Drin Jorpa Warey

This is the second time that has happened to me.

The first time was when my mom was about to pass away – it was as if she knew for sure that her moment had arrived. It was in Gelephu sometime in the late 1970s. My mom was bed-ridden – she was suffering from cancer. One afternoon she called me to her bedside and took my hand into hers. She removed her gold ring from her finger and inserted in into mine, saying:

"Okai ngai shuijab wen warey – Ngatna khachem jang labtemen mooth – pholab theg labtey weth na. Wii werai aama na drinlab khaba khriba jorba warey. Weth nyai bo buzey ngat sonam sakna."

"This is my parting gift to you – I have no last words for you. But I want to tell you something. Please know that you have fulfilled a son’s duty and obligation to his mother in full. I have been blessed to have you as my son."

Hours later she breathed her last.

The second time was on the 7th of this month. I had gone to Tama-Gonphai village to participate in the handing over ceremony of a house built for an old destitute couple by the Tarayana Foundation affiliated Bhutan Dragons Motorcycle Club. After the ceremony was over, I walked over to the old lady to ask if there was anything else they needed. She said she needed nothing more, adding:

"Wii mebran – wheth chiingku buzi nyigmo ngui weth nyai kaidoh sama bakpa. Dusoom wii osokai maigey roram buzey ---- we ngatna drinlab khaba khriba jorpa warey."

"You do not know – but when you were a child I carried you on my back many, many times. Please know that today with your participation in this house donation, you have paid your debt to me in full."

I was clueless about this - but that is not important.

No less touching was a letter of farewell written to me by Rotary Club of Thimphu’s Executive Secretary – Ms Tshering Choden. The letter was waiting for me on my table when I returned from Zhemgang on the 8th – it read as follows:

This letter is testimony that I have done good – not only in the fulfillment of my duties and responsibilities to my community in my capacity as the Club’s Secretary – but even to my colleague with whom I worked and interacted on a daily basis. I am glad that I have been able to instill in her a sense of responsibility and dedication – the need for hard work and, above all, to do things with an eye for perfection.

The Club President and the Club Secretary wanted to give me a farewell dinner – I declined saying that the Club was poor and could not afford it. I did not need a dinner that would cost between Nu.20-30,000.00. The letter written by ES Tshering is far more touching and meaningful than any dinner. It acknowledges my relevance – that I have given back to the society from which I took so much.

This letter is my JUST REWARD for my 7 years of service.