Why For Art Thou Q Yeshey?

Hi ………….. ,

LOL …. that is right …. To this day most Bhutanese in Bhutan know me as, and call me - “Q Yeshey”. And like you, most are intrigued – why “Q Yeshey”?.

"Q Yeshey" photographed atop one of the original World Trade Center buildings, New York in 1984. The photograph was taken by Ms. Sherlene Spingler - Bhutan's agent in New York for the supply of Bhutan's Gum Rosin - a resin extract from Chir Pine - to South Africa. Ofcourse the business never took off since the world had an embargo in place on the apartheid regime in South Africa and countries were forbidden to do business there.

In truth – the tag “Q Yeshey” is a tag of honor and accomplishment. The story begins in the mid-1980s.

I became entitled to a car quota in 1979 but I did not have the money to buy one. Then sometime during the middle of 1980, I got the bright idea of asking my uncle who loved me dearly – for a loan to buy my Toyota Corona car - all my friends were buying cars. The Bank of Bhutan was financing 50% of the car cost – the Toyota Corona was then priced at Nu.62,000.00 – so I needed to make a down payment of Nu.31,000.00.

My uncle asked; “So, if I do give you the loan, how do you hope to repay me?” He did not believe that I was in any position to repay him the loan.

I said; “I will repay you somehow”.

He said; “Bullshit you will repay me. Anyway – you can have the money – it is my gift to you - free”.

With Nu.31,000.00 firmly in my pocket, I went back to Phuentsholing STCB (State Trading Corporation of Bhutan – the in-country distributor of Toyota cars) office to make the down payment – only to find that the price of the car had gone up to Nu.68,000.00. I found myself short of Nu.3,000.00. This money I did not have.

I was in a fix. I spent sleepless nights worrying what to do with the money. I certainly did not want to spend it on something that it was not intended for. My uncle would be truly disappointed with me if I spent the money on something else - other than for the purchase of a car. I did not want that on my memory.

A bright idea struck - I decided I will use the money to start a business - what business did not bother me - I mean I did not have a clue. I travelled to Thimphu (those days I was based in Calcutta, India) and applied to my parent Ministry (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Forests) - for resignation. Quite predictably, the Ministry did not want to let me go - but I was adamant that either they release me or I walk out.

A compromise was reached: they would allow me to resign on the condition that I remain for six months beyond the date of resignation - on full salary. The reason was that Bhutan was negotiating trade routes and trade prospects with Bangladesh and I was a team member doing the ground work.

Mr. Richen Dorji who was then the Managing Director of Penden Cement Authority, Pugli heard that I was resigning. He flew to Calcutta to speak with me.

He said; “Yeshey – I understand you are resigning. Why don’t you join Penden Cement as my Deputy?”

I said; “No Thank You - I am not resigning because I am unhappy with my present job - I am resigning because I want to go into business”.

He asked; “Alright - what business are you going to do?”

I said; “No idea as of now - but I will think of something”.

He said; “OK - then why don’t you become our Cement Distributor for the State of Assam?”.

Now that idea appealed to me - so I accepted. When my six months over-stay with the government was done with, I started the cement distribution business which necessitated the opening of an office in Guwahati, Assam. I placed my good Indian friend as the head in the office. The business did so well that Penden Cement could not fulfill our offtake – the business we offered them far exceeded their daily production - it was quite a problem.

When I started business first thing I needed to do was get a business license and give a name to the business entity. Most business houses in Bhutan were either “Bhutan this …. Or Druk that ……”. Such run-of-the-mill names did not appeal to me - I wanted something different - something off-beat.

Thus I named my business entity “Q - Systems & Sales”.

My company and I were trail-blazers – “Q Yeshey” pioneered the IT trade in the country – I was one among three people in Bhutan who owned a computer those day - other two being His Majesty the Fourth King and His Excellency Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering – who bought one when he was our Ambassador in the UN in New York. I also personally installed the Apple Macintosh computer at the Samteling Palace.

Q Yeshey also pioneered electronic Desk Top Publishing business - even before the KUENSEL. I had a full set of desktop publishing equipment - computers, desktop off-set printer, desktop collating machine, desktop binding machine and six photocopiers. Q was capable of mass producing documents by the thousands in a day. Over time Q became the center for production for government documents and binding them into books. Q became famous with every ministry and departments not only in Thimphu but also across the country.

Q - Systems was the lone supplier of IT equipment such as computers, printers, photocopiers, electronic typewriters, word processors and photocopy papers. I supplied to every one in Bhutan. Q supplied and implemented the networking at the KUENSEL, under two separate grants from Denmark. I was even pivotal in securing the second DANIDA project for the Kuensel, when I convinced the Parliamentarians from Denmark why their project with the KUENSEL was meaningful in the development of media in Bhutan. Those days Q Yeshey was the darling of the international organizations based in Bhutan – such as UNDP, WHO and DANIDA. When Dr. Kan Tun’s (Head of WHO Bhutan Office) laptop crashed a day before his planned travel to Geneva to attend a WHO meeting, I sent him off on his journey - with the guarantee that a new laptop would be waiting for him in his hotel room in Geneva - before his arrival. He was amazed that the laptop indeed was waiting for him - duly delivered by DHL, by my suppliers in Singapore.

Over time, other players entered the computer trade – which suffocated me – Bhutan being a minuscule market. Thus I told the new entrants into the trade:

“Guys – the field is all yours. I am out of here”.

Q Yeshey exited the crowded bazaar – but the prefix “Q” stuck - for life!.

Bye and take care.

Yeshey