Is Druk Yuel Headed The Merlion City Way?: I

Recently a friend from abroad sent me some intriguing comments that read, in part, as follows:

“………. Interesting articles you put up there .. the Bhutanese exodus to Australia! 40,500 & growing - almost a third of Thimphu population.

They are not there just for study and work – a large number of them will be there for the rest of their lives as many hold PRs.

The last time that happened to Singaporeans leaving Singapore and with the added problem of lower birth rate, the Prime Minister set up incentives to entice them to return home. 

That did not work. Then the policy shifted to granting PRs & Citizenship to foreigners. Today, the true-blue original Singaporeans are <50%!

Another problem was when foreigners began to flip property & other businesses, then relocate the monies elsewhere.

If Bhutan copies Singapore model all the way through, this will be the way”

This friend fears that there are clear signs that we are headed the Singapore way – we are faced with the same twin problems that Singapore faced decades back - outward migration of our youth and falling birth rate!

Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bhutan - sounding the alarm bells

The problem of outward migration is a tricky issue – we may have to live with it for a while – unless there occurs an upheaval in the Bhutanese migrants’ psyche – and decides to prefer life over livelihood. Frankly, I am not very hopeful of that ever happening, or even that if that will be seen as meaningful.

In the context of falling birth rate, the PDP government is already trying to address the problem – by offering cash incentives to encourage making of more babies. Time will tell if this program will succeed … but even if it does, this has to be seen as a long-term solution that may not salvage us from our imminent short-term woes that are not very difficult to foresee.

So, the question then is: Is it likely that we too will arrive at that point where we have to invite foreigners to be our citizens?

Maybe … or maybe not.

But Bhutan has one off-the-rack solution - even if just a marginal one - that Singapore did not have …. What remains to be seen is whether we are willing, and have the courage, to act and grab the bull by the horns!

………..to be continued.

Purity of Intention – Not The Show Of It Matters

One day on a Drukpa Tse Zhi, a pensive Buddha in heaven wondered if His devotees on earth remembered Him as He hoped that they would. He walked to the edge of the gate of heaven and looked down at the earth.

He was pleased that He was indeed alive in the minds of His millions of devotees on earth …. He gazed with immense satisfaction close to a billion butter lamps shimmering and lighting up the night sky.

As He was about to return to His abode, He noticed that one particular lamp burned with unusual brightness – brighter and more luminous than all the rest of over a billion butter lamps. He was intrigued – why is it so?

He shut His eyes and delved deep into His inner Buddha mind and, through His clairvoyance, He saw that the radiant light emanated from a lamp lit by a half-clad, aged lady with unkept grey hair. The butter lamp (Kaami Kom), fashioned out of clay was torn at the edges and was placed on a weathered piece of wooden plank. A look of sublime peace and serenity on her face, her hands folded – she knelt in front of the lamp and stood motionless – deep in prayer and veneration.

The Buddha delved deeper and it was revealed that the lady was so poor that she had no butter or oil to fire the lamp – instead, she poured what remained of the oil with which she was oiling her hair, stuck a wick in the center of the clay Kaami Kom … and lit the Kaami (lamp).

Moved by the purity of her intentions, the Buddha in heaven too knelt on His knees and offered a prayer of thanks – that He had such true devotees on earth.

NOTE:

Few days back, I narrated this Buddhist parable to a friend who intended to spend Nu.80,000.00 to buy an ornate Choeshum for the prayer room. I explained that a carved and colorfully painted Choeshum will only serve to feed one’s vanity – not enhance the wholesomeness of one’s prayers.

Drukpa Tse Zhi: Observed and celebrated as one of the most sacred days by the Buddhists in Bhutan, Lord Buddha is supposed to have delivered His first sermon after His enlightenment, at the Deer Park in Sarnath, India.

Recognizing The Real Calamity

To be fair, those of us who are resident in Thimphu – whether Bhutanese or not – have to be considered among the most blessed. If the Royal Government of Bhutan’s periodic mock drills of emergency rescue and evacuation exercises are anything to go by, we should feel a sense of uneasy relief that not everything will be a case of disaster and mayhem. It is not a very comforting thought – but there is now abundant proof that nature induced disasters and calamities will be a part of our daily lives – we have already tasted its ferocity in recent times - in multiple locations around the country and with uncommon regularity.

That said, let us not be in any confusion - these mock drills to test our preparedness has to do with how efficiently we will handle “the aftermath” of the destruction caused by natural events such as earthquakes, fires and floods. It has nothing to do with handling the disaster itself. When natural disasters strike, all that we can do is gawk and gap in awe at its ferocity …. and run for dear life. The power and ferocity of nature has to be seen to be believed!

It is commendable that we are readying ourselves to deal with the destruction that will be caused by nature induced calamities …. But I ask you – what of the calamity of the other kind? …. A calamity that is looming large right in front of our eyes?  A man-made calamity that is more calamitous than those caused by nature … a calamity that is building up at a break-neck speed … a calamity called:

!!  TRAFFICE CONGESTION  !!

But this is a calamity that we have the power and the means to control and mitigate …. no need for mock drills and test runs! Sadly, we are so numbed by a sense of complacency …. that we do not seem to be wanting to do anything about it.

It would appear that people fail to understand that this is a calamity which, unlike the natural ones that will likely happen once is a year, or in five years, or in ten years, or in half a century, the one that we are ignoring, when it arrives, we have to live with it every day, and every waking hour of our lives!

If we do not address this looming calamity now, in the coming five years or so, Thimphu will be unlivable …. Traffic congestion will be so severe that we will see road-rage on a daily basis. It will derail smooth flow of life – I mean there will be so many problems that the situation will throw up – we have no idea as yet.

We are fully aware that in our condition road expansion cannot happen beyond a certain point. Thus, the way to go is to be inventive, think of creative ways to ease or lighten traffic congestion – create conditions so that we can accommodate the burgeoning vehicular traffic, or redirect it elsewhere – away from the core. If we do not do this NOW, we are in serious trouble.

Look at the situation prevailing already – in the last one year, vehicle dealership has ballooned exponentially …. vehicle population has increased at an alarming rate. You would have already experienced the crushing traffic congestion in the morning hours and in the evenings.

If we put our minds to it, it is not a problem that cannot be surmounted …. Therefore, let us be sensible and focus on solving smaller problems that we can solve …. instead of chasing big dreams which, given our situation, most often remain nothing more than dreams.

To be caught with our pants down every time is not a sign of an evolved society. We need to transcend verbosity and get down to addressing real issues with timely planning and execution. Time is of the essence …. Let not the opportunity pass us by.