Following my post, and the talk at Bhutan Echoes, on What it means to be Bhutanese, I have received over 200 requests for the soft copy of my dissertation. I thank you all for reaching out to get my humble work – although it is still in the inhuman academic form. I promise to work on a book for mass distribution. 

Many also shared their secret dreams of pursuing their bachelors, masters and PhD. So this post is mainly for you people and for the lifelong learners, and readers. 

First of all, I would like you all to keep your dreams alive and stay focussed on that path. Someone once told me, you stop learning, you stop living. For our country too, on any day I would prefer to have a good educated population. Ignorance does not bode well for anything. Just look at what’s happening these days beyond our borders.

Second, to start yourself off, treat yourself like an academic. Take time to read academic stuff, and watch and listen to academics on YouTube. Give an academic bent to the place where you currently work by googling on how to innovate your job and your profession. Take the free courses on Coursera.org from some of the best universities to get you in the mood and to speak the right language. Nothing will go to waste even if you don’t go back to school.

Third, in terms of cultivating the right attitude, have a dual feeling – of respect for others’ ideas on one hand, while also motivating yourself into critically thinking and telling yourself that you can add to the idea itself. This will push yourself into really training and exercising your brain positively. But, do not, under any circumstances, underestimate yourself on one hand (this is very Bhutanese), while also shooting down other people’s ideas and works. Such an attitude will get you nowhere in life. This is a very common “third-world mentality”, which the colonial powers used to instil in the colonised people during that period. Sadly, we still see some remnants of such filthy behaviour even in our midst. 

You may probably achieve the goal you aim for:

Yes, setting your mind on a goal can often take you to the goal itself. You must have heard that from every motivational speaker. But here is my own story. 

Many years back when I had just moved into documentary filmmaking from engineering, I stumbled upon a leaflet of the prestigious Japan Prize for International Documentary Contest. I decided to win that prize, and as a reminder (I mentioned that I am absent-minded) I kept that leaflet in my bag and carried it with me everywhere I went. I won the Japan Prize a year later in 2003 – less than one and half year after I started making documentaries. All my life I have been a technician and an engineer but I learnt the art of documentary filmmaking almost instantly. Of course, you should work hard, work smart, and burn many midnight candles, and find a mentor.

Another story – when I was teaching in Sherubtse, and after rubbing shoulders with the academics, I was completely awed by people like Dr. Karma Phuntsho and Dr. Kuenga Wangmo with doctorate degrees – as in how they spoke, the depth of their talks, the humility, and how they carried themselves. So, I decided that I would also pursue doctoral studies, which I was told was necessary if I wanted to be taken seriously in academia. So, look for the right inspirations.

Enjoy the journey. Don’t mind the destination:

An interesting plot twist to my PhD goal occurred when I started off in Macau. Both my supervisor and another professor of sociology advised me to take the opportunity of being there to leave a legacy in the field – meaning to take on some difficult questions that would kickstart a national conversation, while adding to the discipline itself. They told me that I already had an illustrious career and so I should not rush with my course. I followed their advice. I don’t know if my work is of any substance or weight, but I think I have achieved the goal of starting a national conversation. The Bhutan Echoes 2024 gave me the ultimate stage to amplify the question: What does it mean to be Bhutanese? I am grateful to the Royal Patron and the organisers of Bhutan Echoes. I hope every educated Bhutanese everywhere will ask that question, “Who are we?”, “Does this represent us the Bhutanese?”, or “Are we not better than this?” on a continuous basis as we go on with our lives – anywhere on Earth, and as we make public policies, enact laws, and implement the rules and regulations.

Lastly, for those with hundreds of familial and social commitments, just be patient. Children will grow and fly away. As you grow older you can actually go back to school in peace. I started my PhD journey at 49, and had the time of my life.

I wish you all the same – a terrific journey, whenever that happens, of fun and of learning, and of sparking some national conversations, or even an international one. And not stressful years of yearning for that prestigious title.

Of course, as I was sharing with a colleague sometime back, there is no denying the fact that it is nicer to grow old with those flashy titles MPhil and DPhil. If for nothing, your validity period in the society will be extended by many years.