India, Pakistan and Cricket

It's always tempting not to spend hours infront of idiot box when arch-rivals Pakistan and India are playing cricket. It's not just about the supremacy in the field of the game, it's also about history, politics, emotions, diplomacy, relations, religion and pride. I will not venture much into it. 

I could not help but head straight to the Eggers 341 (a room in Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Syracuse University) where the semi-final match between India and Pakistan was being telecast live under the co-ordination of the South Asia Center, Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Syracuse University. 

The score was 60/2(20) for Pakistan when I got into the room and the first thing I did was to find out the chasing target for Pakistan. Mr. Saidal, another humphrey fellow from Pakistan who is a good friend of mine said, "260". "hmmm still doable" I said.   With the spell of every ball, overs elapsed and I could see the pressure being build up to the Pakistanis as the two men on the crease failed to find single boundary in almost seven overs. But I knew that, it is the beauty of the game. You never know- sometimes until the last ball of the final over as to who will actually win the game. There was excitement all over. 

But what was even more exciting was in the fact that I was actually watching the game with people from these two countries in the same room. That was the first time ever in my life and it was quite an experience. A particular moment that caught my attention was when one of the IAS officers who was also a student at Maxwell School of Syracuse University shook hands with my Pakistani friend to celebrate the fall of Pakistani's third wicket. 

Although the situation wasn't as tensed and awkward as it was with Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani in the stadium, as much as I saw diplomacy and civility I also saw emotions and feelings for one's own country. And for those who care, India won the match and they will be facing Sri Lanka in the finals. 

Great moment indeed! and how I wish the two countries could work out their differences once and for all.

The Roar and the Mist of Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls is considered as one of the largest and most strikingly beautiful falls in the world. The sheer volume of water and the roar it produces along with the rainbow mist as it falls majestically over the hardened but tall rocky cliff is simply overwhelming. Make a point to see it in person..but incase if you cannot for reason, do relax and check out the clips below- it will provide you a fair bit of it.

I acknowledge Mr. Samuel Cole from Liberia and Saidal Khan Luni from Pakistan for clips.

WHO AM I?

I am as fatigue as thou

About the unashamed grumble

Of the irresponsible population

Of how balmy yet blistering thou art to them

I am as distressed as thou

About the indecisive nature

Of the ungrateful population 

Of how plentiful yet limited thou art to them

I am as frustrated as thou

About the blatant criticism

Of the fraudulent population

Of how fair yet unequal thou art to them

I am as uninspired as thou

About the wavering cynicism

of the entire population

Of how tough yet soft though art to them

But as Frost once said

The woods may be lovely, dark and deep

But I have a promise to keep

Before I succumb to all

The logo that never made it to the show

This is the logo that I designed to identify the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan. While it got shortlisted with many other entrants it never made its way to the finals. It's now a piece of junk occupying a good amount of space in my CPU. It's however a good part of my memory. 

Brief Explanation

Established against the backdrop of the Bhutanese color of yellow and orange is the sun- it signifies Gross National Happiness. It's about a radiant of happiness dispersing far and wide across the nation after all the evils of corruption is fought.

Firmly tagged inside the core of the logo is a bell- it signifies the nation's conscience that the ACC is affiliated with. It's about the sound of vigilance ringing loud and clear across the nation that corruption is bad for the country and that it will not be tolerated at any cost.

The color that is used to inscribe "Anti-Corruption Commission" is maroon.- It is about the symbolic nature of the Commission that indicates bravery, heroism, strength and fearlessness that the Commission is to be known and subscribing for. Maroon is also about the corporate color for ACC-something that is appropriate to be identified with.

The Adjustment Bureau

'The Adjustment Bureau' is one amongst hundreds of movies churned out by hollywood each year. With almost two hours of rolling in length, the film was directed by George Nolfi and stars Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Anthony Mackie, Terence Stamp and John Slattery. Although the film was officially themed around 'romance, scientific and fantasy, what struck and captivated me most was its relevance to the Bhutanese buddhist paradox of fate (TSHE NGON GI LAY).

Bhutanese people assign responsibility to 'TSHE NGON GI LAY' for almost everything.  Have an ugly and nagging wife- you call it a fate or TSHE NGON GI LAY even though you have thousands to choose from. Flunk exam- you call it a fate or TSHE NGON GI LAY even though you have a year's time to prepare for it. Go bankrupt- you call it a fate or TSHE NGON GI LAY even though you have so lousily strategized your business. And yes if you do well in life, that's TSHE NGON GI LAY too.

The manner in which David Norris (Matt Damon) struggles to overcome enormous hurdles put forth by mysterious men to meet Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) was simply mind boggling. To me, David found his destiny in Elise and nothing mattered to him thereafter, not even the highly proclaimed seat of the U.S Senate. He goes on to find his destiny and finds it eventually. And that is where and how David creates his own fate.

"It is not the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves"- William Shakespeare

MY TWO CENTS on Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan

There is no denying to good intention behind the Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan 2010 (TCA 2010). I am sure it must have been aimed at keeping tobacco at bay in the country. Given the nature and all the ill-effects associated with tobacco- who would not wish to stay away from it? No tobacco would mean no bronchitis, no emphysema, no lung cancer and no other tobacco-related diseases. No diseases would mean healthy productive citizens and less health-care expenditure to the government coffer.

However it is easier said than done. As much as it is tempting to probe into the fundamentals of how the TCA 2010 came into being, it is equally tempting to analyse the implications of implementing it. So here is 'MY TWO CENTS' on what this Act would entail.

Because there is a provision for people to pay tax and consume in the TCA 2010, -those with riches can consume tobacco products anyways whereas poorer section of the society cannot, even though the craving for it remains the same. It promotes INEQUALITY amongst the society and this is what good public policy should avoid.

Because tobacco products are prohibited from selling and buying within Bhutan, -the country is not only denied of an economic activity and subsequently an opportunity to earn revenue through tax but also provides fertile ground for the black market to thrive. Loss of ECONOMIC GAINS and the NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES of the likes of black market is what a good policy should avoid.

Last but not the least, because most offences in TCA 2010 are punishable with minimum sentence of felony of fourth degree, -it would mean prosecuting and imprisoning every offender regardless of anything. Too many prisoners and criminals would not only distort the image of what we are as a society but also incur huge financial cost in terms of maintaining prisoners and operating prisons. Cost implication or FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY is another important aspect a good public policy would not ignore.

Cheers and let me know if I make sense.

Supreme Court Verdict and Government Moral Responsibility

What a sheer coincidence! I was recently writing a paper as a part of my course on- 'when public officials are morally obliged to step down or resign from offices' and then there is a live moral obligation discussion going on surrounding the current administration after the recent verdict of the Supreme Court.

Here is MY TWO CENTS on moral obligation and whether the Government should dissolve.

While resigning is one of the moral resources increasingly adopted and sought after by many when confronted with ethical issues it is not necessarily a prudent thing to do over every conflicted principles. This is because it entails a whole lot of complications and it will often be accompanied by social and financial obligation to the state.

Dobel; one of the authors of public integrity argues that the moral landscape of resignation is complex and that the decision to resign should build upon the three domains of pubic integrity i.e. keeping intact the personal moral capacities and commitments, living up to the obligations of office, and effectiveness. He states that each domain and leg of the tripod is needed to support public integrity and that the collapse of anyone of them can deeply wound public integrity and provide strong and often definitive moral reason to resign. (Dobel, 1999)

As little as the dent to the Dobel's tripod, there is also very little damage done in terms of the actual victim as a result of Government's action. Thus there is no strong obligation for the Government to step down. And as far as the constitutional aspect of the issue is concerned, the Government deserves the benefit of doubt and chance in all respect.

Therefore, for the good of Bhutanese democracy and welfare of its people, I am not wishing for the Government to step down and it is my hope as a citizen of Bhutan that Government will stay to see us through.

“No member ought to accept office in a full consciousness and that he ought not to resign it for frivolous reasons.” -Aneurin Bevan

Welcome

Welcome to "My Two Cents"

As nervous as I am as to how 'MY TWO CENTS' will multiply in the course of time I am also equally excited about the platform that I long longed for. A platform not only to write but also to share with my beloved friends and family across the world.

While I don't know if you should at all care but for my own personal record,- the objective behind my blogging is simply to keep up with the changing phase of social media with the change of information technology and subsequently to tame myself with respect to productivity. It is my sincere hope that this 'TWO CENTS' of mine will grow to give me courage and strength to maintain connectivity and continuity for long time to come in future.

So welcome onboard once again. Wish me luck and remember I will value your comments and criticism.

Best wishes,

Loday Tsheten