Druk Yuel: A Country Still Worth Fighting For

In my capacity as the Head of Export Section of the Export Division, Ministry of Trade, Industries and Forests, I had to be posted in Kolkata, India. As a landlocked country without access to our own seaport, under a Trade & Transit Agreement with the Government of India, we used, as we still do, India’s Calcutta Port as our port of loading and discharge - for most of our Export/Import cargo.

One night sometime in 1982/1983, I got very late coming home from a dinner engagement. The main Entry Gate to my building was locked and so I could not take my car inside into the covered Parking Lot - I was forced to park it outside on the street.

The following morning, I went to start the car to head for office - but there was not a squeak from the car’s engine - the engine simply would not fire up. I opened the car’s bonnet to take a peek inside - only to find that the car’s battery was missing - it had simply disappeared!

While I looked on in consternation, a Bengali Babu happened to pass by. He wanted to know what was wrong with the car. I told him that someone had stolen my car’s battery in the night.

“Bah re bah …. Aapne khoob bhagyaban manoosh" (You are an extremely lucky man).

“Aapni kii bolte chan?” (What are you trying to say?)

“Mathalaab – whoever that idiot thief was, he took only a battery. If I were the one passing by yesterday night and had found the car parked here, I would have stripped your car bare of all the four tires, and the spare one, including the battery and that jazzy Fog Lamp”.

With a wicket smirk on his face, the thug sauntered off – leaving me totally rattled! I mean how did the thief manage to gain access to the battery, without any visible signs of a break-in?

The above four-decades old incident came flooding back to me because yesterday afternoon I went through an incident that was similar, and yet completely contradictory, at Thimphu’s Kaja Throm.

I had run out of Lemons for my morning cuppa and thus had gone to the Kaja Throm to buy some. After foraging through over 30 shops, I finally ended up with a shop that had the kind of Lemons I prefer. I made my selection of a number of Lemons from the pile - but the storekeeper was no were to be seen. I waited, and waited and waited …. No sign of the storekeeper.

After more than half an hour had passed, the Lhotsampa lady at the nearby shop seems to have noticed that I was waiting and waiting and waiting …. She came over and asked:

"You have been waiting here for an awfully long time … is there something that you are interest in in this shop? The lady storekeeper went across the river for some work … looks like she is going to be a while. Maybe I can help".

"I want to buy these Lemons …. "

"You can have them …. She charges Nu.100.00 per 10 pieces …."

"But how do I pay for them?"

"You can leave the money with me …. I will pass it on to her".

"OK".

As I walked away from the market …. I was perturbed … how could any person leave her store unattended for such long periods of time? Isn’t she worried that people might walk away with her stuff?

And that, it dawned on me, was at the core of the matter ---- Bhutan is perhaps the only place in the world today where you can leave your store unattended for hours at a stretch - without the fear that someone might rob it. Think of it …. where else can you feel this level of safety and security – of peace and tranquility ….?

It is for this reason - the dread that things are going wrong - that people like us take courage to ring the alarm bells - to rouse the sounds of reason …. to plead for course correction.

Like I told one NBC broadcaster some years back - no doubt that Bhutan is as unique as every other country on this planet. But we do realize that there is simply no way that we can bypass the trodden path - like every other human being elsewhere, we too shall eventually get where everyone else is – in the rut!

Our attempt, in the meanwhile, is to delay the process - for as long as we possibly can.

PHP-I Dam Construction: Human Beings May Never Best Nature

After being in the works for nearly 16 years and having gone through close to 3 dozen Technical Committee Meetings to determine the tenability of the project, and with a humungous cost overrun projected, some believe, to exceed 400% of its initial estimate, the 1,200MW PHP-I Project Authority was forced to admit - after repeated landslides that occurred at the location of its dam site - that the proposed location of the dam was unsuitable - given its unstable geological formation. Instead, they announced that they were opting for a barrage in place of the dam - to be located further upstream of the project site.

The larger of the two PHP Projects was slated to be completed by November, 2016.

A barrage to turn the massive turbines designed to generate 1,200 MW of electricity? LUDICROUS!! I silently sniggered at the decision - because I knew that it was nothing more than a face-saving move - the project authorities would damn well know that a barrage was not an option for a project of the size of PHP-I. I was sure that in time, they would admit to their mistakes, and finally announce the closure of the project - for good.

Sadly, no such thing is apparently contemplated! On the other hand, after dithering for over one and half decades, we are now told that they are, yet again, adamant on building a dam at the same original site. That the foolhardy idea of a barrage has been shelved!

Barrage be damned! It is once again back to riveting and damming.

For an economy the size of India’s, the PHP-I's projected cost of Rs.200.00 billion is small change. But that is cold comfort for Bhutan. I mean it is not the financial loss that should bother us - after all the project’s ToR is clear - the project has been taken up on the assurance that it shall be self-liquidating - meaning that unless the project comes on line and begins to generate income, it is no loss of any marbles to Bhutan. Even when, rather if, the project comes on line, it has the responsibility to liquidate all its costs – only loss Bhutan will likely suffer is the loss of gain, for all our pains!

Frankly, Bhutan’s worry should go beyond financial gain, or loss. Our worry should be the increasing unpredictability of the weather – caused by global warming. Already this year we have experienced unprecedented natural disasters that span all the regions of the country. Our National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) is in no doubt that by 2040, Bhutan will experience extreme natural calamities the likes of which we have never before seen. We have been forewarned!

It is in the face of this vulnerability that we need to exert extreme caution – no one may feign ignorance of the geological faults already proven beyond doubt to exist at the PHP-I project site.

A minor seismic activity in the vicinity of the project site could trigger a calamity so enormous that we would be left wondering what hit us.

The heating surfaces of the massive water bodies being created by the combined dams of the PHP-I and PHP-II - in close proximity of each other – is bound to cause its own unique problems for the region, such as altering weather patterns, causing traditional planting and harvesting season to go for a six, affecting food production.

And, God forbid, should the PHP-I dam fail, the PHP-II project downstream will be the first and immediate casualty. Thus, a flawed decision with the PHP-I project has the potential to cause not one – but two devastating catastrophes.

The project authorities cannot tell us that there are more competent and technically qualified people, than me, overseeing the project. If there were, why weren’t the problems detected before the implementation of the project - during the planning phase?

At the end, I have said this before - human beings may never best nature. It would be downright stupid to try – it will do unto us what we deserve. Nature has already delivered its warnings - with two repetitive landslides at PHP-I dam site. Should we fail to pay heed, we will get what we deserve.

According to this Seismic Hazard Map of Bhutan ... the PHP-I and II are located bang in the center of High Seismic Hazard Zone

The geological make of the PHP-I project site

On Again, Off Again

This is becoming a habit with the PDP government.

During March of 2012, the DPT government had imposed a ban on import of vehicles - for obvious reasons.

Two years later, the PDP government lifted the ban - during July of 2014.

Then came the DNT government. Yet again, the vehicle ban was reintroduced ….. as of August, 2022.

As per Section 8 of Article 15 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), having won the majority of seats (30 seats) in the 4th National Assembly Elections, 2023-2024 is declared as the Ruling Party.

Promptly, earlier this month - on the 18th of August, 2024, the vehicle ban was yet again lifted by the PDP.

In all provability, we will likely see the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) form the next government. And, true to tradition, they will once again impose a ban on import of vehicles.

And, God willing, the PDP will once again be reinstated as the ruling party for the third time - in order that they can, yet again, lift the ban on import of vehicles!

Some of Bhutan's Beautiful Foods

One day I am going to photograph the raw foods of Bhutan - not as an act of conservation - but for their physical appeal and enthralling variety. Hopefully I will live long enough to be able to cover most of them. For now, I begin with the following:

Urca Bangla

The beautiful ogre called the Urca Bangla, a chili pepper variety originally said to be from Trashiyangtse, Eastern Bhutan. Personally, for me, their contorted formation and delicately merging coloring are what draws my attention. Their charm is in their ugliness. This chili proves that one does not have to be beautiful to be enchanting.

Although known as Urca Bangla, I feel that it should be called Bangala - meaning chili

Golden Chanterelle or Sisi Shamu

My most favorite wild mushroom. I simply love this one. Strangely, I just realized that I crave for it only at the start of the season – early August. Thereafter, I do not seem to fancy it as much.

Golden Chanterelle or Sisi Shamu - my favorite wild mushroom

Lemon

A citrus fruit that I consume on a daily basis - dashed with honey. In fact, this sour juice starts my day. Just yesterday I discovered that there is a seedless variety of this fruit. Funny thing is that it took me a lifetime to make this discovery. My half-sister from home sent me a packet containing freshly harvested lemons – she called to say that it is from my late Dad's kitchen garden in Tingtibi. This means that I practically grew up with the lemon tree …. and all my life I remained clueless about it. Life is such!

Lemon the sour juice that starts off my day

Tricholoma Matsutake or Sangey Shamu

Originally called the Po Shamu due to its uncanny resemblance to the human male phallus, its discovery in Bhutan is credited to Aum Kuchum. It is said to be very popular among the Japanese. In fact, the reason I began to toy around with it is because a visiting donor friend from Japan wants to buy few Kgs. of it – both dried and fresh. I have not eaten it yet – but boy! it is atrociously expensive. I am told that Bhutan exports this variety of mushroom to Japan – tens of tons of them. An exporter tells me that the fresh mushroom needs to be delivered in the importing export market no later than 2-3 days of its harvest. That should take some doing!

Nothing Sangey about this one

I have been asked to arrange 50 packets of the dried Matsutake – at the going price of Nu.2,000.00 per 50 Gms. packet! Boy, I ask you, why shouldn’t I opt for Phaksha Paa instead?

Who Will Care For The Birds?

By late evening of last Saturday (10.08.2024), the risk of the flooding river that runs through Dechencholing had passed and I was back to my place of domicile, from the hill top to which I had evacuated myself and my family. Not all in the area was reassured though - they were still jittery and were moving out of the areas - just in case. Despite my assurance to all and sundry that whatever water was there had since been emptied and that there was no further risk, not many were convinced - some of them were temporally relocating themselves.

That is the tragedy of disasters - usually it is not the disaster that is unmanageable - it is most often the unfounded panic that is the cause of greater crisis. Some nervous people make irresponsible and ill-informed remarks that cause unnecessary panic among people.

Anyway, after a restful sleep, I woke up the next morning and the first thing I did was train my ears for the sound of the river that passes about 400 - 500 ft. away to the north of the building where I live. I was relieved to hear that there was nothing abnormal about the sound of the rush of the river …. I was relieved. But I heard a familiar bird call that I had never heard before – not in the areas where I live.

The call was distinctly that of the Crested Kingfisher. I know that the bird is resident in Thimphu and the surrounding areas …. But until now, I do not recall ever hearing the call - not in the two years that I have been resident in the areas.

Then it dawned on me – I believe that the flooding river would have destroyed the bird’s habitat and its usual feeding grounds. The flooding river’s muddy waters would have caused its fishing grounds to be devastated and bereft of food. Obviously, the bird is now out hunting for breakfast, and fresh fishing grounds.

It is a pity - there were a few thousand people and more than a dozen agencies frantically coming to the aid of the humans - the very beings that caused the calamity in the first place. Sadly, no one has a thought for the poor birds and the aquatic lives that would have suffered the most, in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Scandal In The Holiest Of Places

I heard it from a friend nearly a week back …. I was told that it was being kept under wraps for the sheer shamefulness of it - but I was surprised to read about it on the front page of the Kuensel’s 27th July, 2024 issue.

The reported involvement of our men in Blue in the scandal that was recently unearthed at Taktsang is so terribly appalling. This is a manifestation of the rot that is setting in into our society - it cannot get any baser than this. When the custodians of law can be allured into turning into law breakers - the citizens have to start worrying.

What are we supposed to do? We can bundle these culprits inside sacks and throw them into the Wangchhu. But how many of them? And how often? That is not the solution to our problems.

We have to accept that such vile crimes become possible because we offer people the opportunity, and the reason, to carry them through. In other words, the onus must fall on the law makers - for their inability to design laws that help build a robust and law-abiding society. When laws begin to hinder lawful activities - citizens will resort to unlawful activities. That, sadly, is the way the cookie crumbles.

Think about it - monument fees have always been collected from tourists visiting Taktsang and other designated monuments elsewhere - it has been happening for decades. Then why is such scam happening now? Why did it not happen earlier - when the takings would have been many folds more than now because of the sheer superior numbers? Can we blame it on the sudden and abrupt decline in the morality and the ethical mores of the police, the guides and the drivers? And, if that is true, what is causing it?

Obviously, something has come to pass that is beginning to alter the very moral fiber of the Bhutanese people. Time may be at hand for us to realize the folly of our endeavors and make amends, before the opportunity is lost to us, irretrievably!

The case of Taktsang may be just the proverbial tip of the iceberg - it is a scary thought that this may be happening elsewhere. Consider the implications if this is happening at the Phuentsholing border gate!

Lessons From An Uncommon Monk

Sometimes I wonder if I am doing any good at all - most of what I write tend to be critical - giving the impression that there is nothing quite right about Bhutan and the Bhutanese people. This is ofcourse not true - no single society is so bad.

But people do tend to confuse about being critical as being negative - some through ignorance and yet others, sadly, premeditated - for personal gain and false fame. Luckily, there are those who know that only those who care enough has the courage to be critical - those who do not care - they let it pass because, in their reckoning, being critical does not translate to money into their pockets.

I too pine to put out positive and heartwarming stories - stories that tell of care, mindfulness, of service and dedication - of love for the King and country and passion for their wellbeing. Stories of broken promises and dashed dreams do not give hope and encouragement - they permeate a sense of hopelessness and doom - not the intended message.

And, sure enough, recently I heard a story that is so heartwarming and positive - so enthralling and progressive - that I need to narrate it to others so that people may draw inspiration from it - on how to be tolerant, open minded, and accommodative.

A friend from Sweden, on his latest trip to Bhutan which is his 10th, narrated to me his following humbling personal experience.

It was during his 7th trip some years back, that he decided to go on a morning jog to Taktsang Monastery - he is a Judoka and likes to keep himself fit. Upon reaching Taktsang, he decided that he wanted to see what it was like inside the Monastery’s temples.

Taktsang - the abode of an enlightened monk!

He was dressed in his jogging sneakers and shorts - so the monk at the temple gate denied him entry, for the reason that he was inappropriately dressed. He was a little disappointed but decided to turn back and start his return jog to Paro. But the monk stopped him - he gesticulated:

“Hold on …. wait here a minute … I will be right back.”

After a while the monk returned, clutching a full set of woman’s clothing comprising of: Kira, Wonju, Kera, Koma and Toego. Without much ado …. the monk proceeded to wrap him up - and ushered him into the sanctum sanctorum of the temples - prim and proper - dressed up as a blonde-haired Bhutanese woman!

Inside, he saw rows upon rows of chanting monks - sheepishly giggling at him and his appearance in an uncommon attire.

But what mattered was that he was able to gain entry to one of Buddhist world’s most revered religious sites - even if dressed as a woman. Even more important, he had unknowingly stumbled upon a novitiate monk with that rare liberated mind, unbound by dogma and rigid cultural and religious tyranny - a rarity!

A priceless experience, and a lesson of a life time!

Hollow Intergenerational Promises

Successive governments over the years have admitted that the private sector is the engine of growth and development. Sadly, the intergenerational promise of support for the private sector has remained nothing more than empty promises to be sung like a lullaby, every election year.

True to form, the PDP yet again promises to do so during their present tenure. According to Business Bhutan’s newspaper reporter Tashi Namgyal, the PDP is said to have said; “Tourism to remain as a key sector for growth”.

It would be unfair to believe that their pronouncements were ill-intended. No doubt the government knows that tourism industry generates the highest net-gain foreign exchange, it provides the highest number of employment and, beyond all doubt, its benefit is accrued to the broad spectrum of the Bhutanese society.

The government knows very well that the country can ill afford the collapse of the tourism industry because it has too many things riding on its back.

According to recent reports in the social media, I am told that Lyoenchen Tshering Tobgay has made a truly significant move – in an obvious attempt to help the tourism sector claw back to some semblance of life. He is said to have invited the managements of the two national airlines to speak to his government – to see how his government might help them bring some sanity in the fares charged by them.

To help His Excellency get a grip on WHY the most important private sector of the country is suffering, I would like to present the following image - it is a vivid testament, if any were needed, why the tourism industry has been bled to death:

I believe that no words are necessary - the picture tells the story.

Subsidizing The Wings Of The Dragon

The following is the state of affairs at the Druk Air’s ticketing counter in Thimphu yesterday: at the peak business hour of 11:08AM, of the ten service counters, only two of them are occupied. I can assure you that this is not a one-off happenstance – I was there day-before-yesterday as well – it was even worst – not even one counter was occupied.

Druk Air Thimphu's Ticketing/Reservation Counters

Any thinking person’s heart would bleed at such a wretched scene. Druk Air has near monopolistic grip over the air transport business in the country. By comparison, it has the largest fleet of aircrafts – it serves the widest network of domestic and international routes and, best of all, as the nation’s flag carrier, it has the assurance of the Kingdom of Bhutan’s sovereign guarantee backing it.

With all that going for it, why is the airline’s booking office looking like an abandoned wasteland (Sa Tong) in Trashiyangtse?

Simple: it got its priorities all missed up; the airline out priced itself out of the market. They drove their potential customers to their competing airlines in the region.

Druk Air is a national flag carrier - it has an obligation far greater than financial profit. Created as a symbol of nationhood, its roles and functions are distinct from those other run-of-the-mill public enterprises. Like the RBA was not created to fight a war but to secure our territorial boundaries, Druk Air was not created to make profit but to make a statement, and to give wings to liberate the Bhutanese people from the bondage of landlockedness. Sadly however, as time went by, the custodians of the organization got their priorities mixed up and the corporation became an organization that is akin to what the Indians have aptly described: Bandarong Ke Haath Mein Nariyal: Coconut In The Hands Of Monkeys.

But it seems like things are going to look up soon. Supposedly, His Excellency the Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has invited the managements of the two national airlines to let him know how his government might help - if necessary - through subsidies - in order to help the airline companies keep their airfares within the bounds of sanity.

That is the way to go!

Finally, it would appear that realization is dawning on people who matter, that given the limitations imposed by the geographical make of our country, profitable operation of certain enterprises is not possible - unless the government provides them subsidy - in order that they can continue to provide certain critical services that is essential for the development of the country.

Government subsidies to the transport sector is not new - larger and more efficient economies around the world have been doing it, year after year. The European Union (EU) subsidizes its transport sector to the tune of €73 billion. Likewise, the transport sector in China receives a government subsidy in excess of US$130 billion a year. Germany is routinely accused by competing neighbors of continuing to operate its money-losing airports; it continues to subsidize them in a veiled way to gain competitive edge over others.

Remember, subsidizing critical sectors is not a cost to the government – in most cases it is a responsibility.

Druk Air is a critical service provider - on its back rides the all-important tourism industry. Bhutan's tourism industry's success, or failure, hinges on how responsibly the national flag carrier behaves. The government - the elected representatives of the owners of the airline - the Bhutanese public - have placed faith in their representatives to do their job. We are encouraged that the government is now attempting to  live up to its responsibilities.

Lost and Confused

Mr. Michael Rutland OBE, NOM (Gold), has lived in Bhutan for the past 53 years. He has been a witness to most of Bhutan’s many stages of development and change – our idyllic seventies, the idealistic eighties, the perilous nineties and now the tumultuous 2000s. Thus, he is qualified to pass judgement on Bhutan and our state of affairs. During my meeting with him on 10th July, 2024, that is what he did precisely, and most emphatically! In the course of our conversations, he declared:

“There is no other country in this world with the level of peace, tranquility, stability and sense of security – as we have here in Bhutan.”

I agreed with him absolutely and totally! My tireless rantings notwithstanding, I know that we have it better than most. It is for this very reason - the fear that we might lose what we have achieved thus far, that some of us are frantic!

Lost and confused! What do I do? Where do I go? Who do I talk to?

It is the dread that this heaven on earth is at risk of being led asunder by those who have tended to exhibit tendencies that border on the skewed and the twisted - those who think nothing of demolishing truths spoken in good faith and with good intension - in order that their own falsehood and triviality may prevail.

It is sad to see hundred upon thousands abandon homes and families - to traverse the turbulent seas and oceans - in pursuit of livelihood - only to find that all that they have succeeded to do is - forfeit LIFE.

What exactly is triggering this human exodus? What is that which drives hoards upon hordes of our youth to brave the unknown and the untested; that they are willing to abandon the safety and security of home and family? I am unwilling to believe that they are all of them driven by the allure of the promise of gold in distant lands.

Then what is it? How, and why, are they different from those of us who see meaning and purpose in holding steadfast and remain optimistic and confident – that our pot of gold is here in this land of happiness?

What must we do to re-engineer the thought process of a generation that seems lost and confused?

A penny for your thoughts?

The Burdensome Beasts

Social, cultural and religious traditions and practices are NOT God given – they are essentially necessitated or influenced by compulsions imposed by nature, climate, geography, and a number of other factors.

For many decades since I can remember, one of the practices I had noticed was that during the winter months, the mules and ponies from the Northern highlands would unfailingly migrate to low-lying places like Thimphu and Punakha where they would remain for a number of months. Then, come end February/early March, they would return to their homesteads spread across the alpine regions of Laya, Soi, Lingzhi, and Lunana. By mid-March, their winter grazing grounds would be completely void of these visitors from the freezing North.

Freed of all burden: Mules/ponies roaming listlessly around Thimphu Metropolitan areas

But this year I was surprised to see them still merrily loitering in and around Thimphu. This is early July – what the dang hell are they still doing here - impeding vehicular traffic and increasing workload for the workers of Thimphu Thromde (Thimphu Municipal Authority)?

A friend sitting by my side remarked:

“Wai Khengtala, are you suffering amnesia? Don’t you know this is PDP domain – mules and ponies are accorded primacy now”.

“Funny guy”.

But I was intrigued – they are supposed to have long gone to their alpine villages. What happened? Why are they still here?

Then it dawned on me:

Yet one more carcass by the wayside, resulting from the country’s failed tourism business!

First it was the Stray Dogs on the streets. Upon suspension of tourism – the strays on the streets began to suffer starvation – the situation got so bad that His Majesty had to institute a stray dog feeding program.

Then we heard wails of woe from the Walking Stick Fashioners at the base of Taktsang. They complained that they have been deprived of their employment and livelihood - there were no buyers for their wooden walking sticks.

Next, I got to hear of the sad demise of the wooden Phallus Carver from Lingzhi who use to plonk himself by the road side next to the Zangthopelri near the Vegetable Market - morning to night - every day. He supposedly died of withdrawal - because without the income from a stream of tourists who use to buy his wares, he had no income to finance his nightly quota of booze.

CONTEXT

Mules/Ponies are beasts of burden. During the pre-pandemic days when tourism flourished unabated, there was a continuous flow of trekkers who required the services of thousands of mules/ponies. The highlanders who owned these animals would earn huge sums of money every trekking season. To give you an idea, I use to pay a hire charge of Nu.1,700.00 per day, per pack pony, and Nu.2,500.00 per day for every ridding pony I required.

The business was so lucrative that my pony contractor in Laya would make an annual trip every year to Mongaar – to buy feed for his animals: a truck load of corn/maize. The areas where I used to trek had no grass for his animals – so he had to carry the feed from home.

Every trekking trip I would require a minimum of 15 ponies.

Now that the tourism business has been driven into the ground, these animals are no more the beasts of burden. Instead, they have now become BURDENSOME BEASTS. Thus, from all indications, it would appear that their owners have put them to pasture!

A Funeral for Bhutanese Tourism

The following appeared in Bhutan's national newspaper, the KUENSEL, on their weekend issue of June 29, 2024. I am posting it here once again - for my international readers.

Exactly half a century back, for the first time ever, Bhutan opened its doors to commercial tourism. On 2nd October, 1974, a multinational group of 12 tourists set their feet on Bhutanese soil. It was perhaps an act of divine intervention that Bhutan’s first tour group happened to be organized by the much revered and selfless Jesuit Father - Fr Richard McDonald, then based in Darjeeling, India.

This dramatic pivot occurred after careful consideration by our leaders. Under an Act approved by the 36th National Assembly of Bhutan on 7th June, 1972, the following resolution was passed:

22. Matter relating to Tourism Act

In view of the likelihood that, despite being in its initial stage of development, Bhutan would attract a large number of tourists, the Cabinet had prepared a draft of rules governing tourism in the country. After due consideration of the same, the Assembly accorded its approval.

Over the years, tourism became the country’s single-largest employer and highest net-gain foreign exchange generator. The country’s biggest and the brightest commercial houses - such as Tashi and Lhaki Groups – could not resist the allure of the tourism enterprise, so much so that they remain active players to this day. The business appealed to the highest echelons, to the lowest, and to everyone in-between. For this reason, the tourism business was Bhutan’s most diligently monitored and tightly regulated commercial activity, resulting in bountiful revenue for the government and generous income for every player across the broad spectrum of the business chain.

Under a business regime that was nothing short of generous, known as the Minimum Daily Package Rate (MDPR), there was no leakage of government revenue and the country received 100% of the foreign exchange generated by the tourism business, not merely the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF). Today, under the new rule, less than 10% of the foreign exchange is realized. Even worse, there is massive tax evasion. We are told that the Royal Monetary Authority and the Department of Revenue and Customs are perplexed as to why, despite a huge increase in tourist arrivals, the foreign exchange inflow remains stagnant and tax collection dismal. But this grim state of affairs should hardly be perplexing: we created it with the introduction of the ill-informed Tourism Levy Act of Bhutan 2022.

I had hoped that in 2024, with the pandemic well behind us, the people of Bhutan would come together to put on a show to beat all shows, to celebrate 50 years of tourism that has touched and improved nearly every life in this country. I had hoped that the pioneers and trailblazers of the industry – the earliest surviving head of the Department of Tourism (Lyonpo Jigme Tshultim), the earliest cultural guide (Gandhi Nawang Dorji), the earliest trekking guide (Karchung Wangchuk), the earliest private-sector tour operator (BTCL), and even the earliest lunch boy (Karma Sonam) who carried a pack meal to be served to the first-ever tour group lead by Lars-Eric Lindblad – would congregate at the Clock Tower to celebrate the occasion and reminiscence about the stupendous journey to which they bore witness.

Alas, that hope has been dashed. No celebratory mood could possibly prevail when the industry is maimed and bleeding. I am told that DoT made do with a somber, low-key event, apparently lighting a few butter lamps at the Kuensel Phodrang early this month. Some believe that ritual was really intended to mourn the death of a once-thriving industry.

Where do we go from here? Can we reclaim the tourism business from the clutches of the outsiders who now rule the roost? Is it conceivable that the government may realize the folly of their plans and make amends? According to recent news reports, those may be empty reveries. The current government’s GDP projections tell a tale of even more dire times to come for the industry:

In the above official chart, tourism does even not feature as an economic sector nor as a contributor to the nation’s GDP. Is our tourism industry nothing more than a mirage? Are we supposed to forget or dismiss tourism’s past role in the nation’s growth? According to these numbers, the government does not foresee any future contribution from the industry.

How can Bhutan – a country that repeatedly turns up on “Best Places to Visit” tallies, a destination reliably found on sophisticated traveler’s “bucket lists” - starve the very industry that has brought us so much wealth and respect in the past? I believe it’s time for a national discussion - and the sooner, the better.

Goongtong, Satong, Yuetong

I cannot remember how I ended up being a Member of the UNDP’s SENetwork but already by 2006 - that is roughly 18 years back - I was called upon by the organization to write an article on how the country might prepare itself to meet the challenges that is likely to be posed by the emerging trend of mass movement of pastoral population to urban centers. I refused to do so on the grounds that that was the wrong approach to solving the problem – instead, I submitted an article on “How we might work towards counteracting the problem”.

The UNDP decided that the solution I suggested was just too radical and felt that it would be imprudent on their part to publish the article which would be tantamount to endorsing my idea. Fine - but pussy-footing around an issue is no way to solve a problem. And so, the problem was allowed to fester year after year - unchecked.

The term employed to describe the emerging malice then was: "Rural-Urban Migration".

Sometime around 2010-11, the term “Goongtong” was coined.

Around 2015-16 when I began to frantically push the issue of Goongtong to the fore - I coined one additional term - “Yuetong”.

This year, the Members of the Parliament added one brand new nomenclature to the malice that they now agree has reached alarming proportions - “Satong”.

In 2016, I highlighted the problem of Goongtong with the following two articles, in addition to few others.

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2016/02/rural-urban-migration-impending-crisis.html

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2016/02/rural-urban-migration-impending-danger.html

Beginning January of 2015, I had already authored a series of 10 articles on Goongtong (funded by the BCMD) that was published in the Kuensel – titled “A Malady Called Rural-Urban Migration”:

https://www.google.com/search?q=KUENSEL+A+malady+called+Rural-Urban+Migration&sca_esv=caadd628b09a36ae&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIIkyUMO2kekw8dX85YKz2Cr9grxxQ%3A1718506286970&ei=LlNuZuT4OoPg4-EPy7C7gAw&ved=0ahUKEwjkx53mjt-GAxUD8DgGHUvYDsAQ4dUDCBA&oq=KUENSEL+A+malady+called+Rural-Urban+Migration&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLUtVRU5TRUwgQSBtYWxhZHkgY2FsbGVkIFJ1cmFsLVVyYmFuIE1pZ3JhdGlvbjIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSKU0UNsPWNsPcAF4AJABAJgB0gGgAbwEqgEFMC4yLjG4AQzIAQD4AQGYAgSgAswEwgILEAAYsAMYogQYiQXCAggQABiiBBiJBZgDAIgGAZAGAZIHBTEuMi4xoAfQBQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

The ongoing discussions in the Parliament on the twin subjects of Education and Farming seems like a good opportunity to see if we may, for a change, transcend the superfluous verbosity and get down to brass tacks! But I suspect that as usual, this too shall be one that flew over the cuckoo’s nest.

Ban on commercial harvesting of timber in the country was introduced in 1979, necessitated by compulsion. Nearly half a century has passed us by since - times and situations are no long the same - the country’s physical boundaries have contracted and the Mt. Everest has grown taller - but the Forestry Department has remained immobile and stuck in a time-wrap.

It is heartbreaking how we speak of hundreds of thousands of millions of Ngultrums ….. and yet people in the core areas of the country’s capital city - Babesa - are wailing cries of woe - that they lack a simple daily necessity - drinking water. Imagine the plight of the rural folks far removed from the glare and pomposity of the Dashos and Lyoenpos in Thimphu.

Can we, for a change, shelve the astronomical and the gigantic, so that we are left with time and resources to confront, and tackle, the manageable and the doable? It would help.

Welcoming the Winds of Change

As of this post, I have a total of 75 posts related to our hydroelectric power projects. And I am not embarrassed or ashamed that 99.99% of those posts are negative posts - posts that unabashedly chastise our largest and most infamous hydropower undertakings. But I take pride in the fact that they also happen to be among my most popular posts. In terms of readership, three of my posts on the subject rank 4th, 6th and 7th highest read posts on my blog which, as of today, comprises of a staggering 1,127 posts.

Winds of Change?: The advent of a new era in our hydroelectric power aspirations

Notwithstanding my unrestrained, high-octave tirades against our more recent hydroelectric projects, I dare believe that I remain absolved of any wrong doing because I have made it clear that my revulsion for the projects is for the perilous, debilitating manner in which they have been done in Bhutan - NOT hydropower projects per se.

But now I sense that the gentle winds of change is sweeping in - to stoke the fires of our abundant hydroelectric potential - I am truly encouraged!

Harnessing the power of the sun cannot amount to more than a mere stop-gap arrangement - something of a fill-in-the-gap kind of thing - something to tide us over our immediate and burgeoning domestic demand. In my thinking, the real deal still remains the unbridled power that the bountiful nature has gifted us with - the energy and power of the free-flowing WATER.

The recently announced MoU between DGPC and Adani Group of India to explore the possibility of undertaking the construction of the Wangchhu Hydropower Project is a most welcome news. I hope it happens.

While it is as yet unclear as to what will finally be tinkered between the DGPC and the Adani Group – if at all, my own aspirations would be that the collaboration undergoes a marginal upscaling and that it is implemented as a staggered, multi-stage undertaking.

One: implement the 180MW Bunakha Reservoir Hydroelectric Project (BRHEP)

          for which DPR has already been approved for construction during February of 2014.

Two: A couple of years down the line, when major dam construction work is nearing completion,

          start work on the 900MW run-of-the-river scheme Wangchhu Hydropower Project

          at the tail end of the already much abused Wangchhu. I think no one should be in any

          doubt of the multi-faceted benefits to this approach of project implementation.

We also hear that the ill-fated 600MW Kholongchhu Hydroelectric Power Project in the East of the country is likely to happen – in collaboration with the TATA Group of India. That would be great as well. If that arrangement materializes, I am encouraged to believe that another equally valuable opportunity for partnership - one that is not yet in the scheme of things, could be considered for the mutual benefit of both the partners.

The World’s Most Inhospitable International Airport

I have tended to make fun about our claim that we are unique. Truth be told, as I grow older and wiser, I am beginning to think that I may have been wrong all my life – I think we are indeed a unique country populated with an incomparable breed of unique humans. This realization began unravelling in me - one after the other - when I found myself completely lost at the Arrival area of Paro International Airport, yesterday.

Upon arriving at the airport bang at 11:00AM when the DrukAir flight on which my son was arriving from Bangkok, I got held up because the electronically operated gate that bars me entry into the Arrival area would not open.

The nonchalant woman inside the gate’s cubical looked at me blankly - even as I looked at her inquiringly - it was obvious that we were stuck. Sadly, energetic thinking is not in our unique nature - if it was, the woman could have let us pass through the Exit point located just behind her - which was wide open and inactive at that time of the day.

Even as a long queue of cars began to snake behind me, I noticed an officious looking man in Gho, with a name tag on a lanyard dangling from his neck approach the dysfunctional gate – as if he was on a leisurely stroll at the Park. But he did manage to lift the horizontal bar of the gate and we finally gained entry into the Arrival areas of the airport.

Problem 1:

The airport authorities have obviously failed to think of putting in place a suitable power back-up system, in the event of electrical/mechanical failure, which is not unusual.

Problem 2:

The fact that someone else is required to come to override the electronic circuitry every time there is a power failure can only mean that the woman manning the gate has not been suitably trained in the manual bypass operation of the gate.

Once inside, I tried to find out if the flight had landed. Everyone was clueless - I asked a number of people. I looked around and I was sure that all of the close to 100 people standing on their legs all over the open parking space - like they were pawns on a Chessboard - had any idea at all. And the reason? - the country’s one and only international airport DOES NOT HAVE A FLIGHT INFORMATION BOARD! As a result, you do not know if a flight has landed, if it is landing on schedule, if not what is the new ETA, if a flight is delayed or, if a flight is cancelled entirely.

All that you can do is - like the Maheng (water buffalo) in a famous Bhutanese parable - look up to the sky every time you hear a distant drone of an approaching aircraft.

Are we so pathetic? We do not have the decency to install an Information Board to keep our guests and visitors informed of the status of a flight. How much does it cost? How technologically complex is the process?

Are we proud to be able to force our visitors to pay four times the airfare they would have had to pay elsewhere - for the same flight hour and distance? And to what end? – to find themselves in a vortex of void and cluelessness?

For sure I think there may be some logic behind the concept of the imposition of SDF of US$100.00 per person per day. But if the tourists are already paying US$100.00 per person per day to be able to experience the sights and sounds of the Last Shangri-La, what is the logic behind asking them to pay additional fee of Nu.1,000.00 per person - to take a passing peek at Taktsang at the end of an arduous uphill trek of 3-4 hours? Isn’t Taktsang part of the sight for which they have already paid a daily Tax of US$100.00?

Coming back to the Arrival area of Paro International Airport - why is it not possible for the authorities to make it a little bit more hospitable? Why can’t they create a covered waiting area? Why can’t they put chairs for waiting people to sit on, as they wait? Why can’t they provide overhead roof – so that people who are waiting can be protected from scorching sun and lashing rain? Why aren’t there any toilets within easy reach?

Why can’t the authorities build a covered walkway for the tourists and the visitors – so that they can walk to their waiting transport under the cover of an overhead roof? How difficult is it to create these most basic amenities?

Doesn’t the alphabet “D” in the SDF stand for “development”? Wasn’t that imposed in order that we may develop, and improve things for the benefit of the visiting tourists, to make the country and our tourism infrastructure appear hospitable and welcome - to improve their experience? Doesn't SDF need justification?

Who is responsible – Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority? Department of Air Transport?, Paro Dzongkhag? Department of Tourism?, or Department of Immigration?

Is it possible that we can plead with the PDP government to consider allocating, at the most, one hundred thousandth of that famous Nu.15 billion ESP they keep dangling at us - to improve things at the Paro International Airport?

Talking of which ..... why aren’t the ABTO and the GAB taking up the issue with the authorities? Why is the lackadaisical attitude allowed to perpetuate for generations? For how long can we hope to continue to pull wool over the people’s eyes?

For God’s Sake – WE NEED TO START TO EARN OUR KEEP!!

Tiru’s Morphology

We must be among the only human race who choose to call our paper currency: Ngultrum/Ngueltang or, in plain English, Silver Coin. For a while I attempted to find out how such a bizarre thing could have come to pass - but after a while I gave up - it was simply beyond me. I decided that it must be because of our penchant for wanting to be unique.

But for those of us with a conscience, problems do not go away because we choose to side-step the issues - it will continue to haunt us to the end of our time. So, I decided to shift focus - instead of trying to find out WHY, I decided to find out WHAT?

WHAT should be the correct nomenclature?

While I was racking my brains between why and what, I am made aware of a German Tibetologist and coin collector - David Hollar - writing about a misspelling that he discovered in our Nu.10 banknote of 1981. I am hugely intrigued - thus I decide to run through the entire gamut of our banknotes - from the earliest ones issued in 1974 to the present day. That is when my attention was drawn to something that I had never before noticed - the use of the term “Rup” on the obverse of four of our earliest banknotes: Nu.1, Nu.5, Nu.10 and Nu.100.00. The scripting of the PROMISE TO PAY is worded as follows:

I am referring to our following earliest four banknotes issued in 1974 and 1975:

What the dang hell is "Rup"? Is it Rupee like the term used on our Nickel Tikchang of 1966? I consulted a Bhutanese scholar but he totally disagreed …. he opined that it could very well mean “Tikrup”. I asked another respected scholar and he told me the same - that the term “Rup” is short for “Tikrup” - that the term "Tikrup" or "Tiru" has been in use in Bhutan from ancient times - to mean: money. He went on to say that the oldest written record of the term he has come across so far appears in the Namthar (biography) of Yoenten Thaye who was our 13th Je Khenpo - from the year 1771 to 1775.

This was most revealing! How could I have missed it? When I think of it, even today the use of the term "Tikrup" or "Tiru" is more common, while “Ngueltang” is only occasionally used, if at all. For instance, if one were to listen to a conversation between a seller and a buyer in the market place, in all probability one will most likely hear the use of the term "Tiru", rather than "Ngueltang". In all likelihood, they are more likely to exchange the value of a merchandize in the amount of "Tiru" - rather than Ngueltang.

Listen carefully and in 90% of the cases you will hear it said:

Tiru Nga - instead of Ngueltang Nga!

I can bet that a Khengpa will most likely say: “Tiru khai thek bi-yai”

On the other hand a Ngalong is unlikely to say: “Ngueltang khae nga gobey"

A Sharchop will most assuredly say: "Sharchokpa baka bu tiru cha na om la"