Bhutanese Women: Unequal Among Equals

Early this month, a senior reporter – a woman – called me and asked my opinion as to why, despite the fact that women voters outnumber the men in every one of our Dzongkhags – women still lost out to males during the recent Thromde elections. I answered:

“Funny that you should ask me this - you damn well know that it is not only the Thromde elections – but even in the Parliamentary elections, women contestants have fared miserably thus far.”

“But why? What do you think is the reason?”

“Simple - because women elected Members have given no reason for voters to consider their candidature with any confidence or optimism. Actually, I believe that women do not trust women – they write them off as: Aamsu gii chikha michoebey - it is as simple as that”

“Come on, how can you say something like that”??? She sounded incredulous.

“Aamsu gii chikha michoebey” is not a fair statement – there is not an iota of truth in it. Regardless, what is true is that such a perception does prevail within the Bhutanese society – not because women are less capable than men – but because women elected Members have so far failed to demonstrate that they are capable of walking the extra mile – as opposed to their male counterparts.

We Bhutanese have traditionally been a matriarchal society – in their role as the Nungii Aum, we empowered our women with moral authority and family leadership – meaning that we treated them as more man than men. In every sphere of family life, the Nungii Aum had authority over most decisions – the male’s role was solely to gather food from outside – and plough the field - every other life’s decisions were in the domain of the Nungii Aum. We treated them with respect – we depended on their wisdom – we looked up to them for guidance.

But now, the modern Bhutanese society seems to treat our women as something less than equal to men. I cannot imagine at what point in our evolution we came to be this way. When, and what, caused the waning of our respect for women we historically held in high esteem?

I speak of this in the context of our law that provides that if a child is not fathered by a Bhutanese man, even if the child is born to a thoroughbred Bhutanese mother, the child will not be considered a natural born citizen of Bhutan. It appears to be of no consequence that the mother is a Bhutanese.

This is such a shameful law – it reeks of gender bias, it is unfair, it is uneducated, it is primitive, and it is grossly incorrect. It blatantly promotes disparity among equals.

As good looking and healthy as they look - one cannot fail to see the sadness in the faces of these children photographed in 2009 in a rural village in Eastern Bhutan.

The fact that such a shameful law exists can only mean that as a society we are in a state of regression – whether we accept it or not. It should not be acceptable that such gender-biased law that treats our women as being something lesser than a man, is allowed to perpetuate. We pride ourselves as a mindful society, a society whose life and living are touted to be guided by the high-mined and lofty principals of GNH.

This is why I say that the women elected Members have failed their lot – they have done nothing to change things – to abolish this evil law. This is why I say that Bhutanese women voters hesitate to choose women over men. They do not believe that women have it in them to stand their ground – there is no past record of their legitimacy!

It is not as if we are unaware of the fact that it is the women who bear the unborn child for nine months inside their bodies – the unborn child’s umbilical cord is tied to the women’s womb for nine months. Therefore, there cannot be a shred of doubt that if biological purity is to be the determining factor, mothers, and not fathers, have greater legitimacy. Where the father is concerned, who is to know? We cannot deny that there is always an element of doubt – whether the father is actually the real father as claimed.

This law has the potential to create a serious long-term social disharmony. I am told that in one small pocket of Chhukha Dzongkhag alone, there are upwards of 3,000 unregistered children born to mothers who cannot name the progenitors of their children, or that the fathers are non-Bhutanese. We know that there are similar cases in other Dzongkhags across the country, leading me to believe that there may be tens of thousands of unregistered fatherless children in the country.

No doubt, these children are growing up facing whole lot of insurmountable obstacles related to their movement, education, business opportunities and, even worst, social stigma caused by their unregularized census status. They are bound to be growing up with resentment against the state - for the suffering and shame they bear – for a reason that is not of their own doing. I am told that some mothers, out of sheer desperation, have gone as far as to shamelessly name their own fathers as the father of their children. This is not a good situation and needs to be addressed at the earliest.

Women elected Members should begin to put their dainty feet forward and start to earn their keep and, in the process, gain the trust and confidence of their lot!

As early as 2010/2011, when I was asked to speak at some gathering at Kanglung College – sponsored either by the UNICEF and/or UNESCO (I can’t remember which one) – there were two lady MPs in the gathering. I spoke to them about the matter and urged them to take up this issue. But to this day I have never heard any one – whether women or men – broach the subject during the last eighteen years of Parliamentary debates. I believe that since this is an issue related to women, our women MPs should take the lead and attempt to bring fairness in our legal provisions.

For the record, it is not as if this is being brought up in the public domain for the first time. The matter was discussed earlier – please read up at the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZat4LDQAQc

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2011/06/normal-0-false-false-false_21.html

https://globalvoices.org/2016/03/03/no-country-for-bhutans-fatherless-children/#

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2016/03/on-this-international-day-of-women-give.html

I am fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect world – but that is no reason why societies cannot try to strive for one.

I have said this before through this blog – that, to achieve greatness, it is not always necessary to accomplish monumental tasks – even being able to dismantle evil that go to bring ease and happiness in the lives of the ill-treated and the downtrodden, is greatness; that GNH is inconsequential – if you do not have GPH.

Please consider – we cannot claim to be a just society even while such a vile law exists in our country! Since the first time I traveled to the outside world in 1979, every time I mentioned that I am from Bhutan - it had never failed to bring on a twinkle in the people's eyes.

Let us uphold our reputation as a country worthy of emulation!

One Giant Leap For Q Yeshey, One Small Step For Bhutan

On the afternoon of August 21, 2026 at 2:08 PM, I photographed a strikingly pretty moth. Later, upon arrival at home, while looking up for the name of the moth, it turns out that I had unwittingly photographed a moth that is said to be endemic to Taiwan. I was intrigued! – I mean, what is a moth that is supposedly endemic to Taiwan doing in Bhutan? I delved deeper and I realized that I had a potential record in my hands. Material available in the internet confirmed that the moth was never before officially recorded in Bhutan.

Nothomiza flavicosta moth - recorded for the first time in Bhutan

I called up Karma Wangdi at the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment (UWICE) - another Khengpa – one of the four authors of the most authoritative book on moths of Bhutan titled “Moths of Bhutan” – published in The Netherlands in August of 2022. I requested him to look up his records and let me know if the moth has ever been recorded before in Bhutan.

On the morning of August 23, 2026 (today) at 8.11AM, Karma Wangdi confirmed over the phone that my moth photo of Nothomiza flavicosta was indeed the first evidence of the moth’s existence in Bhutan. He said that he consulted his own records, including all of the published records in his possession --- he said that none show that the moth was ever recorded in Bhutan, before my discovery.

Nothomiza flavicosta is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae, commonly known as geometer moths. This species is said to be endemic to Taiwan. It was described by the English entomologist William Warren, in 1894.

For the record, when I went through my stockpile of moth photographs, it turns out that this was actually my second sighting of the moth – I was not aware that I had already photographed the moth - almost a year earlier, as follows:

     Moth Name : Nothomiza flavicosta

     Photographed at : Pangrizampa, Dechenchhoeling, Thimphu

     Date : September 5, 2025

     Time : 7:40 AM

Karma Wangdi tells me that Bhutan’s current record of moths stand at close to 2,000 species. However, he believes that Bhutan could be home to upto 5,000 species of these most beautiful of winged insects - collectively known as Lepidoptera.

Good Money Behind Bad "Torms": II

A reader of my blog commented as follows – after reading my earlier blog “Good Money Behind Bad "Torms": I”

About superstition, religious practices and humanity. Your post is intriguing. Why are Torms poisonous to animals (thereby to also human beings)? And if so, why Dratshang and religious institutions have not cured and remedied to it? They hold responsibility for the damage and for not taking action. Thank You Yeshey for your investigation. Hope it draws the attention it requires.

Instead of responding to the reader individually, I decided to post my following response here so that others also have an understanding of the issues:

Most of the modern day "Torms" are no longer fashioned the traditional way. In the bygone era, "Torms" used to be sculpted using natural material that were safe, bio-degradable and environmentally friendly. The base materials were either kneaded dough of maize or wheat flour, or pounded clay, and decorated with natural fibres and colored with vegetable/mineral dyes or earth pigments. But these days, most of the "Torms" contain indestructible synthetic material and are dyed with toxic chemical paints that are harmful to the birds and animals that consume the "Torms" that are left out in the open spaces.

Around the world, problems of death of the wildlife caused by the use of chemicals, industrial/domestic paints, pesticides/weedicides/herbicides, pollutants in the water bodies etc. etc. have been reported. In some cases, extinction of entire species has been caused by the unmindful use of harmful modern materials.

Although it appears that the menace of the irresponsible celebration of Vishwakarma Puja has now been controlled to a large extent, Bhutan did go through a period of whole-sale dumping of the "Torms"/Effigies in our water bodies …. Please read at the following how it used to be done:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/search/label/Vishwakarma%20Puja

In truth, it is not just the "Torms" or the Vishwakarma Puja celebrations that must bear the blame for the defilement of our natural world – another unmindful practice that continue to cause even greater problems is the unfurling of the prayer flags.

Few KMs long prayer flags have been strung across the lush, green hilltop above Lungtenphu. It is my hope that those who are responsible for them had the good sense to use fabric of natural fibres and environmental friendly ink to print the prayers on the flags. Even if not, I hope those who are responsible (I get the feeling that it is a group or organization called GKOR - one cannot miss the four alphabets clearly standing out among the assemblage of prayer flags) for this act has the sense of responsibility to gather them up and dispose them off safely - before they cause the kind of problem they did in remote and far-flung places such as Laya and Lunana - as reported by VAST Bhutan.

The above is not the only case - just take a look at our green hillsides all around you --- they are poke-marked with similar prayer flags - thankfully not a profusion of colors as the ones in the above.

The problem has become so rampant that VAST Bhutan brought this to the attention of the nation through their “Lungta Art Festival 2026” early this year. Please read about it here:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2026/03/unfurling-loongtah-of-mindfulness.html

At the most fundamental level, a religious act is supposed to be good for the soul, for the body and for the mind and, even more, for all the sentient beings of the world. But is that the case?

Bhutan’s urban literate are not even willing to forego the use of plastic shopping bags ….. I ask you:

What is the point of being literate if you are not educated?

Good Money Behind Bad "Torms": I

Yesterday morning a senior member of our Chat Group suggested to me the following, during our chat related to birds and animals becoming too familiar with the human population:

“You are a lover of nature …. educate religious persons to propagate. I was told Thimphu has no Olas (Large-billed Crow) because of poisoned Tormas”

It is rather eerie but it was as if some unseen force was steering me in some invisible ways. This morning, when I was headed to town, instead of using the shorter and newer road that is wider and better paved which would deliver me to Thimphu city faster, I opted to take the older and longer route that passed through Taba town. As I passed the forest between Taba and Lanjopakha, my attention was drawn to the following signboard erected on the shoulder of the road to my right. I stopped to take a closer look:

Thimphu Thromde's signboard at Taba

Underneath, in Dzongkha script, the signboard warned that dumping of other trash at the site was prohibited!

This has to be the height of religious fervorism! I mean Thimphu Thromde (Municipality) has actually allocated a special space for dumping of, what they prefer to call:  "Torms" (Effigies)! And they are categorical that littering by any other trash/garbage is prohibited. Imagine!!!!

I wondered – is it possible that there are other spaces around Thimphu where littering by "Torms" in designated places is legit? I drove to Motithang … and fair enough – there was one there too:

Thimphu Thromde's signboard at Motithang

I drove towards Chamgang …. None! Then I drove towards Khasadrapchu …. None! I turned back and drove towards Yusipang --- none there either. But look what I found:

A bunch of exquisitely constructed "Torms" dumped by the roadside at Memelakha

Some people had dumped some exquisite looking "Torms" by the road side about 500 Mtrs. before Memelakha Municipal Dump site! I was intrigued …. How come they came all the way to Memelakha but dumped the "Torms" few hundred meters before the city dump site? Why couldn't they have dumped them at the Dump Site just a few hundred meters above the road?

Then it hit me – the disposal of the "Torms" after the performance of the ritual is done with, is governed by some set rules – it cannot be done any which way you like. The direction in which the "Torms" can be disposed-off is determined by the monks or the Lam performing the ritual …. The location and the placement of the "Torms" is also pre-determined – you just do not dump them wherever it is convenient or wherever you please, or any place that some authorities command.

In other words, Thimphu Thromde cannot determine where the "Torms" can be disposed off ..... meaning good money behind bad "Torms"!

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

UPDATE:

Today (14.08.2026) I located one more "Torms" Dump Site - this one at Dechencholing, at the point of diversion towards Dechenphug Lhakhang:

Thimphu Thromde's signboard at Dechencholing

Is Druk Yuel Headed The Merlion City Way?: I

Recently a friend from abroad sent me some intriguing comments that read, in part, as follows:

“………. Interesting articles you put up there .. the Bhutanese exodus to Australia! 40,500 & growing - almost a third of Thimphu population.

They are not there just for study and work – a large number of them will be there for the rest of their lives as many hold PRs.

The last time that happened to Singaporeans leaving Singapore and with the added problem of lower birth rate, the Prime Minister set up incentives to entice them to return home. 

That did not work. Then the policy shifted to granting PRs & Citizenship to foreigners. Today, the true-blue original Singaporeans are <50%!

Another problem was when foreigners began to flip property & other businesses, then relocate the monies elsewhere.

If Bhutan copies Singapore model all the way through, this will be the way”

This friend fears that there are clear signs that we are headed the Singapore way – we are faced with the same twin problems that Singapore faced decades back - outward migration of our youth and falling birth rate!

Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bhutan - sounding the alarm bells

The problem of outward migration is a tricky issue – we may have to live with it for a while – unless there occurs an upheaval in the Bhutanese migrants’ psyche – and decides to prefer life over livelihood. Frankly, I am not very hopeful of that ever happening, or even that if that will be seen as meaningful.

In the context of falling birth rate, the PDP government is already trying to address the problem – by offering cash incentives to encourage making of more babies. Time will tell if this program will succeed … but even if it does, this has to be seen as a long-term solution that may not salvage us from our imminent short-term woes that are not very difficult to foresee.

So, the question then is: Is it likely that we too will arrive at that point where we have to invite foreigners to be our citizens?

Maybe … or maybe not.

But Bhutan has one off-the-rack solution - even if just a marginal one - that Singapore did not have …. What remains to be seen is whether we are willing, and have the courage, to act and grab the bull by the horns!

………..to be continued.

Purity of Intention – Not The Show Of It Matters

One day on a Drukpa Tse Zhi, a pensive Buddha in heaven wondered if His devotees on earth remembered Him as He hoped that they would. He walked to the edge of the gate of heaven and looked down at the earth.

He was pleased that He was indeed alive in the minds of His millions of devotees on earth …. He gazed with immense satisfaction close to a billion butter lamps shimmering and lighting up the night sky.

As He was about to return to His abode, He noticed that one particular lamp burned with unusual brightness – brighter and more luminous than all the rest of over a billion butter lamps. He was intrigued – why is it so?

He shut His eyes and delved deep into His inner Buddha mind and, through His clairvoyance, He saw that the radiant light emanated from a lamp lit by a half-clad, aged lady with unkept grey hair. The butter lamp (Kaami Kom), fashioned out of clay was torn at the edges and was placed on a weathered piece of wooden plank. A look of sublime peace and serenity on her face, her hands folded – she knelt in front of the lamp and stood motionless – deep in prayer and veneration.

The Buddha delved deeper and it was revealed that the lady was so poor that she had no butter or oil to fire the lamp – instead, she poured what remained of the oil with which she was oiling her hair, stuck a wick in the center of the clay Kaami Kom … and lit the Kaami (lamp).

Moved by the purity of her intentions, the Buddha in heaven too knelt on His knees and offered a prayer of thanks – that He had such true devotees on earth.

NOTE:

Few days back, I narrated this Buddhist parable to a friend who intended to spend Nu.80,000.00 to buy an ornate Choeshum for the prayer room. I explained that a carved and colorfully painted Choeshum will only serve to feed one’s vanity – not enhance the wholesomeness of one’s prayers.

Drukpa Tse Zhi: Observed and celebrated as one of the most sacred days by the Buddhists in Bhutan, Lord Buddha is supposed to have delivered His first sermon after His enlightenment, at the Deer Park in Sarnath, India.

Recognizing The Real Calamity

To be fair, those of us who are resident in Thimphu – whether Bhutanese or not – have to be considered among the most blessed. If the Royal Government of Bhutan’s periodic mock drills of emergency rescue and evacuation exercises are anything to go by, we should feel a sense of uneasy relief that not everything will be a case of disaster and mayhem. It is not a very comforting thought – but there is now abundant proof that nature induced disasters and calamities will be a part of our daily lives – we have already tasted its ferocity in recent times - in multiple locations around the country and with uncommon regularity.

That said, let us not be in any confusion - these mock drills to test our preparedness has to do with how efficiently we will handle “the aftermath” of the destruction caused by natural events such as earthquakes, fires and floods. It has nothing to do with handling the disaster itself. When natural disasters strike, all that we can do is gawk and gap in awe at its ferocity …. and run for dear life. The power and ferocity of nature has to be seen to be believed!

It is commendable that we are readying ourselves to deal with the destruction that will be caused by nature induced calamities …. But I ask you – what of the calamity of the other kind? …. A calamity that is looming large right in front of our eyes?  A man-made calamity that is more calamitous than those caused by nature … a calamity that is building up at a break-neck speed … a calamity called:

!!  TRAFFICE CONGESTION  !!

But this is a calamity that we have the power and the means to control and mitigate …. no need for mock drills and test runs! Sadly, we are so numbed by a sense of complacency …. that we do not seem to be wanting to do anything about it.

It would appear that people fail to understand that this is a calamity which, unlike the natural ones that will likely happen once is a year, or in five years, or in ten years, or in half a century, the one that we are ignoring, when it arrives, we have to live with it every day, and every waking hour of our lives!

If we do not address this looming calamity now, in the coming five years or so, Thimphu will be unlivable …. Traffic congestion will be so severe that we will see road-rage on a daily basis. It will derail smooth flow of life – I mean there will be so many problems that the situation will throw up – we have no idea as yet.

We are fully aware that in our condition road expansion cannot happen beyond a certain point. Thus, the way to go is to be inventive, think of creative ways to ease or lighten traffic congestion – create conditions so that we can accommodate the burgeoning vehicular traffic, or redirect it elsewhere – away from the core. If we do not do this NOW, we are in serious trouble.

Look at the situation prevailing already – in the last one year, vehicle dealership has ballooned exponentially …. vehicle population has increased at an alarming rate. You would have already experienced the crushing traffic congestion in the morning hours and in the evenings.

If we put our minds to it, it is not a problem that cannot be surmounted …. Therefore, let us be sensible and focus on solving smaller problems that we can solve …. instead of chasing big dreams which, given our situation, most often remain nothing more than dreams.

To be caught with our pants down every time is not a sign of an evolved society. We need to transcend verbosity and get down to addressing real issues with timely planning and execution. Time is of the essence …. Let not the opportunity pass us by.

Look! And Thou Shall Find!

At times I get this sense that life is constantly conspiring to give a photographer a hard time …. I mean it is not uncommon for us to find ourselves in a situation where everything falls into place - just perfect!! - but nothing works, regardless 😠

Yesterday was one such day for me. I decided to arrive my usual haunt earlier than usual – at 5.30AM. I am aware that that is an unGodly hour to attempt to do any photography – I mean lighting would be so poor. But my pursuit was not photography as such – I wanted to see if some uncommon moths can be sighted in the wee hours. My thinking was that maybe I can see them before the resident birds consume them for breakfast.

And I was right! I did see a beautiful lifer (in bird watching/bird photography, a lifer is when a new bird is sighted/photographed for the first time) – lodged inside a dim crevice. It was nothing short of Bo Derek in her sublimal prime! Alas! as excited as I was, there was no way I was going to be able to photograph it. So, I gingerly went about trying to coax it out of the crevice so that I have it in full view. It was game – it did crawl out of the dank hole and presented itself in its entirity. What a moth!! Sadly, the light was so dim …. I could barely see its outline.

So, given that there is nothing else I could do, I sat down in front of the moth – and, like a vigilant sentinel, I decided to keep a patient watch over it. The long wait began ..... I waited, and waited and waited ---- for the morning light to improve. Finally, by around 6.20AM – after about 50 minutes of patiently keeping watch over it - the light was good enough …. so I began shooting the beautiful, uncommonly shaped and bi-colored moth. Thank God!! the moth was completely pliable – I first shot its Left Profile:

… Then I gently twirled it around so I could shoot its Right Profile:

 … Then I shot its Back/Top Profile so that I have its full wing pattern:

… and finally I went down on my belly and shot its Snout as well - the Frontal Profile!! It was pretty crazy … I mean no one shoots a moth’s snout – in fact I did not know that it had a snout – but it turns out that it actually does – the following will prove it .... and what a SNOUT!:

By the way, the moth is called Green Fruit-piercing Moth (Eudocima salaminia), a moth belonging to Erebidae within the superfamily Noctuoidea.

ENJOY!!!

Celebrating Life & Life Forms

There can be absolutely no doubt - the month of June has got to be very special – atleast for Bhutan and the Bhutanese people. Everything seems to be falling into place during this month – I mean look at the number of events that have been celebrated during this month – I have lost count. Some of them are still ongoing!

But for me personally, something that is truly fulfilling, is the documentation and release, early this month, of three powerful books of meaning and celebration – books that prove that Bhutan and the Bhutanese people matter – that even in the face of utter helplessness, that even when we are quite sure that humanity cannot help but bring doom to itself through our greed and recklessness, that we care – and that we are willing to give it a try, nonetheless.

Two books released by the Royal Society for Protection of Nation (RSPN) documents two of the world’s rare birds: one bird - the Black-necked Crane – a bird that has been rescued from the brink of extinction and, another, the White-bellied Heron – a bird that, from all indications, is headed for extinction.

The Black-necked Crane
The bird is still in the IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Near Threatened list – but happily it is now out of the Vulnerable list – thanks to the efforts of Bhutan’s earliest environmental NGO – RSPN, in collaboration with other range countries.

But I suspect that Bhutan has paid a heavy price in the process. I fear that the beautiful valley of Phobjikha – the principal wintering grounds for the birds – is terminally ill and needs urgent resuscitation. I believe that it was in part because of the restrictions put on the valley - in our relentless quest to protect and safeguard the Black-necked Cranes.

The White-bellied Heron
This is the world’s rarest heron. Its global population is said to be fewer than 60 birds. Bhutan holds the pride of place as the country with the largest known and recorded population of this near-extinct birds. As of this year, we have 31 of these birds. This places huge responsibility on Bhutan. Due solely to the competent and dedicated stewardship by the RSPN, the birds’ population has seen steady rise over the years. But this could change fast.

RSPN’s book on the bird released early this month is a peerless record and science on everything related to the birds. I am proud that minuscule Bhutan can actually produce such a towering work – the invaluable information and knowledge related to everything about the birds contained in this book is unmatched anywhere else in the world. RSPN does the country proud – and their many donors who have contributed generously.

Birds of Bhutan - Habitat and Distribution
The third book I speak of – published by Bhutan Birdlife Society (BBLS) is another humongous book – it features beautiful photographs of a staggering 611 bird species found in Bhutan. I mean that is close to 80% of the total birds so far recorded in the country!! That is a near impossible feat. As a bird photographer myself, I am aware as to what it takes to achieve such a record. What a book!

The sum total of these three books go to prove that Bhutan is a country worth protecting ….. and fighting for. Let no one tell you otherwise!

Herding Tourists To The East

Every National Assembly session since the advent of Constitutional Monarchy in 2008, one subject that has been discussed with unerring regularity on the floor of Bhutan’s august National Assembly Hall, is the matter relating to promotion of tourism in the East of the country.

But this NA session saw one Member of Parliament – a Cabinet Member, no less – express a view that was in complete deviance to what has been consistently voiced by a string of MPs from the East - that the government needs to do more to promote tourism in the East. The Hon’ble MP under reference was explicit that it made no sense – that people should focus more on each Dzongkhag’s distinctive strong points – that tourism as an economic activity is not, cannot be, a fit for every Dzongkhag in the country.

The MP I am speaking of is His Excellency the Finance Minister Lyonpo Lekey Dorji.

Precisely the point I have been making through this very blog!!!! – that it makes better sense to fatten the cow with proven milk giving potential, than to lay bets on bulls that haven’t exhibited any visible attributes of promise.

Looks like only Khengpa’s are capable of thinking straight – or thinking at all.

Jokes aside, I accept that those who are relentless in their push for tourism in the East, they mean well and that they have the best interest of the people at heart. We cannot fault them on that account. However, they do have to bear in mind that good intentions are nothing more than a thin cloak in a thick winter. Understanding ground realities is important. They do have to understand that the road to good intentions is, most often, paved with dead bodies.

In the hope that people have a proper understanding of why the charming East has failed to appeal to tourists, let me present the following realities:

~  According to the latest figures released by the TCB/DoT, tourists spend no more than an

    average of 4-5 nights in Bhutan (2025 figures).

~  Round trip travel time to the east takes 4 days – minimum;

~  Clearly, time seems to be of essence - not money. Meaning that even if reduced

    SDF is offered, there may not be any takers – because of the travel time involved in

    journeying to the East;

~  Most importantly, what can the East offer that is different and distinct from that

    which the West can offer - within the same time frame?

To me, it seems like we need to be a bit more creative, rather than constantly harping on the need to reduce the SDF. For instance, if we care, perhaps the thing to do is to think of how to reduce travel time!

Now don’t tell me about Yonphula airport – taking a flight to Yonphula is like the roll of the dice – one could very well end up with a Joker instead of an Ace!

A Pertinent Question

This morning's issue of TheBhutanese newspaper carries the following intriguing story:

As numbers go, this is an amazing number …. Let’s do some maths:

9,084 Bhutanese flying off to Australia in ten months means that on an average a little over 908 Bhutanese would have had to make the journey by air – every month. That is not taking into account other Bhutanese travelers who would have flown out – for whatever purposes.

The question now is this:

How many of these Bhutanese travelers bound for Australia flew their own national flag carrier – the DrukAir?

I urge Tenzing Lamsang, who broke his story, to do a follow up story on the subject. For a reporter decorated with the Best Investigative Journalist of the Year Award (2025), I know that this is not going to be a man-bite-dog kind of story …. But I can tell you that he is likely to uncover something that simply do not gel – something that does not fit!

To encourage him, here is a lead:

Very recently a Bhutanese couple with a one-year-old baby had to travel to the UK. When asked, they told me that their travel route would be as follows:

Thimphu > Phuentsholing > Samdrup Jongkhar > Guwahati > New Delhi > London.

But why opt for such perilous, round-about travel route?

Why indeed????

Because nobody cares …..!!

I wanted to ask the Almighty God …. But I get the feeling that He is also a Bhutanese.

Life Cycle of the Owl Moth (Brahmaea wallichii)

I have this sneaky feeling that global warming has screwed up the timing of the moth season. I mean at Thimphu’s altitude, I believe that the moth season typically begins sometime at the start of next month …. But the fellows have been pretty active as of end of last month. Well, my worry isn’t so much that these wondrous creatures are rather erratic in their timing …. I mean earlier the merrier! But I worry that their chaotic, premature appearance could very well be an indication that not everything is hunky dory in our famous land of GNH. We can’t have that …. I mean we do have a reputation to uphold! After all, we did make a claim that we have the singular distinction of being the only country in the world that is carbon negative!!! Hehehe.

Well, global warming has sent everything into a tailspin – it is irrelevant that we have no role in its cause ---- we still have to suffer its affects. We can already sense that it has already affected even the human psyche – there is no longer honesty in our truth. Honesty, valor, duty, service, dedication are no longer virtues to be proud of – they are beginning to be seen as hindrances to personal glory and success.

Well, I remain unimpressed! For me the celebration of life is key --- being alive, and being able to find fulfillment in the simplest of life’s passages is what matters – giving joy rather than seeking it is my endeavor. It is probably the reason why wonderful things happen to me. Take, for instance, the following life event.

Of the more than a thousand moths I photographed so far, the Owl Moth (Brahmaea wallichii) is one of the prettiest. Few days back, it decided to reveal to me how it starts its life.

It starts its life inside a perfectly spherical egg that is no more than 2-3mm in dia. When the eggs are laid, it is creamy white in color. Over the days, it turns dark brown – obviously the larvae inside is maturing and ready to hatch.

I am not sure how long it takes for the eggs to hatch – but my experience is that the eggs hatched within less than 2 weeks of my first noticing them.

The caterpillars when they emerge out of the eggs are cute, hairy beings with black bodies stripped with white bands …. and dashes of yellow.

When they move, it looks as if they are slithering on their back --- they look like they move belly up - the legs appear to be growing out of their backs. But I am sure that is not true – I think they have legs under their belly.

But I have not seen the full process of the metamorphosis - how they transit from caterpillar to full grown moth … but the following is how they look when they are fully grown.

A full grown Owl Moth (Brahmaea wallichii)

The Laborious Climb Up The Ladder

Yesterday, the JAB (Journalists’ Association of Bhutan) hosted their 10th National Journalism Awards (JNA) 2026 coinciding with the World Press Freedom Day. Although not a serving journalist in the conventional sense, I received an invite to join the Association as its Member - which I gladly accepted. So, for whatever it is worth, I am a registered and active Member of the JAB. Thus, I was invited to participate in yesterday’s event. However, I chose not to be present during the proceedings - because wisdom is when you know that discretion is the better part of valor.

And I was right!!! A number of personalities in the gathering stated - with unabashed alacrity - that Bhutan’s poor press freedom ranking for the year 2026 is grossly flawed – that the Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) did a shoddy job – that the methodology they adopted to assimilate information in our case was suspect. One official even went so far as to state that there was no transparency in the process.

Nothing more than rantings of bad losers!!!

I wonder what China and North Korea thinks about their ranking? The RSF ranks them at the absolute bottom – 178th and 179th among 180 countries. They must be livid!!! Not that our 150th ranking is anything to write back home about – I mean for all our nose-in-the-air attitude, we rank way below the regional average.

I hope the powers that be understand that the way forward to improve our ranking, if that is accepted to be desirable - is not by smarting at the results pronounced by an organization whose verdict is accepted as frank, fair and truthful across the globe.

It is my understanding that not everything here is hunky dory, that we do have a need to be a little bit more open minded and tolerant about what the media is engaged in, and allow them to play the role for which they are celebrated …. It is only then that we may hope to be counted as equal among equals.

That said, it would appear that the seat holders - the media people - also need to understand that unwarranted self-censorship do not help the situation - they need to grow up to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is not fair to blame the state machineries alone for  our poor showing.

All things considered, I am happy that Tenzing Lamsang was acknowledged as he deserves to be – I was very, very apprehensive that some people might decide to be vengeful – I mean market report has it that some gutless institutions have resorted to discontinuing their subscription to his paper because he has been scathing about them …. The fact that he has been recognized as he deserves to be, is proof that we are not as bad as some would have us believe that we are.

But I was disappointed that Kuensel Reporter Lhakpa Quendren was not honored as I had hoped that he might be. I mean his recent article early last month titled “Aviation, telecom duopolies weigh on Bhutan’s economy” was simply, honestly, titillating! I suppose not may understood the implications of that consequential article …. But I was so, so very impressed by the article that I went over to the Kuensel to meet the Reporter and congratulate him in person, for his truly astute article.

ADDENDUM:

By way of clarification, the JAB informs me that only media coverage for the period between 01.01.2025 to 31.12.2025 was considered for the Awards. Thus, my last para above may be considered disparate.