Today I made my long-awaited visit to the ancestral home in Bebena belonging to my former work colleague Phuntsho Dendup.

Phuntsho and I worked together in His Majesty’s Secretariat between 2009 and 2013. We share many stories and memories – especially of state visits to India and other countries.

Visiting his house is like walking into an architectural marvel and the modern history of Bhutan. The house is a little over 60 years old and was built by his father, Shaab Dophu, who served as palace attendant of the Third King before he was appointed as Haa Ramjam (sub-district officer) and then in Dungna and finally in Chapcha. He was the attendant who walked alongside the visiting Indira Gandhi during the historic visit of Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958. (See photo)

What is striking about the house is the perfect proportion and the intricate details of every corner, both inside and outside the house. The interior mural paintings, the mud walls, the windows are all classy and tasteful. Phuntsho’s father must have been a perfectionist like him.

Phuntsho is the most organised person I have ever worked with. All the personal effects of his father, and all the items from his time with His Majesty are neatly displayed like in a museum. His proudest moment is witnessing the signing of the 2007 Treaty Signing between Bhutan and India in Delhi of which he carries an autographed memento from our King.

The ancestry. The past.

Phuntsho’s mother, Aum Pem, traces her ancestry to the legendary master craftsman Pinsa Dewa, who is credited with making bronze statues for Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in the eighteenth century.

Her father, Lotey, served the First and Second Kings as a palace retainer. The Third King appointed him as the chief commissioner of a new royal initiative—the Institute of Zorig Chusum. He personally crafted the golden pinnacle of Tashichho Dzong and of Dodeydrak Temple.

The only statue-relic of Guru associated with Pinsa Dewa and held by the family was offered by Phuntsho’s parents to be the main inner relic of the large Buddha Shakyamuni statue in Tashichho Dzong when it was expanded in 1968.

Here and after.

Phuntsho retired from his last position as Acting Director in the Ministry of Information, in 2022 and now lives with his wife and dedicates his time to prayers and spiritual activities. He is proud to inherit the house and has no plans to tear it down despite the land being a prime real estate area of Thimphu.

However, he says,

“I don’t know what the future holds for this masterpiece. I have done my part by maintaining it. My children will do what is best for themselves.”

“If such houses are taxed like they do now, my children will be tempted to bring it down and build a more commercially viable five-storied building. I don’t know,” he adds.

My hopes and prayers are that this house and other traditional houses in Thimphu valley receive some sort of heritage status and subsidy from the state and are preserved for posterity. For these houses have a soul – a character that reflects our collective past, history, and culture. New concrete buildings are modern but without the warmth and class as these houses.

And above all, these houses tell our story. The story of an ordinary family associated with Pinsa Dewa, of a family offering their only treasure to the state, and of a palace retainer who walked the visiting foreign PM over the mountains of Bhutan. And of his son being the third generation to serve our monarch in a simple capacity.

With each house being replaced by a hollow building, a part of us is lost forever.

(11-16 April 2026)

It rained heavily on the morning of 13th of April – the second day of the Sixth Volunteers Program organised by the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) project. However, from the window of my room, I could see volunteers walking in the rain, and laughing and cracking jokes. It was a sight to cherish – so much solidarity – so much pride.

That night the laughter and some music filled the air, as members of the Bhutanese Sandalwood entertained the crowd with songs, dances and jokes.

Two days later, with the program having ended and the participants making their way back to their homes in other parts of Bhutan, Gelephu felt bit empty. But not as empty as it was during Covid.

1. Business is picking up, cyclists and joggers – even chhilips cycling and jogging, are a common sight, and hotels are doing brisk business as the spiritual projects organise long prayer ceremonies and blessings and volunteering works.
2. You can’t get a flat in core town. It is houseful. The sharp demand for housing came mainly from the airport construction where much of the levelling works looks done.
3. The location of each of the 108 chortens has been cleared. And GMC Building is for now the star attraction in the old town.

The Mindfulness City project is far from over, though. In fact it has just started. The journey will be hard and long but it is a journey worth embarking on, and a venture – if delayed by another 10-15 years, will miss its mark. For now, patience and belief will do us some good.

What needs some improvement is public communication and better public awareness. Confusions still reign.

GMC is our hope to take Bhutan to the next level. No hope can become a reality if there is no sense of ownership among the very people the project is supposed to benefit. The series of volunteers programs helps to adequately this vital goal – of bringing together a nation towards a common vision.

So, we keep moving, with patience and conviction.

A day after the volunteers have left the town, I was interviewed by a foreign journalist. He asked me to define GMC in one sound bite. I replied,

“Simply put, GMC is prosperity with purpose. That’s my definition. For far too long we have been sacrificing economic growth in favour environment. We need to find a better balance to address the dissatisfaction among our people, the youth especially. Covid exposed that imbalance.”

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(Disclaimer: views are my own. And not of any organization I represent or lead)

It rained heavily on the morning of 13th of April – the second day of the Sixth Volunteers Program organised by the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) project. However, from the window of my room, I could see volunteers walking in the rain, and laughing and cracking jokes. It was a sight to cherish – so much solidarity – so much pride.

That night the laughter and some music filled the air, as members of the Bhutanese Sandalwood entertained the crowd with songs, dances and jokes.

Two days later, with the program having ended and the participants making their way back to their homes in other parts of Bhutan, Gelephu felt bit empty. But not as empty as it was during Covid.

In fact, one can notice the city rise slowly like a giant having been asleep for long. Business is picking up, cyclists and joggers – even chhilips cycling and jogging, are a common sight, and hotels are doing brisk business as the spiritual projects organise long prayer ceremonies and blessings and volunteering works.

Much of the levelling works of the new international airport looks done. The location of each of the 108 chortens has been cleared. And GMC Building is for now the star attraction in the old town.

The Mindfulness City project is far from over, though. In fact it has just started. The journey will be hard and long but it is a journey worth embarking on, and a venture – if delayed by another 10-15 years, will miss its mark. For now, patience and belief will do us some good. What needs some improvement is communication and better public awareness. Confusions still.

GMC is our hope to take Bhutan to the next level. However, no hope can become a reality if there is no sense of ownership among the very people the project is supposed to benefit. The series of volunteers programs helps to adequately this vital goal – of bringing together a nation towards a common vision.

So, we keep moving, with patience and conviction.

A day after the volunteers have left the town, I was interviewed by a foreign journalist. He asked me to define GMC in one sound bite. I replied,

“Simply put, GMC is prosperity with purpose. That’s my definition. For far too long we have been sacrificing economic growth in favour environment. We need to find a better balance to address the dissatisfaction among our people, the youth especially. Covid exposed that imbalance.”

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.
.
.

(Disclaimer: views are my own. And not of any organization I represent or lead)

This stupa will probably be the last thing I will remember when I am at the end of this earthly journey.

Of course, I didn’t build it. Dorje Phagmo Rimpoche did. What I did was to kickstart the process.

In 2013, fresh out of my last job in the government, I found myself in front of her for the first time. She shared a prophecy wherein she was supposed to build this chorten before anything else to “resume” her Dharma activities in this lifetime. But fate had been cruel to her. She didn’t have any major support. She was not even given the construction permit. Things simply didn’t take off big.

I had Nu. 59,000 in my account. Like many average government employees, I had a skinny bank balance. In spite of that, and without a second thought, I offered 50,000 to start the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Rest, as they say, is history.

Construction started in 2018. Over 4,000 people joined in with donations of modest amounts. One villager offered Nu. 6. Together we built this monument. Later, as my finances improved by leaps and bound, I offered more.

The project was suspended in 2019 after a major setback. However, covid-19 hit, and I was stuck back home from my position in Macau. I personally oversaw the resumption of the construction and its completion. Just as I had started, I also sponsored the final touches—the external carving and gold-painting. It was completed as the world reopened in 2022.

If you are traveling in Zhemgang, Buli, or Tingtibi, this stupa and monastery are just 30+ minutes from these places (road conditions permitting). It has some of the most unimaginable treasure relics buried in it—from the personal effects of Buddha to Guru Padmasambhava to Pema Lingpa to Penor Rimpoche.

Flew into this sparkling fresh Paro Valley that was rinsed by the incessant rain of recent days. For those missing our beloved home, this is the latest picture from this morning.

Back from a superb three weeks of a mixed trip of business, fundraising, another billion-dollar investment deal in the making, identifying architecture firms and experts, and a denting-painting of my teeth (for free). And some Vipassana meditation and Tom Yum soup.

In Thailand I also visited some top retreat centers in the Khao Yai area. It is mainly to help us do the final designs for the spiritual center in the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC).

The spiritual centers in GMC, in my view, should go beyond a temple caretaker and just ritualistic practices. They should inspire Buddhism in action and an alternative way of living and being in the world—not only sustainably but also in a regenerative manner—all founded on the Vajrayana ideals.

There should be infrastructures to organize festivals and fairs to bring communities and countries together – thus creating not only harmony and solidarity in the world but also direct employment opportunities for our people and an economic system around it that indirectly sustains a couple of thousand families.

My dream is to see something like Boudhanath in Kathmandu, where around the stupa countless people make an honest living, and thousands more are welcome there regardless of race or nationality.

That’s my vision to help fulfill the greater vision of GMC.

Picture: The red roof square building is Rinpung Dzong. The cluster of red-roofed houses is Paro College of Education.
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(PS: All my travel expenses are from my own savings and income, and for now I don’t gain anything monetarily out of these. But I am gladly doing it as my humble contribution to the project in GMC, and along the way I am also able to support the greater cause of selfless service and nation-building. I have, of course, no doubt that in the long run anything done with good intent pays off.

My earlier post on my life coming full circle attracted a lot of admiration, goodwill, and a few envies. I thank you all for that. I am also glad many young people were inspired that at a time when people struggle with making inroads with one career, I had three “successful” ones (whatever success means).

While my life seems to have been a breeze, it was actually far from it. I had my fair share of struggles and strain, often characterized by difficulties and injustices that seemed insurmountable at times. People I recruited myself would betray me. I was ousted from making documentaries two weeks after I won an international award. I had to leave the organizations that I built with my own hands. These all felt cruel and unfair.

Some of my career changes were my own choice, while others came by because of certain people and circumstances. One thing that I want to stress upon here — especially for our younger generation that is less resilient than us, the GenX, is that everything that happens to you – places you go, and people you meet, all serve some purpose. Therefore, take every moment—both good and bad—every struggle and every betrayal as a message from the universe trying to put you on your predestined path. And not as a punishment for your bad karma, or you as a victim.

Do not overthink or kick yourself for the damn luck. Don’t linger in there for more than what is necessary. We must always remember that we suffer more in our imagination than in reality. What happens, and people do to you, are beyond your control. What is in your hands is how you respond.

Likewise, when the going is great, do not celebrate for too long—otherwise failure will be at your door the next morning. Keep moving on from both happiness and hardships. Internalise the concept of impermanence.

As for me, somewhere along my life, and early on, I learned to take life as a package—of happy and not-so-happy moments. There is no such thing as good or bad when it comes to learning from it. Everything is an experience. Every experience is an opportunity to grow. And with every growth, you find the joy of living – the raison d’etre.

Of course, I am not a Buddha. When things start crumbling around me, or when I feel betrayed, my first reaction obviously is anger and sadness. That is normal, but I quickly switch to: what is the universe trying to tell me? Is it time to move on? Yes, although moving away from the familiar feels scary. Most of the time, I really don’t know where I am going, but I keep going anyway.

One thing is for sure: my principle is not for sale. My dignity may have been battered several times, but my conscience is intact. This is not to say that I am perfect, but the beauty of being human is continuously working on your imperfections— just as courage is not the absence of fear, but your ability to work around it.

And finally, I changed my career from engineering to filmmaking to media and public relations to communication scholarship. I now find myself having to do all of these – especially in the new project that I am leading. Maybe the universe was preparing me all along for this big assignment — through all the trials and tribulations, through becomings and unbecomings, and through all the people and places I have come across.

Maybe my life until now was just a warmup.

😎😎😎

Some 20+ years ago, I left the engineering and project management stuff after building BBS FM Radio and BBS TV. I must say I was a bit fed up with meetings and negotiations and fundraising, or dining with donors and contractors, and preparing GANTT charts and spreadsheets, although my organization (BBS) was benefiting.

I moved to documentary filmmaking and journalism. As a producer and filmmaker, I did some watchable documentaries and anchored my own talk shows on BBS TV. I introduced the talk-show culture on Bhutanese television. Before me, no one wanted to talk on the public media.

I also went on to collect a few prestigious international awards here and there before I was inducted as palace staff in 2009 to lead the communication and public relations. Glory days, indeed. Greatest honor.

After I was relieved from that role in 2013, I became an adjunct professor and also went back to school to study for another higher degree—in communication and social science this time, which included a heavy dose of cultural studies and Buddhism.

In 2022, I left my jet-setting life in Macau and the classrooms behind. I thought I was done with everything I had to do—made my fame and fortune, achieved what I had to achieve, and tasted both fun and failures. I retreated back to Bhutan to a quieter life of mantras and building some stupas and temples. Everyone was leaving. I chose to return.

One year back I was accidentally made the chairperson of an ambitious spiritual project in GMC—one of the 14 that received the Royal Decree.

To cut it short, I am now back to meetings and negotiations and fundraising and dining with donors and contractors and preparing GANTT charts and spreadsheets. And on the move again.

There is a line from the movie Kung Fu Panda that best describes my story.

“You meet your destiny on the road you take to avoid it.”

In Buddhism, time is believed to be cyclical and not linear. It indeed seems to be that way. It is back to the future.

This is Yindhum Chorten in Dorje Phagmo Dratshang in Zhemgang.

A few years back I had put marbles around the stupa after a conversation with one of the resident nuns there, who is in a wheelchair. She has permanent birth defects.

During my recent trip there, however, as I was sitting on this spot and observing the people going around the stupa, I just realized how a simple innovation like putting flat tiles around a stupa can mean so much not just for the disabled but for the old too. How easy and pleasant it makes for the elderly to do their circumambulating.

One guy came up to me and told me how his father-in law loves going around this stupa because the floor is smooth. For those of us living in the cities such facilities are often taken for granted. In far flung places it is a luxury.

Doing good things does not necessarily mean you need lots of money, and you have to do great things. Great things are great, but not all can afford. Small and simple projects such as this, but meaningful, do not cost much and can give you an equally great sense of joy and fulfillment.

For those of my age who have had their share of fame and fortune and are seeking some greater meaning in their life (not those who are struggling still), all you need to develop is mindful seeing and observations, coupled with empathy and service to others. And to slow down with accumulating wealth and power and vying for more.

There are so many simply joy you can bring to the world.

Next project: to make the temple and the stupa wheelchair friendly.

Thanking all my online and offline friends for the heartwarming wishes on my birth anniversary. I was down with the flu to respond immediately. My frontal neocortex was shut off from endless sneezing that I could not think straight. So, here is a belated reflection as I almost hit a full zodiac cycle by the Bhutanese calendar.

Aging is a natural process where years get added to life. It is not in your hands. It happens regardless of all of us and to all of us. However, not everything needs to be left to time, fate, and nature. You have a choice too. You can add life to the years, as the cliché goes.

Let me share my own approach and experience. And by no means is this to sound condescending or moralizing.

Unfollow the script.

You see, just before the covid years, I had an inkling that something was off with the standard script of our life—the established conventions, the social norms, and the predetermined expectations. Covid-19 confirmed that feeling, with the lessons of impermanence being hammered on us by the sudden pandemic. I was on to completing my doctoral studies and take up a teaching position in a foreign university. But everything changed in an instant.

Ever since that, I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t wait for doing what needs to be done. If there is a meaningful project, I grab it and run with it. If there is a place to go, I don’t wait. If there is a person in distress, I try to help. Every year is an achievement. Every month is a blessing. Every day is a gift. Every moment is to be cherished.

One problem with following the convention is that you get deleted once your usefulness expires, such as reaching the so-called retirement age—a concept that is nonexistent in the traditional Bhutanese society but which became widespread with the introduction of the modernization era. Ten years back I had all these realizations.

No such thing as retiring.

Today when I travel, I meet my mates from my school and colleges and work colleagues who have mostly retired. This, I feel, is a huge scam we have fallen for. Retirement is a concept we borrowed from the Industrial Revolution, where you are disposed of once you are not strong enough. Worse still, you “delete” yourself. As a small country with a small productive workforce, this is a waste. Monks and farmers never retire.

I feel one should not stop working—especially the doctors, engineers, and teachers. Recently, when I was in Buli, I met one of my juniors from engineering college, who said he was retired. I told him that there is no such thing as retirement and that I want to see him in Gelephu for two to three months every year to help build the mindfulness city. There are a myriad of ways to give back to the country, king, and community. And lots of ways to add life to your years.

Fun facts about Gen X.

The thing is, my generation—Generation X, the generation that grew up eating WFP wheat supplies, the generation that got the first vaccinations, the generation that walked for days to get to a road, the generation that came from the School of Hard Knocks—will probably live longer than their parents. Past the age of 80 for sure if one leads a healthy life, and many may even cross 90. Now, that is a good 20+ years to operate on your own.

Sure, life is uncertain. But, again, this is something no one can do anything about. What you can do, instead, is to start thinking about how to fill those 20 years in the most meaningful ways that will make you proud and without having to check with the whims and fancies of your capricious boss and a judgmental society. You can move around more freely and make your own choices.

This, of course, is not to suggest abandoning one’s obligations and responsibilities, but an invitation to do what makes one truly happy and fulfilled without the boundaries set by the service rules and social pressures. In fact, a friend of mine once shared that he really felt he was serving the country better after he left the government job. His was the first hotel to offer itself as a quarantine station during Covid.

So, to all the people from GenX, keep going! You can still contribute to humanity; you can volunteer for one of the numerous spiritual monument projects in GMC, you can teach our Desuung and Gyalsung, or you can volunteer for any of the NGOs in the country. The opportunities are there.

For millennials and those born after.

The millennials! Because of all the constant distractions and intense lifestyle, you guys will age very fast. You are 17 one day and 47 in an instant. 30 years, gone! You will soon be in line at the exit door. Start thinking now about how best you can give life to your years. What greater meaning can you find? What difference can you make? How many lives have you changed? Is this life all that there is? You may be judged by the number of houses you own or the career you pursued and attained. But what will truly make you feel deeply satisfied inside is how many lives you have made a difference to and how many moods you have uplifted.

For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, there won’t be a script to follow, as the world you will live in will change so fast that you will be in the recycle bin more often than not. I will elaborate on this in my future articles.

Meanwhile, start adding life to your years as Mother Nature adds years to life.

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NB: Starting the first day of the rest of my life by sending out school-going expenses for my beneficiaries 😇😇😇

(Photo – with His Eminence Sonam Gyatso (aka Abhum) Rimpoche, for whom I jumped at the privilege of showing him our country. He really liked the Tshering Chhegna circuit. He was a teacher to Dorje Phagmo Rimpoche when she studied in Mysore.

After my post on driving in India, here is a funny and not-so-funny side of driving in Bhutan – in the spirit of fairness and sportsmanship. Please add your #MaanKiBaat. But no hate speech, please. Only fun and some laughs allowed here.
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1. Indicator Rule.
   The right indicator ON can mean any of the following:

• I want to turn right.
• Don’t overtake.
• You can overtake.

1. Safe Distance Not Allowed.
   Don’t leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you. Otherwise, this space will be filled by at least a taxi and a truck, who are trying to gain milliseconds of arrival time.
2. No traffic light is a national pride.
   Either it is too advanced a technology to adopt, or we take pride in being romanticized that “Bhutan has no traffic signal.” Technology is there for a reason.
3. Some cars think they are trucks.
   If they want to turn right, they occupy the left lane and veer right. Vice versa, if they are going left, they turn right first. And trucks think they are cars. They try to enter a race competition with SUVs.
4. Confidence Overloaded.
   Pedestrians do zebra crossings as if they have divine rights. Maybe they have nine lives like cats.
5. The fast lane is Booked.
   It seems some drivers have paid the subscription fees to stay in the fast lane. So, you have to overtake them from the left.
6. Overtaking is an ego game.
   If you attempt to pass the car in front that is snailing, it will suddenly accelerate. If you are successful, you will be cursed or chased.
7. Honking Rule.
   One short beep to alert the car in front you are overtaking; three short beeps to say hello to your friend passing by; the longest and continuous beep to scream if someone is trying to kill you.
8. Some Entitled Lot.
   The more luxurious the car, the more the sense of entitlement one feels.
9. Thanks. No, Thanks.
   Don’t expect to get a thank you for the courtesy you extend, like waiting for them to pass or complete their maneuver.
10. Blind you!
    Prepared to be blinded at night by someone flicking at you to alert you of their presence.
11. Animal Surprise.
    Be careful when driving in rural areas and forested areas. Cows, goats, chicken, tigers, elephants, leopards, deer, monkeys, pheasants, and mongooses may pounce on the road from nowhere.
12. Almost Licensed.
    If you see a large letter “L” pasted on the rear windshield, it means the driver is “Learning.” Go near it at your own risk.
13. Acrobatic Spitting.
    If you see someone open the door and pop out their upper bust, don’t worry. It is not a suicide attempt. It is to spit out the betel nuts.
14. Let there be no light.
    Wonder why Bhutanese don’t switch on the light beam till it is pitch dark. Don’t be alarmed to meet many cars driving in the dark, after the sun has been long gone. 🤔🤔🤔

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