My Answer in the Words of My Monarch

Photo Courtesy: Dorji Wangchuk

Ever since a graduate student in Syracuse University asked me this question -"what is the thing that keeps Bhutanese people happy?", I have been searching for an answer and I am almost growing old. 

It wasn't the economic development that we have achieved so far, otherwise Americans would have been the happiest people in the world followed by Chinese and Japanese.  It wasn't the LDC status that we still continue to languish in,  otherwise Burundi and Congo would have had the title. Perhaps it must be the geographical location- but then, how come others who dwell in and around this mountain range are not necessarily known for happiness? Nah- I bet it's not the looks of the Bhutanese people that mattered for our happiness,- there are Koreans and Indians who are better known for it and they aren't the happiest people either. 

The answer lies in the word of my Beloved Monarch -His Majesty the 5th King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.- it came in the State Banquet Address to the joint session of the parliament in Tokyo, Japan during his State visit .

He said, " Bhutanese continue to live lives of simplicity and modesty that foster a deep sense of harmony among our people...." 

Yes! there it is. It is indeed the nature of the people of Bhutan that mattered all together at the end of the day. -the simplistic nature, the modest nature, the level of contentment even though we may be the poorest on earth. The sense of harmony, I guess, is the bi-product of simplicity and modesty.

If so, where lies the challenge now? - in creating happiness or maintaining happiness?

Sweet Meeting of Sweet Sweet Hearts

This poem was written by my brother (3rd eldest) in the year 1996 in dedication to me and my dear wife after we first paired up in Sherubtse College.

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At last the beauteous lone moon began to smile

And sailed with northern star a thousand mile

Un-numbered celestial body danced with gay

But to celebrate their cousin's blithesome day!

Com'on fans, the firmament doth dance in gay

Birds on trees with joyous note go astray

Lets join the birds and the firmament to celebrate 

The sweet meeting of sweet sweet hearts in elaborate

The moon's and stars' light in union

Clears the darkness where dwells wretched million

May the two blessed beings of common heart

Spread love and happiness throughout 

May the garish wind widen not the distance

And happiness tell every moment of their existence

May the fickle fate keep her blind hand away

And let live the joyous bosoms in their own holy way!

'May this holy bud of love

By summer's reaping breathe

Turn into a beauteous flower'

'May the sun grows cold

And the stars are old

Let not the love that's found

For any body for anything sold!'

-Kuenzang Dorji Tawla

Sheer Nonsense

Relics on public display

Here is a quote from an article published in the 9th November issue of the Bhutantoday, a daily news paper in Bhutan. It talks about an incident where a Police Officer, in the midst and rage of managing or mismanaging crowd gathered to get a glimpse of Buddha and his disciples' relics brought all the way from India, bashed one student black and blue.

Close up of the relic

"An editor of a print media who was at the scene on October 4 in Tendrelthang said the police were facing a tough time managing the crowd. “I have no comments on what happened. But the police were under duress.  If the crowd was not controlled there were even chances of the relics being damaged, which is worse than people losing lives,” 

It is the second sentence of the paragraph that bothered me and I am picking on it. 

It's MY TWO CENTS again, ..wait a minute,-- Did that editor,whoever he/she may be, really say that "damaging relics would be worse than losing lives? You got to be kidding. It can't be true. If not for nothing, an editor of a print media can't go that wrong by any chance. It is got to be a misquote as it's often a case and it is only proper that it is corrected in whatever ways deemed appropriate. But for some reason, if the editor did say that, I condemn him/her from the marrow of my bone and I condemn the paper for providing space for such a sheer nonsense. 

Crowd that day- it's was chaotic indeed. 

I say non sense because; firstly, relics displayed there are bone remains of Buddha and his two disciples and by nature, even if they are precious, they are not at all delicate and destructible. Secondly, the way the so called editor, goes about placing importance to the non-living things as against the living beings, that too with human lives is something that I cannot comprehend and rationalize.