The National Airline May Soon Be Privatized!

One of the most recent rumors I heard is that the ball-breaker IMF will soon step in to bail out Bhutan. It is quite plausible - but that is not my worry. My worry is that among the first things they are set on doing is to privatize the government owned and operated Druk Air Corporation. That would be a total disaster! Unless the IMF’s restructuring team is yet again headed by a Singaporean, I believe that they will not see any merit in such a move - after all, Bhutan’s situation is pretty unique compared to most other economies.

Bhutan's national flag carrier - Druk Air

No denying that the Druk Air has been a problem in the national scheme of things - I have said so for years - that Druk Air needs to be shorn of their profit making mandate, that they need to fulfill their responsibilities as a national flag carrier. If they were to be privatized, it would be a disaster. In fact, they need to be delinked from the DHI and put under the social sector - as an apparatus of service  - to complement the national aspirations for a robust economic activity.

As a national entity that carries the national flag on their wings, their responsibility ought to transcend profit making. They cannot make profit - it is not humanly possible given the limitations under which they have to operate. But they can certainly help numerous other sectors make profit. Sadly, the opposite is true - the airline is being an impediment in the path of many.

The Druk Air is not a taxi service - they cannot behave like one. They are a national airline of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The least they can do is behave responsibly and show a level of dependability that is expected of a national flag carrier who has the distinction of being the only carrier that can don the national colors on their wings. At the least, they have to remember that whole lot of tourism players depend on their reliability and dependability.

What is the idea of changing their flight schedules and timings as if they were running a charter service? Isn’t a regular airline required to have a pre-planned program of flights that operate on a regular basis and on a pre-planned, published schedule? Once declared and published, how can they just change as and when they fancy? Don’t they realize that others work and plan based on their published schedules?

I understand that some one is already suing the Druk Air for their irresponsible behavior. I hope it is true.

Conversion of Hotels: Abandoning Tourism

It is sad - the recent news in the media that a large number of hotel owners are contemplating converting their properties for use as spaces for some other purposes - other than as hotel accommodations, for which they were originally built.

This is a case of the child forsaking the cradle within the confines of which he/she found comfort and safety during his/her formative years. There is no gain saying the pain the owners must feel - but clutching at every strand of straw within grasp is what is called for - given the painful times we are going through.

But will the financial institutions allow the conversions? After all, it is a complete deviation from the stated purpose for which the financing was extended to the hotel owners. May be YES – I mean, if this is the only way to improve the NPL situation in the country, why not? If they have to depart from convention for the sake of improving recovery, they have no choice but to do it. If the financial institutions have to save themselves from imminent collapse, they have to make a shift from their customary rigid, unrelenting posture.

But it is still sad. It has taken us many decades to arrive here. Government policies have been tweaked to create enabling conditions to upscale capacity. Financial institutions had thrown wide open their coffers to lend money to aspiring hoteliers. The government had blatantly encouraged the hotel sector to upscale and upgrade their properties - with veiled threats that if they did not do so, they would be left in the lurch. In heeding the clarion call of the government, both old and new players in the tourism sector went headlong into expanding capacity and upgrading facilities - in anticipation of a booming tourism business. Tour operators invested millions in acquiring buses and improving competence.

Then, after all that – BOOM!! …. Less said the better.

The greater tragedy in this calamitous reversal of fortune is not so much the monumental losses the people are straddled with; hundreds of dreams shattered, and thousands of jobs lost - in its wake ushering in an era of unprecedented exodus of outflow of human capital. Even worst, we are now at the verge of being thrown many decades back in time - dismantling many decades of painful building of tourism infrastructure; causing disenchantment to thousands of industry professionals who are left without direction or earning.

Tourism still holds boundless promise for Bhutan - it is the mother of all mothers inside whose accommodating belly many other industries foment and nurture. The government needs to act fast - before we enter the phase of no return. We do not have the time or the money to rebuild what we are about to lose, that which was built over many decades.

An Event For The History Books

Now folks, tell me, what is there not to love about the following image? It is truly unparalleled and groundbreaking - a stuff for the history books:

The happy convergence of GOOD and EVIL - Buddhist monks happily performing the inaugural ceremony of the official launch of high-end recreational fishing in Tsirang - proof that the men of God now sanctifies fishing as an act condoned by Buddhism.

The launching of the high-end recreational fishing in Tsirang and Dagana Dzongkhags (Districts) was conducted with traditional fanfare and pomp - replete with red-robbed monks murmuring holy chants for success and good luck. The Tsirang Divisional Forest Office’s Facebook page announced the event in following words (Do not miss out on the wrongly spelt name of the fish):

“With the amendment of Forest & Nature Conservation Rule 2021, the Department of Forests and Park Services has opened High-end Recreational Fishing in the country. For more sustainable and recreational fishing purpose, the rivers of Bhutan are categorized into Trout water and Masheer water. The High-end recreational fishing site for Golden Mahseer zone II, Sunkosh Stretch - Punatsangchu was launched on 13th March 2023. Tsirang Forest Division in collaboration with Nature Conservation Division, Department of Tourism and Dagana Forest Division initiated the launching program. During the launching, 4 International Angler in collaboration with Bhutanese anglers started the High-end recreational fishing from Sunkosh river stretch. The High-end recreational fishing is exclusively for catch and release purpose only.”

Bhutan’s brand new high-end tourism product is intended to draw in the global game-fishing community, by the hoards. Sadly, that will have to remain a pipe dream - unless the Bhutanese bureaucrats learn to shed their decades old mentality of framing rules to restrict - rather than to facilitate. The Forest and Nature Conservation (Amendment) Rules and Regulations of Bhutan, 2021 recently released by the DoFPS is one such example. It is clear that the government has, yet again, tapped into the wrong pool of minds.

One particular provision contained in the rules explicitly prohibits fishing for the star attraction - the prized Golden Mahseer - during a period and in areas where/when they are known to be most productive. Another provision reeks of self-interest and selfishness - it is clear that the rule has been influenced by some interest groups.

The mighty Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) hooked and landed at Changchey, Tsirang on 29th October, 2020. For the world angling community elsewhere in the world, a Golden Mahseer this size is .... well, stuff of dreams.

It is hoped that the DoFPS will see through their folly and remedy the flaws in the rules, in order that the objectives of introducing game fishing in the country serves its intended purpose. I, on my part, will be attempting to contribute to the national cause, by sharing my experience of over forty years of fishing the Bhutanese waters for Golden Mahseer and Brown Trout, with the relevant agency in the government. So far there has been no indication that the government is receptive to sound counsel from home-grown talent pool - but citizens have to do our duty, and keep trying, nonetheless.

Tour Report By A Tour Group

NOTE TO READERS: This one is going to be a long one, in addition to the fact that it is not a very interesting subject for most. But given the painful times Bhutan's tourism industry is going through currently, I thought that perhaps there may be some pointers in how I do things. Time is here for us all tourism players to make up for the government's utter failures. We need to give our extra best!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Professor and Katie,

Thank you for your mail --- and I am glad to hear that you have landed home safely. Amazing that you can still write such a long and exhaustive mail, even after such a long and continuous journey spanning tens of hours.

Thank you for your thoughts on your trip to Bhutan. I truly value it - not only that it gives me an idea of what visitors like and prefer, but also to dispel any misconceptions that we might have - given that we are in a cross-cultural situation and there will always be beliefs that can be wrongly conceived. Thus, truthful feedbacks can help correct those misconceptions. As you say, your feedback will help me better serve my future guests.

Binturong - one of Bhutan's rare Mammals. It was sighted on the road between Tingtibi to Dakphai in Zhemgang on 15th March, 2023. The mammal is listed as "Vulnerable" in the IUCN's Red List.  The Binturong is the only living species in the genus Arctictis.

I am glad that my team and I have been able to give you some semblance of an enjoyable experience in Bhutan. We do try our best - to attempt to give you the very best of experience. But we cannot always get it right 😢. We seek your forgiveness for our failings - we hope that there have not been too numerous.

Yes, I too am amazed, and happy that you have been able to sight your famous Binturong 😍. Wonders never cease!!! If I have learnt anything in my 69 years of life, it is that one should never write-off anything - everything is a possibility.

FOOD & ACCOMMODATION

I am glad that you think the accommodation and food we served you were PERFECT – except in one location. That has always been at the core of my worries in the provision of service to my guests. I have heard of so many complaints from tourists on the poor quality and limited variety of food across the whole of Bhutan. But like I told you during one of our casual conversations - that may be because most of the tourists are treated to buffet meals by their hosts. I personally abhor the idea of serving buffet meals - it means that you are made to eat something that is not of your own choice. I believe that people must eat meals of their choice – thus my strict instruction to my guide is that guests should be served A-La-Carte meals at all times. NEVER BUFFETs!!!

You may be happy to know that I have told my guide that the location at which you were not entirely happy - should be off the list of properties we will use in future. As you have seen yourself, I always inspect the properties I intend to use for my guests - but I seem to have failed to fathom the failure of this one property.

WI-FI

I think I did mention to you at one point that Wi-Fi access in rooms is generally said to be poor. I am told that the Internet connectivity is much better and faster around the Reception area. For the life of me, I cannot understand why this should be so. I believe that it is because the hotel owners take a very casual attitude towards the problem. If they can make it fast enough in the Reception area, they can make it the same in the rooms. I suppose this is one of the enduring peculiarities of the Bhutanese people, that is beyond understanding.

LOGISTICS

Thank you - I am glad that you did not find us wanting in the provision of logistics. Thank you for a PERFECT rating.

MONUMENT FEE

I am glad that you found the trip to Taktsang and Chhimi Lhakhang worth your while. I would have certainly dissuaded you from making the visits - but for the fact that the government decided to roll back their policy on monument fees, in time. Consequent upon the change in policy of the government, my company will absorb the fees - guests will not be asked to pay the monument visitation fees. Because I believe that the high SDF government is charging is more than painful already.

RIVER RAFTING

I am glad that you liked the experience. I agree - we should promote it as an opportunity to sight some unique shore birds. The problem though is that during summer months when the rivers swell to about five times that which you have seen, the rafting approaches the class of white-water rafting and, thus, the experience is of a different kind. Also during the summer months, the migratory birds can no longer be sighted since they would have gone back to their summer roosting grounds.

BIRD/WILDLIFE

Indeed!!!! That is why Bhutan is known as one of the Ten Global Biodiversity Hotspots of the world. Our avifauna multiplicity is phenomenal, as you have already experienced.

In the past Bhutan was called the Birding Capital of the world, by the world birding community, including the opportunity to experience some truly stunning alpine wilderness. Unfortunately, with the recent introduction of US$200.00 per person per day as SDF, these long duration unmatched High Value tourism experiences have been rendered untenable - it is sad indeed!
 
But we tourism stakeholders are all praying hard that the government would realize the folly of their act and think of a reasonably acceptable SDF rate. Most of Bhutan’s economic activity hinges on tourism, a fact that would have dawned on them by now.

NATURE WALK EN-ROUTE TO GASA
I am glad you liked it. Unfortunately the only animal you saw was the Assamese Macaque - but glad to know that the profuse of birdlife you sighted more than made up for the lack of animal sightings.

ZHEMGANG

I am thrilled that you found the experience in Tingtibi “super super beautiful and the camping by the river was tops. Highly recommend”. Unfortunately for you, it was the wrong season - otherwise I would have treated you to the unique experience of fishing for the king of the freshwater fish - the endangered Golden Mahseer. I am among the country’s top record holders of the fish - at 27 KGs. Imagine the thrill of trying to reign in a maddened monster on a death run!

PHOBJIKHA

Indeed Phobjikha is my most favorite place of visit - particularly during the winter months. The place is almost surreal, with the cold, dense mist suspended in mid-air - it makes for a perfect picture. Sadly the time of your visit was past the Black-necked Cranes season, so the allure of the place was lessened by that much. Perhaps next time - there is always a next time.

YOUR GENEROUS TIP

Lastly, THANK YOU for your generous tip of Nu.10,000.00 you left for me. That was very kind of you. However, I would like to inform you that I passed on the whole tip to your guide. I believe that it is the service team who deserve, if they do, any tip from my satisfied guests. As the owner of the host company I am expected to generate my profits from the business operation - not from tips. Tips are earned by the service team. I gave the whole tip to the guide because the driver is the owner of the TOYOTA Prado that he was driving you in. He is already an economically competent person - he does not need any additional tips - in addition to that which you already gave him, separately.
 
Also I am more than happy for the GOODWILL earned from you two. That, to me, is the most generous tip any tour operator can receive - it is more than any monetary profits.
 
Bye and take care - I hope that we will continue to keep in touch. I am honored to be in touch with people of such rarified sciences such as those in which two of you are engaged. Bhutan is fortunate that we can attract people of your caliber.

Yeshey

Accepting Mistake Is Good

I am currently traveling on business so I am not able to write an elaborate and effusive eulogy on the government’s recent roll back of their policy on the unwarranted hike in the monument fees. It was a shameful and insensitive thing to do, particularly after the atrocious increase in the SDF to US$200.00 from the earlier US$65.00. In the face of unrealistic increase in the SDF, the government should have, instead, done away with the monument fees entirely - on the grounds that the increase in SDF would more than cover any and all costs towards maintaining the monuments.

One down! Many to go!

This is a case of the government admitting that they had made a mistake - this is good. Instead of being on an ego trip, it is wise to eat humble pie and do what is right - remedy the mistakes. As I keep saying, it would be too late by the time you say sorry … saying sorry does not resurrect a dead man. If you realize a mistake has been made, correct it before it is too late.

For the foot soldiers of the tourism sector, it has been near impossible to explain the rationale behind charging atrociously high monument fees - in addition to having to pay SDF of US$200.00.

There are many other policy absurdities with the post-pandemic Tourism Policy 2022. We need to correct them as well …. And we need to do it PRONTO.  Soon is not soon enough. Any further delay may be too late to save Bhutan from the economic woes that are already evident.

The relevance of tourism to Bhutan’s economic vitality has been sufficiently proven in the aftermath of the introduction of the ill-conceived tourism policy.

As I keep saying over and over again, making mistakes is not a problem - the problem is when we refuse to accept to learn from them, for the better. Great things are achieved through humility.

Like someone commented on one of my blogs, if citizens are wailing, it is akin to a baby crying out for attention of his/her parents. Unfortunately, the first reaction of the parent is most often to see if the baby had wet his/her diapers - it is rarely to see what the need of the child is. First thought of the parent is that the child must have done something wrong to be kicking up a ruckus.

Remember - babies wail because their needs have been ignored - not because they peed in their diapers.

The Terminal Lure of Oz

Twice before on this blog I wrote of the need for monitoring and regulating the overwhelming outflow of Bhutanese, in particular, to Australia. I even suggested that someone should visit Australia and speak to the Bhutanese diaspora there. The Bhutanese exodus to that country is an abnormal phenomenon, implication of which few Bhutanese have stopped to ponder about.

When I was told that even people who own buildings in Thimphu have chosen to migrate to Australia, it dawned on me that the pursuit of livelihood cannot be the sole reason why people chose to abandon homes and families, to travel across the seven seas - in search of whatever they hunger for.

Dreams are lived when you are asleep.

You do not need to risk the perils of the unknown and the untested to make a living - for the willing, opportunity and livelihood are staring at your faces at every corner you turn.

We are a society numbed by a century of Kidu dole out - I am not sure that we are prepared to take on the unknown and the unfamiliar. We are willing to blame the whole world for our own shortcomings - we believe that the world owes us a living and that it will wait for us forever. Such a mental disposition will not find acceptance among other societies. We need to change - but the reality is that that change will not come soon enough, even if it does, eventually.

For a while I was under the impression that the exodus was a systematized affair conducted with planning and foresight. The recent reports of woe emerging from Australia tells me that it is not so - that it is a case of the deaf shadowing the blind. I think people have been victims of the dream merchants and the carpetbaggers.

For those who are due to make the journey in the coming weeks and months, it is not too late to reassess the situation and correct course before it is too late. It appears that the greenery down there is rather prickly - not the stuff of your dreams.

But my bigger worry is something else though. What if Australia suffers a devastating natural calamity brought on by global warming? What if Australia is overwhelmed by a deadly pandemic, the likes of COVID-19 or some other deadly brand new virus?

It is my belief that outside of Bhutan, Australia has the largest population of Bhutanese. Trust me, a catastrophe in Australia will cause shock waves in Bhutan - the likes of which will dwarf that of the COVID-19. The financial and human tragedy will be simply immeasurable!

Think of the financial investment that has gone behind the exodus. You get the picture.

On The Wings Of The Dragon - VIII

Hi Yeshey,

I have decided that I cannot afford Druk Air fares Delhi/Paro – not particularly when we are four of us flying. They are costing me US$ 340.00 per person – one way. It is way too expensive for me. I have decided to fly through Delhi to Bagdogra and from there by land to Bhutan. I will be asking your friend travel agent to rearrange the travel itinerary accordingly.

C U soon

--------------------------------

A good friend is visiting Bhutan this month with his family of four. The recent changes in tourism policy is so unfriendly that I did not consider it courteous to handle the trip myself - thus I requested a tour operator friend to arrange the visit. It is best that my friend negotiates the trip cost with an unknown operator - I just don’t have the heart to start quoting the numbers.

But it turns out that I am not the only one losing business - apparently the Druk Air too is.

Fortunately, my friend did not cancel his trip to Bhutan on the grounds that the airfare was too high - he opted instead to take a more strenuous route to visit the country. Others in his place may have very well canceled the trip, entirely.

An example of creative marketing - a calculated, workable gamble. GENIUS minds at work!

The question here is: Is it possible that this may now be a routine thing? Is it possible that many Bhutan-bound tour groups are now diverting air travel to airlines and routes not operated by the Druk Air? Is it possible that the Druk Air’s high airfare may be contributing to loss of revenue for the National Flag Carrier?

As I said, it is simply impossible for Druk Air to operate profitably as a commercial entity - not given their carrying capacity, not given the limited number of routes they serve, and definitely not given the disproportionate administrative cost they have to incur to keep the operation afloat. In any event, the creation of Druk Air was a statement of nationhood - not an enterprise of profit. The only way for them to make profit is by charging exorbitant fares - which, unfortunately, as we can see, results in loss of traffic.

So do some real math - learn from the Honkies - abandon the impossible and the narrow institutional interest. Instead, serve a national interest - be the National Carrier that you are - support the tourism business - a national interest initiative.

What Druk Air loses in profits can easily be recouped a thousand fold - in profits made elsewhere. The Druk Air's endeavors should be directed at minimizing losses - not towards making profits.

Arms Of Steel

Late last year I landed myself a nice little contract to photograph wild birds of Bhutan. Just PERFECT! Finally I can now consider the possibility of upgrading to a camera body with a higher pixel count.

I ordered myself the darling of the present breed of professional camera bodies - the Canon EOS 5D MK IV. Only to realize, too late, that the pixel counts aside, the camera was equipped with a sensor size that was inappropriate for bird photography - it came with a full frame CMOS - not the most ideal for bird photography.

Well, too late to do anything - I had to order yet another body - this time with a CMOS size designed for bird photography - the Canon EOS 90D, equipped with a APS-C sensor, with a form factor of 1.6X.

Disaster yet again - the images produced by the body was grainy and not as sharp as it ought to be. I tried all sorts of settings - to no avail. I gave up and went back to my full-frame EOS 5D MK IV.

It was during the course of running the camera body through a series of tests that I finally derived much satisfaction - about myself - as a photographer. Look at the following image:

Blue-fronted Redstart - near perfect image captured under extreme difficult conditions. Photographed at 3:10 PM yesterday the 20th February, 2023.

Tell me - how many photographers do you know who would dare attempt to shoot an image at this near impossible setting: at aperture f/5.6, ASA 100 and shutter speed of 1/8 - employing M shooting mode? Very, very, very few, if at all! I even got the tail tack sharp - remember a bird's tail is hardly ever still.

You gotta have arms of reinforced steel to be able to produce this sharp image at the given camera settings. Consider further that the lens in use, combined with the camera body, weighed in at a combined weight of over 5 KGs - and NO TRIPOD in use - except that the lens was rested on my car window.

Only a passionate photographer will understand the joy of accomplishment at this level - SIMPLY MIND BLOWING! - although I say it myself 😋.

On The Wings Of The Dragon: Part VII

When the tourism industry was on its way to being toppled off its pedestal like a hated tyrant towards the end of the third quarter of last year, few had any idea of how impactful it would turn out to be for the country. Not since the creation of the Department of Tourism in 1972 by His Majesty the Third King, has there been an upheaval in the industry - at a scale and devastation as we have seen in recent times.

If we do not act fast - and fast is not fast enough - we will live to see the profuse of wreckages in all their gory details - the water would have long passed under the bridge of no return. For now however, I want to speak of one industry that we seem to have forgotten:

Bhutan’s Airline Industry

Have they been spared? That would be a silly question to ask! I am told that the Druk Air - our National Flag Carrier is, for now, making do on one-way-outbound-tickets: a business generated by the Bhutanese exodus to Australia and elsewhere, not inbound tourists. Word has it that TashiAir - our second airline has not even released their Winter Flight Schedules.

I fear that over time the National Flag Carrier may not be in a position to generate money enough to pay for their annual aviation insurance on their idling aircrafts.

Years back, during early 2019, I began my 6-articles series titled “On The Wings Of The Dragon”. I encouraged the wresting of the Druk Air from the clutches of the Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) - on grounds that they were being abused - to the detriment of the nation and the people of Bhutan. Please read all of the past 6 article on the subject at the following:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/search?q=On+the+wings+of+the+dragon

I opined that as a National Flag Carrier, Druk Air had to serve a responsibility far, far greater than profit. That, in any event, given their overall carrying capacity and the number of routes they served, there was NO WAY they could make profit - unless they do so at the cost of the nation and the people of Bhutan.

And, this is what the Druk Air has been doing over the years - charging among the world’s highest airfares and undermining the growth of Bhutan’s tourism industry. For the interest of one lone company, the interest of the nation had been bound to the stakes and burnt to dust. Ask any tour operator and he/she will tell you horror stories of how some deals got terminated the moment clients heard the cost of Druk Air’s air ticket.

I hope finally sense will prevail and we can look forward to at least one right thing - the rationalization of the airfares of the Druk Air so that it makes sense to the international travelers, and we do not have to duck every time the issue of Druk Air’s air ticket comes up during the course of the negotiations.

For Want Of A Nu.10.00 Genja Ticket

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The President
Association of Bhutanese in Perth
AUSTRALIA.

Dear Association President,

Greetings from Bhutan. It is my hope that this finds you safe and sound, down under.

I believe that the pleasantries of a formal introduction can be dispensed with since I have already spoken to you on WhatsApp - so you know who I am. What you do not know is: what do I want from your Association? The following is my story.

I have few relatives studying/working in Australia - a little over half a dozen of them - one among them being you. Of that many, a nephew recently bought a parcel of land in Thimphu and wanted me to represent him in the signing of the land transfer documentation, to be executed as a matter of official record with the Land Commission.

The all-important Genja Ticket

It turns out that the rule in vogue is that the Letter of Authority in my favor has to be executed with his thumb impression (not signature) affixed over a legal stamp. Now that was simpler said than done - understandably, it appears that getting Bhutanese legal stamps in the land of the Koala is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. It took him three days to finally get the stamps from some friends and have the paper executed.

I was unnerved - I mean here was a situation that could very well cause, what they call, a disastrous slip between the cup and the lip. A perfectly good deal could be jeopardized - for want of a Nu.10.00 legal stamp. I decided that we cannot allow this to happen - not particularly when I am trying very hard to get the message across to every single Bhutanese in Australia and elsewhere that we need them to buy land back home in Bhutan, and not in Australia or elsewhere, so that they are encouraged to eventually return home, to reap the benefits of their toil.

Thus, few days back I drove over to the GPO and bought four sheets of legal stamps - each containing 50 stamps each, making up a total of 200 stamps. This should be good for atleast 100 land transections. I am happy to let you know that the Genja Tickets have been forwarded to your Association by DHL on 08/02/2023. The packet should be in your hands any day now - please confirm, upon receipt.

It is my donation to the Bhutanese community in Australia. I shall appreciate if you could distribute the stamps freely - to any and all those who may stand in need of them - with my wish and hope that they make tons and tons of money - so that they can buy acres and acres of land back home in Bhutan, and eventually come back and settle down to lead a life of leisure, and of calm and peace.

Bye and take care.

Preparing For A Serious Photographic Assignment II

It was now time for the acid test - to determine if the camera and the lenses were as squeaky clean as I believe they ought to be!

First I went through the boring prescribed routine - cranked up the lens’ aperture to f/22 and shot a few frames with the lens aimed at a perfectly white sheet of paper. The result was as expected - not a blotch nary a spot! But shooting a white paper is sooooooooo boring - so I chose a different subject - a metal work with some intricate design carved on it. The following was the result:

It took me three days to photograph this quality of image - primarily because I needed to shoot outdoors so that I can get the desired effect on the background, while ensuring that I am able to capture the details with the greatest of sharpness. What it entailed is that I use the narrowest f stop (f/22) on the lens and ensure that the distance between the object and the front of my camera lens - and the distance between the object and the background is such that I get a smooth, buttery background that you see in the image.

My problem is compounded further by the fact that the subject is a dangling one - that which is dangling in the air. This means I have to factor in the wind factor - the slightest of wind can ruin the image. The slightest of shake of the subject can render the image blurrrrrrrrrrrry.

You can imagine the mathematics that go into producing an image that looks like it is going to pop out of the frame any second!

In the topsy-turvy world of photography - f stop 22 is considered narrowest, while f stop 1.2 is considered widest!

You have to agree that the image is simply stunning - the lens has captured every microscopic detailing on the shinning amulet. I love the splendid craftsmanship - supposedly fashioned in Tibet. I am sure it was cast from a mold - I do not believe that it is a handiwork of a silversmith - producing such near perfect and unceasingly even job of carving is beyond the skills of any modern-day carver.

By the way, the poker-faced shop owner who sold me the Talisman assured me that it had magical properties that would protect me from evil spirits that roam places such as the Duthroe (crematorium) and hospital maternity wards. What a lot of baloney!!! But hey - if Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad thought up something no less bizarre and convinced the whole of humanity with something called RELIGION, why can’t the poor blighter try his cock-and-bull story on me?

Remember - the most successful consultants make their living selling you dreams that they themselves are unable to live. Fund managers become rich by selling you ideas as to how to manage your funds - if they were any smarter, they should be busy managing their own.

Preparing For A Serious Photographic Assignment

This article is intended for readers who are amateurs, semi-pro or professional photographers.

---------------------------------------------------------

From what I know, a large number of photographers in Bhutan are constrained by the lack of in-country professional service - to clean and service cameras, in particular dirty/stained sensors inside their Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras.

I have an ongoing project where I am required to photograph intricate designs and motiffs. In preparation, my camera gear underwent a thorough spring clean operation. The camera bodies in use are Canon EOS camera system, equipped with two different sizes of sensors: 1.3X and 1X. I am using Carl Zeiss Macro-Planer 2/50 ZE f/1.2, 50mm macro lens, and Canon EF f/1.4, 24mm wide angle lens for the job.

The angst is further aggravated by the misconception that camera sensors are prone to scratching - if you attempt to clean it yourself. Nothing can be further from the truth. With proper care, the camera sensors can be cleaned by any one equipped with the right tools, and nimble fingers.

It is the same with the camera lenses – irrespective of how expensive they are - they can be cleaned by anyone with the right tools and attitude.

I migrated to the use of digital cameras in 2003. I have never once had the need to send my camera for servicing to a professional service center - I have always done it myself, and quite competently I can assure you.

Photographers go into a nervous fit when someone touches their camera lens because they think that the lens will get scratched. Not true - the lens can withstand a fair amount of bare-hands handling - as long as they are not abusive. The only two problems that I know of with camera lenses are that because of continuous exposure to the elements, dust particles settle on the front and back glasses of the lens. But they are not a problem - just wipe them off gently with a soft nonabrasive cloth. Even better, always have a UV filter mounted on the lens - it will prevent scratching and collection of dust on the front glass of the lens. The other problem is the fungal growth inside the lens’ elements. Well, if you have this problem, there is not much you can do - except that next time you are shopping for a lens, buy a better quality lens from a respectable manufactures - as they say - if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. In plain language, ensure that the weather sealing of the lens’ construction is top notch - so that there will be no mildew formation.

Caring for the camera’s CMOS/Sensor is a little more complicated - but nothing to be nervous about. You need three basic consumer level items that can be bought over-the-counter in camera shops or can be ordered on-line. The items are:

1.  Strong handheld air blower;

2.  Good quality sensor cleaning formula; and

3.  Sensor Swabs - swab size will depend on the size of the sensor inside your camera. They come in various sizes, mainly: 1X, 1.3X etc.

Various digital camera sensor sizes

The cleaning process and the method of use of the cleaning systems will be elaborately described in the accompanying literature of the products.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT is that your lens, and the sensor, should be clean at all times. Particularly if you have an important photographic assignment coming up, you need to check and ensure that your camera gear is in top form. This can be established by taking a few sample test shots. Particularly if your assignment involves macro or close-up photography, you will need to make sure that there are no grimes on your sensor or the lenses.

Close-up and macro-photography will entail cranking up the lens’ aperture to the region of the stratospheric: f/22 & f/32. This means that the lens will pick up even the invisible spots on the sensor. It will show up on the final image – something you DO NOT WANT.

For bird photography, it is not so important because we shoot between aperture settings of f/4 & f/5.6 at the most. At this aperture range, the lens will not pick up any dust on the lens’ front/back, or grime/dust on the camera’s sensor.

Bhutan Trust Fund For Environmental Conservation

The world’s first environmental conservation Fund - BHUTAN TRUST FUND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION (BTFEC) - held an event at the Hotel Le Méridien, Thimphu yesterday. The event was yet another first for the world’s pioneering fund specifically founded for the conservation of the nation’s natural environment. In an era of exclusion and elimination, the event brought together a gaggle of personae from practically every walk of life - regulators, environmentalists, educationists, photographers, members of the bureaucracy, financiers, UN workers, hoteliers, college students, a large troupe of aid workers from NGOs, a motley of journalists from the fourth estate, including a surprise package in the form of Dr. Sean Watson of the Mountain Hazelnut Project fame.

A first-of-its-kind initiative

Truly an event that can be said to be a result of the out-of-box thinking by the management team headed by a brand new CEO in the person of Dr. Karma Tshering, the BTFEC has initiated a groundbreaking initiative that we hope other similar institutions will want to replicate. That said, I hope it does not turn out to be a flash-in-the-pan kind of thing - I hope they stay the course over the long haul.

The event saw participation from a staggering 74 participants - excluding the Foundation officials and staff. If numbers matter, it should speak sufficiently for the popularity and relevance of the event. Inviting the Foundation’s Founder - Dasho Benji Dorji - to speak at the event was a nice touch. But I was sorely disappointed that the BTFEC forgot the past CEOs of the Foundation without whose competent contributions the BTEFC would not be where it is today. I noticed the same lack of social grace during the celebration of the Tourism Council of Bhutan’s 50th Year Anniversary at the Dusit Hotel in 2021. Then too they forgot the pioneering players and trailblazers of the industry who are still alive and contributing vigorously to the growth of the country’s most vital industry - the peerless tourism industry.

I hope people will remember that our present is innately linked to our yesterday - and our today will define our tomorrow.

The discussions and recommendations that ensued during the event were truly meaningful and it is my hope that they would serve as a road map for the BTFEC. It is also my hope that they would make such gatherings a calendar event - so that they can feel the pulse of their aspiring collaborators of the future.

Three of my submissions to the BTFEC during the event were:

1.   Please choose your partners wisely;

2.   Please reassess your past projects so that you avoid known pitfalls; and

3.  Please institute a Reward scheme for the proven environmental champions of the country

      - not a reward for the already rewarded.

My formula for success has always been that we should attempt many, many small and manageable undertakings that are within our financial and technical competence, instead of attempting large enterprises that are outside our capability. It is my hope that the BTFEC would see merit in espousing minor players as well - even as they muddy the waters with big and mighty fish in the rivers.

Addendum:

I have it on authority that the management of the BTFEC did send out invitations to all of the past CEOs of the Fund, for their presence at the event. Unfortunately, none of them could make it - given their prior engagement elsewhere.

The Tea Girl from Dawakha 2

I located her – my Tea Girl from Dawakha.

She saw me approach her and called out; “Kuzuzangpo la”, with the same beaming smile brightening up her youthful face.

This time she was not selling tea but tending to her sister’s grocery store. This time she did not offer me tea because she obviously remembers from our last tryst that I do not drink tea - particularly not tea with milk.

I asked her; “Where is your tea?”

She replied; “I have it here – do you want to drink?”

I said;  “Yes please.”

She poured me a cup from her Chinese made flask. I began drinking.

An offering of unparalleled value and significance

“So what do you do these days?”

“I help out my sister with her shop here. At other times I help out my mom who runs a store next to our house. My life is just like that.”

“My life is just like that” - do I detect a hint of surrender and submission?

We spoke of the reason for her time in Dawakha, number of years she spent there, her age, name of her village etc. We spoke of the humane conditions of Dawakha Open Air Prison - how the atmosphere there bordered on the normal and the regular - nothing like a prison.

Over time, our conversation veered off to other inmates who were there during her time at Dawakha. In particular we spoke of the young willowy dancer of great talent who moved as if she had no bones in her body. We spoke of the successful entrepreneur gone astray, and her remaining 4-5 years still left to serve. Our conversation moved on to another beautiful young girl who bludgeoned her husband to death. And while we did not speak about her, I remembered a lady inmate who renounced her own life to serve time at Dawakha - in order that she may spare her husband’s son from being consigned to a life of imprisonment at such a tender age, even before his life began. A sublime act of compassion and sacrifice.

Not all inmates are criminals - in many cases they are victims of circumstances. But in every single case they are criminals because they had the misfortune of being caught in the act - if they hadn't been caught, they wouldn't be known as criminals. There are tens of thousands who are bigger and more sinful criminals in Bhutan who roam freely - driving Land Cruisers and living in swanky villas - ridding high horses and dispensing morality. Their only virtue is that they are smart enough not to get caught and, even if they are caught, they are powerful enough to hush things up and move about as if they were God’s gift to humanity.

“So, I hope you will now behave yourself and do nothing that will result in having to go back again to Dawakha.”

“No Sir, I will not.”

“Good - hang on there!”

The Tea Girl From Dawakha

“Sir, please have a cup of tea”; offered a young girl at Bebena’s vegetable market last Saturday - beaming with an unabashed smile bright enough to light up the whole of Bebena Vegetable Market, all the way to Tashichho Dzong.

“No thank you”, I said.

“Sir, you don’t have to pay. I offer it free”.

“No, no, I mean I do not drink tea - particularly not tea with milk”.

“Oh…… Lass La”, said the girl, about to move away - still smiling.

“Hold on ----- do you know me”?

“Yes la, I do. You are Rotary Sir”.

“Where did we meet?”

“In Dawakha la … I was resident there when you visited”.

Dawakha. !!DAWAKHA!! - a locale most would go to great lengths to conceal the fact of ever having been domiciled there.

Dawakha - an open-air prison facility for female convicts serving time, on transfer from Chamgang Central Jail.

Selling tea to regain her dignity & life 

It was a truly humbling experience - to know that I am remembered - not by the rich and the powerful and the all knowing - but by one who is considered a criminal, a social outcast - a stigmatized person.

I am deeply touched and honored - I mean how often does one get offered a free cup of tea in the middle of a huge throng, by a person who may most likely be living on the fringes of law and society?

Obviously the young lady is a remarkable person. Her beaming smile is proof that she has made her peace with life - buried per past and is now trying to regain her dignity and her life - by selling cups of tea at the vegetable market.

Background: In my capacity as the Club Secretary of the Rotary Club of Thimphu, I had to visit the Open Air Prison (OAP) at Dawakha few times, to oversee the implementation of three Rotary projects at the OAP. The young lady tea seller obviously remembered me from one of my visits to the facility.

It took a while to dawn on me that her offer of a free cup of tea was her way of saying Thank You.

Over the days since the incident of last Saturday, I have been thinking: how lucky I am and yet it was so terribly thoughtless and insensitive of me - I should have accepted the cup of tea and drank it.

I hope it is not too late. Beginning from coming Saturday, at the top of my shopping list will be - a cup of tea from that young lady from Dawakha. Hopefully I will bump into her once again and, this time, I will not fail her.

Safe Water: The Gift Of Life

Hi Brian,

Thank you for the link to the video .... I went through the whole video till the end.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxA-qyouG42jJGrzm0kwYP8nTWOJGTiI3

It was truly nostalgic. I may have resigned ... but my heart is still there ----- in the Rotary.

The launch of BHUTAN2020 Project at the Rotary Convention in Toronto, Canada in 2018

At $ one million, our BHUTAN2020 Project is Rotary Club of Thimphu's single largest humanitarian project, and among the most meaningful. It benefits a few hundred thousand school children and teachers across the country, including, in some cases, even their parents. The Ist Phase of SkyHydrant 120 filters were already successfully installed during my tenure. Five days back I visited the Rotary office and I noticed that 5 filters from the IInd Phase is already in the country - I thank you for keeping the project alive and on track.

Map showing installation sites of 20 SkyHydrant water filters by July 2018

But one worry that had dogged me during the entire duration of my tenure in RC Thimphu was the fear that school authorities could be numbed into a false sense of safety - that since there is a good filtration system installed in the school that everything would be hunky dory. People tend to forget that the very best of systems are prone to failure - that one must never be complacent.

Safeguarding our children

In my capacity as the Club Secretary I did all I could to try and ensure that the school Principals remain vigilant - that the filters are not malfunctioning. The only way to ensure that is by running regular tests to make sure that the filters are dispensing safe water. The schools have been required to make sure that they have the health authorities test the water dispensed by the filters every 2-3 months. It is my hope that the requirement is not abandoned, for the sake of school children’s health.

By the way, you may have heard that thousands of Bhutanese youth are heading for Australia - for education and livelihood. Please keep a look out for any job openings for them. I suddenly realized that NOTHING, but NOTHING, can beat the Rotary network - please spread the word among the Rotary fraternity in Australia. I think this is a great idea - particularly considering that a majority of the sponsors for the SkyHydrant water filters are Rotarians, or institutions owned and run by Rotarians.

Bye and take care ... and I hope you will have the patience to keep going with the good work.

Yeshey