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!