It rained heavily on the morning of the 13th of April—the second day of the Sixth Volunteers Program organized 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 a bit empty. But not as empty as it was during Covid.

1. Business is picking up; cyclists and joggers—even Chhillips cycling and jogging—are a common sight, and hotels are doing brisk business as the spiritual projects organize 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 leveling work looks done.
3. The location of each of the 108 chortens has been cleared. And the 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 volunteer programs helps to adequately achieve 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 had 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 favor of the environment. We need to find a better balance to address the dissatisfaction among our people, the youth especially. Covid exposed that imbalance.”