Histories That Enthrall and Amaze

Of the various interesting and rare ancient coins in my collection, two among them are from our close neighbor - Nepal. One was issued by the first King of unified Nepal – Prithvi Narayan Shah. The other was issued by his eldest son who succeeded him in 1775 - Pratap Singh Shah.

The first interesting coin that I speak of is the following:

1 Silver Mohar

Prithvi Narayan Shah

1768/69

Prithvi Narayan Shah was the last ruler of the erstwhile Gorkha Kingdom. In 1768 (more than a hundred years after the state of Bhutan came into being), he successfully subjugated the then three independent Kingdoms of Kathmandu valley, namely: Bhadgaon (Baktapur), Kantipur (Kathmandu) and Lalitpur (Patan). Thus, Prithvi Narayan Shah became the first ruler of the unified nation state that came to be known as the Kingdom of Nepal.

But while this is interesting on its own merit, even more interesting is the fact that if it hadn't been for the Tantric skills of the Drukpas,  Prithvi Narayan Shah may never have been born. Please read the following:

“……… according to the Bhasa Vamsavali (Chronicles of Nepal), Nara Bhupal Shah, being childless, invited Bhutan’s Dharmaraja to Nepal and with the blessings and ritual and Tantrik commencement performed by him, he became the father of a child, Prithvi Narayan Shah - the founder of modern Nepal.”

Few writers/historians on the subject have unwittingly caused confusion as to who exactly was the “Dharmaraja” of Bhutan who was invited to Gorkha Kingdom by its reigning monarch to perform the “Tantrik commencement” that resulted in the conception and birth of Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Actually, there should never have been any cause for confusion - the year in which Prithvi Narayan Shah was born holds the answer. The "Dharmaraja" in question would have to be Bhutan’s 5th Je Zodpa Thinley (r. 1707 – 1724) who would have performed the rituals requested for by Gorkha king Nara Bhupal Shah, father of Prithvi Narayan Shah. The above record is specific that Bhutan's Dharmaraja was invited to perform the ritual ..... our written historiacal records confirm that Je Zodpa Thinley was then the Je (Dharmaraja) - during the period under discussion.

Prithvi Narayan Shah was born on 11th January, 1723.

For sure the hand of providence must have a role in the fact that the silver Mohar issued by the Nepalese King who was born as a result of Bhutan’s intervention eventually found its way into the country!

The second interesting coin I spoke of is the following:

Cut Silver Tangka

Pratap Singh Shah

1775/76

This, and similar silver Mohars issued by the Malla Dynasty and early Shah rulers of Gorkha/Nepal supposedly occasioned a war between Nepal and Tibet during 1788–1792. Apparently, one of the principal reasons due to which the war broke out was as a result of the naughty Tibetans’ habit of cutting or clipping the Nepalese silver Mohars into smaller pieces – thereby grossly devaluing the coins. The Tibetans cut up the coins so that they are more convertible – during those ancient times, the value of One Silver Mohar was so high that it could not be used to make purchases of lesser value. So, in order to make the coins more tradable, the Tibetans cut them into various shapes and sizes, so that they can have small change for small purchases. This process of cutting up the Mohars into smaller pieces came to be known as "Fractionalization" - and the resulting fragments of coins came to be called "Cut Tangkas".

The deteriorating relations caused by the war, including the fact that Nepal had started to supply sub-standard, debased coins, resulted in the Tibetans finally deciding to hammer their own coins within the country – before that Nepal use to supply the coins to Tibet. According to available written historical records, Tibet began hammering their own coins in 1763/1764 – first by Demo Tuelku, and later by the VIIIth Dalai Lama in 1785.

The Cut Tangka pictured above was gifted to me as a Soelra, by Gyalsey HRH Namgyal Wangchuk, Bhutan's XXVIth Paro Poenlop.

Weed Out The Renegades!

I feel sorry for our Prime Minister.

I mean His Excellency Tshering Tobgay is a legitimately elected Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and the Head of its sitting Government. This means that he sits at the pinnacle of the country’s governance – just a notch below the Head of the State. Given this authority duly vested in him by majority of the Bhutanese people, including the award of Dakyen and Patang – symbols of Power and Authority - by His Majesty the King - he does not need to resort to threats – to get state institutions to do their jobs.

As long as they are required to do so for the benefit and interest of the country, and the people of Bhutan, no state institution may have the audacity to defy the explicit instructions of the Head of the government.

The Bhutan Telecom (BT) refusing to follow a well-intentioned instruction of the Prime Minister of a sitting government is a dangerous development – it is unprecedented in the history of Bhutanese governance – it does not bode well for the country. Developments such as this must be nipped in the bud.

That said, I urge the Prime Minister not to resort to starting a third player in our already crowded telecom market …. Our user base is so minuscule that one more player would be disastrous – it will impact sustainability and, at the end, it will impact quality of service.

Instead, the Hon’ble Prime Minister should consider sacking the whole bunch of those renegades sitting at the helm of things at the BT. And, perhaps, while he is at it, he could also take a closer look at the DHI – because, it cannot be a case of coincidence that yet another DHI linked company – DrukAir – has exhibited immorality so vile that it is disgusting to even think about it!

The fact that these companies are autonomous agencies do not give them the right to be disrespectful - they are still part of the whole - they must be made to remember that all things considered - central to their very existence is to serve the interest of the people of Bhutan.

The Gigantic Poster At Dochu-La Pass

 

Thimphu; 01:26 PM; March 30, 2026

“Hi, Hi Rotarian VG ….. WOW!! To what do I owe this honor? How are you?”

“I am fine Thank You …. How are you? Actually, I called to confirm whether the large photograph of the Himalayan mountain range installed at the Dochu-La Pass is by you.”

Large Poster of the Eastern Himalayan Mountain Range installed at Dochu-La Pass: Next best thing to the real stuff!

“Indeed, it is by me. I put together the photographs – but the installation was carried out and paid for by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB).

The thing is I realized that 90% of the tourists visiting Bhutan drive to Dochu-La Pass to view the snow-capped mountain range of the Eastern Himalayas visible from there on clear days. Sadly, 70% of the time the mountains are shrouded in cloud and mist …. So most often the tourists have to return terribly disappointed. So, I suggested to the TCB that next best thing we could do to improve the experience of the tourists is install a large poster of the mountain range so that during times when the view is obstructed, the tourists can view it on the poster. I offered to do the photography FREE as my contribution. So ….. ”

“Precisely!!! …. Right now I am standing in front of the gigantic poster at Dochu-La since the real thing is not visible ….. the mountains are all under the clouds. I say, that was a fantastic idea of yours …. Even if I cannot see the real stuff …. At least I can see what it would have looked like.”

“You are in Bhutan and not in Singapore? I thought you are calling from Singapore ….. I see the country code +65 ……”

“Yes I am in Bhutan …. I will be heading for Paro in a while to see the festival there. Are you coming to Paro by any chance? …. If you are, we could meet up. I already met President Karma and Secretary Lam.”

“No, No…. a free-loader friend wants me to give a talk to a bunch of trainees whom he is instructing .. so, I need to prepare for it. Anyway …. Thanks for the call and enjoy your trip ..... Bye and take care.”

A Noble Dream Gone Sour

Yesterday (21st March, 2026), TheBhutanese newspaper featured a news report that caused me deep anguish - forcing me to renege on my resolve sometime back - not to ever think or write about DrukAir.

According to the article, the DrukAir had apparently attempted to hoodwink Gyem Gyeltshen – the husband and father of the mother-daughter duo tragically killed in the airline’s helicopter crash over three years back – the probable cause of which was determined to be, in the words of the newspaper, “human error of the pilot caused by management and relation issues.”

We will keep our share ....... and yours as well!

Gyem Gyeltshen turns out to be a person of extremely humble background – an illiterate Bjop from the remote highlands of Lunana, far removed from the hubbub of urban Thimphu – the playground of the rich, the powerful and the well-connected. An apparent non-entity, it would appear that DrukAir had decided that Gyem Gyeltshen could be trampled with at will, and any which way they liked!

No doubt, the DrukAir management was unmindful that as poor and hapless as he might be - Gyem Gyeltshen, by virtue of being a Bhutanese, is a legitimate and undeniable part-owner of the airline. Thus, at a certain level what the DrukAir did is an act of treachery and disloyalty. Even if that were not the case, at the least, the poor aggrieved fellow is deserving of the most basic human decency – some kind and comforting words …. and restitution that is commensurate with the extreme tragedy that has been inflicted him. Such a noble act on the part of the DrukAir management would have been deemed appropriate and in fulfillment of its corporate social responsibility - an unwritten requirement expected of every responsible organization doing business in the country.

For sure no amount of wailing will bring back Gyem Gyeltshen’s wife and daughter – they are forever lost to eternity. But the least the institution that is responsible for his pain and grief can do is treat him with dignity --- instead of attempting to rub salt to injury.

Is it too much to ask that Gyem Gyeltshen be treated fairly and in a just manner? Is he not worthy of receiving what is determined to be his just due? But it is clear that DrukAir won’t do it. Will our justice system step forward and do it for him? Isn’t there any other institutions in this country that can rein in this monstrosity?

For years, the DrukAir has been allowed to cause pain and failure to many hundreds of emerging businesses – hundreds upon thousands have been deprived of their livelihood because the airline company stood in the path of people’s progress and success. Their mindlessness has caused, and continues to cause, grave injury to the country’s lucrative tourism industry – the airline plays a major part in the ongoing failure that the country’s tourism industry is experiencing. And yet, they are allowed to continue to bleed the country – it is as if they were created for that very purpose.

But I am a living witness from day one of the airline’s creation in the early 1980s. Thus, I am fully cognizant of the noble, and singular, intention behind its creation.

The airline was not created so that it can gag the Bhutanese peoples’ spirit of enterprise - it was created to let soar the Bhutanese dream!

The Most Dependable Communications System During Calamities

For years now I have been encouraging the RGoB to consider training a select group of DeSuups – to act as an Emergency Response Group (ERG) - in the use and operation of Ham Radio or Amateur Radio – a form of wireless communications that will still be standing even as everything else around it falls and crumbles like 9 pins. But no one has as yet stopped to consider the idea. Well, what can I say – I suppose, true to character, it is because it is no money in their pockets.

Highly portable Ham Radio Transceiver with Microphone

But at a time when natural calamities are becoming more and more common place – it is important to be prepared for the most unexpected eventualities. In times of emergencies we all know that being able to communicate is most critical.

What if our mobile network goes down? What if we are rendered incommunicado with the outside world? What if we cannot communicate within our own boundaries? Such situations can arise – the world as we know it now has become a dangerous and unpredictable place to live in.

In times of natural disasters and emergencies and when every form of telecommunication fails, Ham Radio is the only means of communication that will still work and come to the rescue of relief workers. It can operate from the middle of the ocean or from atop Mount Everest. It can be set up and become operational in minutes. At any given time, more than a hundred thousand Hams (also known as amateurs) are active and listening in on to the radio signals around the globe. Ham Radio is perhaps the only multi-modal communication system that can transmit and receive voice, text, morse code, graphics and image data over the open airwaves. And, best of all, there is no charges to be paid to any service providers. It is all FREE!

Many people over the years have used the Ham Radio for a variety of purposes and emergencies but one of the most famous among them is the case of Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, the last Monarch of the Kingdom of Sikkim. When everything else around him was gagged up, his private Ham Radio equipment installed in his palace was the only means through which he managed to send out his message of crisis. A little after 6 PM on 9th April, 1975 – he used his Ham Radio equipment to send out his distress call – to inform the world of the annexation of his Kingdom.

Some of the world luminaries who are registered Ham Radio operators with individual and unique CallSigns assigned to them.

Ham Radio can effectively serve as our short-term emergency back-up communications system – it can transmit to every corner of the earth. And, best of all, it is easy to master, simple to operate, equipment are cheap to acquire, and best of all, compact and highly mobile.

Unfurling the Loongtah of Mindfulness

In 1973, an Indian Christian evangelist - I don’t know what else to call him – a shop owner based in the border town of Jaigaon, attempted to convert me into the Christian faith. The poor blighter had no idea that he had taken on the original dyed-in-the-wool atheist!!! 😛

At the end of close to an hour of futile attempt, he was ready to give up – but not before delivering the following totally un-Christian exit line:

“Either you are a very rich young man and you have no need for God in your life or, you are so bloody poor that you have lost faith in Him.”

What a bigoted view – so darn typical of an uneducated religious fanatic!

More than half a century later, an evolved and learned friend from USA made an observation about me – on the morning of 7th February, 2026 - quoted verbatim as follows:

“I think you are the most religious-minded person in Bhutan — and you hate religion!”

Kuche wai, please, I do not hate religion --- I actually love it for all the good things it teaches us. Here I make no distinction …. I am speaking of every single religion practiced by every human society around the world. My sin – I have been reminded umpteen times that I am a sinful fellow - is that I choose to interpret and practice religion in vastly different ways from those of the do-gooders.

And, because I believe that the “Path” I walk is the right path, I am adamant that I have no need to take refuge in any Gods or Godesses … because only those who accept that they have taken the wrong path, has the need to seek refuge. It is for the same reason that I believe that I have no need to perform any acts of atonement ---- such as burning a thousand butter lamps, reading numerous volumes of scriptures or visiting a hundred holy sites in far-flung locations. My act of veneration to honor the enlightened beings who propagated many versions of the same brand of religion, is not by prostrating before them – but by walking the virtuous path advocated by them.

Sadly, it is my experience that not all those who practice religion are evolved beings – a large number of them are of the conviction that they can do no wrong in the practice of their religion. They forget that some of what was relevant centuries back are no longer so in the present times. They forget that a meaningful religion or culture is one that evolves with time – that which remains relevant in the times in which we live.

Religion is a powerful thing – but some have tended to harness its power for all the wrong reasons. To compound the problem even further, our religious protagonists – including our community leaders and government administrators – have proven to be equally ill-informed and irresponsible. They have failed to perform their duties and responsibilities – they have failed to provide much needed leadership and guidance. The consequence has been that our living spaces and the natural world has come under increasing abuse. To a large extent, the unmindful practice of religion has been responsible for some of the environmental degradation that we are seeing all around us.

And we in Bhutan pride ourselves as a nation at the forefront of environmental conservation - a carbon negative nation - a GNH country proudly proclaiming to be steeped in a culture of mindful behavior and healthy living.

It is in this context that my accidental visit to the VAST Bhutan, Thimphu few days back was heartwarming. I am hugely encouraged by their ongoing “Lungta Art Festival 2026” ….. and the powerful message that they are attempting to convey to the Bhutanese people. It is my hope that it will provide an awakening that we so sorely need - to the perils associated with unmindful and inappropriate materials used in the production and unfurling of the much touted Loongtah - prayer flags printed and hoisted in the holiest of holy places and pristine locations.

VAST Bhutan's aspirations and message to the Bhutanese people.

The “Lungta Art Festival 2026” exposes with haunting live images how these acts of religious fervor have been the source of much environmental degradation and, in some cases, went on to cause premature deaths to the animals in the remote and far-flung wilderness such as Laya and Lunana ---- as a result of getting entangled in the grip of these indestructible weaves of synthetic fiber, laced with chemical paints.

The world community looks at Bhutan with unabashed admiration at our unrelenting stewardship of the environment. Let us keep it that way – let us be responsible in the practice of our religion.

Let us accept that there can be no merit in the practice of a religion that results in the destruction of our natural world and the environment! Let us understand that safeguarding our environment is a religious act at its most sublime!

The Big One Is Coming

For decades, scientists have been warning of the inevitable: a “Great Himalayan Earthquake” of magnitude 8 or more that could tear through northern India. And the signs are everywhere.

India's updated 2025 Seismic Zonation Map encompasses most of the Himalayan range countries, including Bhutan, under the highest ZONE VI Category.

Mr. Roger Bilham, a prominent American geophysicist stated that “India slides 2 meters beneath the southern edge of Tibet every century. Unfortunately, its northern edge does not slide smoothly but is hung-up (by friction) for hundreds of years and catches up in minutes when this friction is overcome. The slip events, which we call earthquakes, are the inevitable and unavoidable consequence of this motion.”

Bilham is on record that quakes exceeding magnitude 8 have struck the Himalayas every few hundred years. But for the last 70 years, there hasn’t been one large enough to release the pressure building up in the Himalayan arc. He is certain beyond any doubt that they will occur. In his considered view, it is not a matter of “IF” but of “WHEN”.

On 25th April, 2015, neighboring Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by two large aftershocks of magnitude 6.6 and 6.7 on Richter's Magnitude Scale, the next day. These seismic events resulted in the death of 9,000 people including tens of thousands of injuries. In Kathmandu and nearby towns alone, 600,000 structures were leveled to the ground.

In relation to our next-door neighbor - Sikkim - the following is reported: 

“Over the past one year, around 13-15 earthquakes of significant magnitude (generally above 4.0) was experienced in Sikkim and the areas around it.”

“In early February 2026, a series of tremors hit the state, with one report indicating 12 earthquakes felt in a single night, and another report mentioning as many as 33 tremors in a 13-hour span on February 7, 2026.”

Closer to home, we are reminded of the futility of trying to contain the GLOF that will result from the breaching of the combined lakes of Thorthorme and Rapstreng:

The siphoning efforts by the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology is said to be ineffective

Three of my trekking support team atop the Thorthorme Tso when I trekked to Lunana to photograph the high peaks in the areas.

Regardless of all the repeated indicators forewarning us of the coming catastrophe, the PHPA-I authorities will have us believe that they can prop up the gigantic Gaselo mountain from collapsing into the ravine, by impregnating the mountainside with motor and grout.

Pile-driving the Gaselo mountain side in an effort to stitch together the unstable rock formation that go to make the PHPA-I dam site where three major slides have already occurred - one each in 2013, 2016 and 2019.

It will take only a minor jolt to bring the Gaselo mountain tumbling down into the ravine, and for the fragile barrier that keeps the two lakes of Thorthorme and Rapstreng separated, to collapse. When that happens, the deluge of water that will be released will be so formidable and voluminous that it will sweep away everything in its path - all the way to the Bay of Bengal!

Bhutan’s Farcical Punatsangchu-I Hydro Power Project

It is simply unbelievable!!! I mean, pray tell me, for how long can the PHPA Project people hope to continue to feed the Bhutanese people their cock and bull story about being able to stabilize a whole mountain with mortar and grout?

The absurdity of it all is so incredible that you begin to wonder – what really is happening here? What are the Bhutanese people not understanding that the Project people are so cock sure about?

This is how the PHPA people hopes to stabilize the whole Gaselo mountain - by driving some hundred odd RCC piles and metal bolts into the mountain side. They tell us that this will stitch together the unstable rock formation that has already seen three major slides.

When the first slide on the right bank of P-I dam site occurred during July of 2013, it became clear to me that the location of the dam and, therefore, the project itself, was unsafe and doomed to failure. Thereafter, year after year, I have been calling for its shutting down. Alas, today, 17 years since the project construction began in 2008, and after the project cost has escalated to close to a staggering Nu.88 billion from its initial budgetary allocation of Nu.35 billion, the project remains stalled – ten years beyond its planned date of completion slated for 2016!!!

Can it be that we are so naïve that we got the stick by its wrong end?

What is the possibility that the Punatsangchu-I Hydro Power Project will be considered a SUCCESS if, and only when, it FAILS and causes untold losses to life and property?

Back Home Safe & Sound!

I just got back from a grueling 5 days trip out to the East of the country – Trashiyangtse to be precise. As the Fund Administrator for a USA-based Fund that has been supporting the education of 4 Bhutanese school children for the past four years - three of whom are based in Trashiyangtse, I had to undertake the trip in order that I may deliver supplies to the children before the start of the 2026 academic session - beginning mid of this month.

I truly dreaded the trip – I mean this is thick of winter and I have to pass a number of seriously high mountain passes - such as the Thrumshing-La Pass located at an elevation close to 4,000 Mtrs.. I did not fancy the idea of having to negotiate the many snow-bound and ice-caked passes en route to the East. But man! one has gotta do what one has gotta do ….!

But I was in luck! The weather was beautiful …. The skies were sparkling blue and the road surfaces were devoid of snow or ice. For proof, see the following images I took during the trip:

Mt. Gungkhar Puensoom - Bhutan's highest mountain and the world's highest unclimbed peak - shinning bright in the morning sun - as seen from atop Shingner village close to Ura.

The beautiful Buddhist Chorten (stupa) atop the dreaded Throomshing-La Pass at close to 4,000 Mtrs. high. This mountain Pass is Bhutan's second highest motorable Pass.

Well, this year my luck held – I hope and pray that I am as lucky next year as well … and the year following next and the next and the next!!!! Or, may be … just may be … I can relocate the children to a less perilous location!

Starkly Contrarian Views

It is interesting how two Bhutanese newspapers of repute – Business Bhutan and TheBhutanese – pursues two starkly contrarian line of thinking on a common subject of national concern: Punatsangchu Hydropower Project-I.

In their issue of 17th January, 2026, Business Bhutan eulogizes the PHPA-I in following glowing terms:

“The Punatsangchhu-I project is a story of ambition, perseverance, and regional partnership – an engineering marvel that is poised to leave a lasting mark on the hydropower landscape of South Asia. As the final block rises on the right side of the dam, Bhutan edges ever closer to realizing one of its most ambitious energy dreams.”

TheBhutanese, on the other hand, leaves nothing to imagination when, in their paper dated October 12, 2024 quotes the following as having been said by Dr Yash Pal Shardha, a retired, senior Engineering Geologist of the Geological Survey of India:

“This project (referring to PHPA-I) is the best example of deceit and dishonesty by project people. A very good investigative Detailed Project Report at one place was done but the project was shifted to another place without conducting any investigation and whatever investigations were done were cooked up data knowing fully well we are going to face problems and we went for the tender stage and drilled a few holes and the project started for construction and now see fate of the project and will it ever be completed.”

As for me, I have already written 81 blogs on the subject of our hydroelectric projects .... to say any more would be nothing short of flogging the dead horse!