mind but it behaves like an empty bucket - it will absorb all the information that are poured into it - without processing and without analysis. What is the point of having a mind if it is not applied to thinking? That is why, once in a while I blog on matters that are considered “inconvenient truths” - matters that people would rather push under the carpet, than discuss them openly. My blogs are intended to inform the people - to uncover the sycophancy, to unravel the misinformation, to lay bare the deceit and the sham. In doing so, I hope to be able to convert some of the Bhutanese people to think and thereby do things thoughtfully.

It is not daredevilry that prods me into writing critical blogs - it is my love for the country and my belief that we need to be more mindful than we are, that compels me to act, as many have told me, in a “courageous” fashion. Mine is not an act of courage - it is a cry and an appeal to consider matters with objectivity and reasoning. The less thinking we are, the more decadent we become.

The Internet technology that empowers blogging is a boon to modern society. Through blogging, ideas and opinions can be transmitted to millions of people around the glob, instantaneously. The blog’s potential is simply unfathomable. It offers citizens the opportunity at interactive governance. In other words, blogging is a powerful medium that strengthens democracy through empowerment.

The evolutionary process of the human society has not been entirely straight foreword. One case in point: that truth is no longer believable or useful. Most set store by PERCEPTION. What is perceived is more important than what is the truth. It is a commonly held belief that all truths have been doctored by the mighty and the powerful, to suite their own purposes. And yet, people tend to ingest truth without contest or scrutiny. Unfortunately, perception is not entirely immune to alteration either. A skillful blogger with popular following has the power to transform opinions and alter perceptions. This can be both good and bad - depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on. But one thing is certain - whether you like it or not, blogging is here to stay - all that we can do is pray that the blogger is a responsible person and has the best of intentions at heart - best of intentions for the collective whole - rather than the self.