Chasing Nirvana

Dear ……….. ,

Thank you for your mail.

It may come as a surprise to you – but I had never intended to be a Rotarian – I was shooting birds in the Eastern parts of the country when some cheeky fellow nominated me to be a member when the Rotary Club of Thimphu was being formed, in 2012. But once I got to understand the mechanics of how Rotary works, I realized that here was an opportunity to do real good for my community. Rotary institution is like no other.

I began with the belief that I owe it to my community – to sacrifice time and money – because I realized that the Rotary institution can, and has, brought meaningful impacts to nations and societies. But over time, I came to the realization that I am among only less than a handful who thought on those lines. Yet I continued to keep at it – with the belief that I cannot lose heart because some idiots are incapable of doing their jobs – only to come face to face with the reality that I am up against a whole gaggle of them, who couldn’t care less.

Finally the question – how much can one man do and for how long?

I put my own business and personal interests on the back burner for the past six and a half years (that is how long I have been the Club Secretary) – at the end I am getting more and more burnt out and, even more dangerous, I am getting terribly disillusioned and beginning to wonder if there is any merit in the Rotary maxim “Service Above Self” – I am beginning to arrive at that dangerous threshold where I am wont to imagine that this one has begun to sound muted and lacking in resonance. But I know that that is not true - I am still of the firm belief that the Rotary dictum has not lost its sheen – it is the mindless beneficiaries who cannot fathom their good fortune that there is an organization called Rotary that can bring meaning into their lives.

In closing, you have understood correctly – YES, I am leaving Rotary and going to do some serious photography work and finish my coin book and work on the second edition of my bird book.

Star-spangled night sky at Sinchae, Lunana. My Cabela's Extreme Weather dome tent is all lighted up from inside - under a night sky dazzled by a trillion shimmering stars.

I am going to go on treks and lie on my back atop a freezing peak and photograph a few trillion stars dazzling up the night skies.

I am going to chase Nirvana.

Bye and take care.