I made a day-trip to Jaigaon. It is an easy pleasant drive from Thimphu. I had gone there to find a silversmith who can do the zartsha (parasol) and gokyim (cornice) of the stupa. I need three sets each. I found one artisan in a village away from Jaigaon, who has agreed to do it for 50k a set.

Guess how much our people here in Thimphu were asking me? One was as high as 120k per set. Since I am almost the sole sponsor of the project, I had to hunt for some reasonable prices.

Now we know why businesses and the town of Jaigaon are booming while we continue to be in a state of slumber. We overcharge for everything in Bhutan. And I have no solutions to offer, or make any subjective comments, for this practice. It is a personal decision 😏😏😏

And coming to Jaigaon as a place, honestly, I am at home in these plains and tea gardens of Imdia – having grown up in Phuntsholing (my father was a bus driver there) – and having seen Jaigaon sprout out of a sleepy village with a border gate and three Indian policemen – in the early 1970s.

I saw the iconic Bhutan Gate being built in 1973-74. And as a student in Kharbandi, we stood in line to see off, and recieve, His Majesty the Fourth King, many times. There was no Druk Air then. So, I have nothing but fond memories of the area to be able to just jump for any small reason to go there.

As a bonus, I got the hilux-cover repaired for Nu. 50 😁😁😁

Triviality – I came across several private clinics run by Bhutanese medical doctors, and doctors who worked in Bhutan for many years. Another reason why Bhutanese folk to Jaigaon.

My earlier post on the launch of BBS TV (Silver Jubilee in Silence) drew lots of engagement. Thank you all for the kind words.

I hope the article inspires the current generation in-charge and leaves a legacy and makes a difference in the lives of our fellow Bhutanese or another human being (irrespective of race, religion or nationality). We have done our part.

For those in the government, the post-democracy era is harder to do your jobs. I know that. With the intention to put check-and-balance among institutions in a democratic governance system, we seem to have unwittingly put up some seemingly unsurmountable walls. I understand. But they were all done with good intents as the country prepared for the 2008. Few can fanthom things that didn’t happen. And it is possible that many worse things were avoided because of these guard rails.

From my own experience if you do your job and do it with clear conscience, you will come out clean. I had 141 audit memos for the BBS TV project. Over time I cleared them all – no malice, or any grudge whatsoever to anyone. 25 years later, when you look back, you just laugh at them. I still meet the auditors who grilled me and we have some tea together (I don’t drink) and relish the past. We respect each other. Everyone was doing their job. There was nothing personal.

For those in commerce or social work of some sort, find your niche, stay put, and innovate. You don’t have to be in the government to bring a difference in others. Besides, you can do anything if you do it well with passion and with purpose. While many seem to blame everything on the State or on the lack of market, firms in Jaigaon and Siliguri, and even universities in Canada and Australia are targeting the Bhutanese market.

Do it for yourself.

The bottom line is, if you want to do, do it because you feel you owe it to the greater good, but not expecting a reward or recognition everytime you move your finger. If you do that, as you grow older your conscience will give you a great sense of fulfilment. The deep satisfaction will come from inside of you – and not from the outside.

Bringing TV to Bhutan was not easy at all. There was a lot of resistance – all in good faith, I guess. There were lots of naysayers, and interestingly, and annoyingly, lots of people who were supposed to be in, but were standing on the sideline and passing comments. These things are all normal everywhere, when you do something new or bold. When such things happen, you just ask a practical or philosophical question, “Who am I doing for?” You will feel energised. Otherwise everyone and everything will try stop you. This also goes for people who have gone back to university and are struggling to complete their masters or the PhD.

Changing anything anywhere is difficult. It is not just in Bhutan. If you are living and working abroad, you will know. A Bhutanese college mate of mine who lives in Italy is not able to paint his gate because of local municipal rules. In fact, sometimes I feel we are much better off here in Bhutan.

There are new things to do.

There is also a notion that there is no new things to do and that everything has been done by the previous generation. Nothing is further than the truth and reality.

There are many new things to do in the country. We need traffic lights, we need better road signage, we need street names, postal codes and zip code. Who has not gone round and round looking for someone’s house? Isn’t this ridiculous?

We can privatise lots of counter services like licensing, permits, land records, vehicle registrations, and even management of public infrastructures like roads, bridges, museums, airports, etc. The National Land Commission has appointed authorised agencies to do land surveys for property divisions. The final issuing authority should be with the government but the process can be privatised. Letting private sector to offer such services would create jobs while the government can focus on regulation, policy-making and macroeconomic planning – and not selling chocolates or entry tickets.

Services like taxis can be improved, mass public transport to be introduced, dental works to be privatised. Plots along highways can be leased to young Desuups to start road amenities such as cafes, restrooms, campsites, tyre repairs, etc. Then, of course, there is my favourite dream – a rail line along Wangchu river to connect Thimphu and Paro. Wouldn’t this be wonderful? It would hardly be 70km to Phuntsholing. Absolutely do-able.

Long way to go.

We have come a long way, as a nation. We still have a long way to go. While there are scepticisms and negativities all around these days two things that we should always keep in mind is that, first, nothing lasts. Second, we need to take control of our own country and destiny. No foreigners will come to our rescue if things go to the dogs. Covid period was the perfect example.

We need to right the wrong ourselves. And not walk away, or stay on the sideline.

With a little more love among ourselves, with a little trust for each other, I know we can get there.
露‍♀️⛷️露‍♂️‍♂️ ✌️

My sister called. A distant aunt with whom we shared our childhood days has lost her son.

“This is the second one she is losing,” my sister added.

I jump out of my seat. I remember only the eldest one, whom, of course, I have not seen since our lives drifted apart after primary school. I went to a boarding school but our parents (our fathers were second cousins) worked in the same department for few more years.

In recent time, occasionally, I met my aunt but saw none of her children. Besides, my uncle passed away ten years ago and that further widened our relationship.

I asked for more information on how my distant cousins did with their lives. I was told only one has a stable job. That too a low-level one. None of them completed school. And three of them (two deceased now) were doing some odd jobs, regularly getting into problems of all kinds.

After I put my phone down my heart sank and for days I was depressed.

“Why is life so unfair? Both my uncle and aunt were not bad people,” I started asking questions I had no answers to.

We (my distant cousins) started our lives together. Same school. Same teacher. Went barefoot and hungry together. In fact they were a little better off for some reason. And yet they are where they are and we (my siblings) are where we are.

They too had dreams. I remember vividly that one wanted to become a pilot like me.

Moral of the story.

If you see someone doing odd jobs, or in some low-key positions or places, treat them well. Know that they too had dreams. They too would have loved to become successful like you – whatever success meant.

Check on your relatives, and your classmates. I know I am terrible at keeping in touch. It is my weakest link with relationships. I mean no malice, though. But one thing, I treat my classmates like I always used to. We still call each other by nicknames. No protocols or no social distancing.

Not everyone has made it although you may have started out together. It’s not their fault. I don’t know what it is. Simply, disadvantaged?

(NB – I am helping my aunt financially since death is also expensive these days)

I just read an old article on Tenzing Norgay on New Yorker. Tenzing is one of the first humans to reach the Peak of Mt. Everest. The link is given below.

An article like this one on Jigme Palden Dorji would be nice, rather than obsess over who was “first” to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. An indepth piece on his inner and the outer journey.

For, a feat such as climbing Everest, or venturing into the unknown, is intimately personal – and rarely about the prize, or recognition. Something must have pulled, or pushed, our young Jigme there. Such a story would be inspiring and worth a read.

Tenzing Norgay, as the article says, wanted to climb Everest because a monk had once told him that Buddha lived on top of Mt. Everest. A devout Buddhist he felt the pull and made an offering when he finally got up there. The other reason is that he grew up near Mt Everest and saw Swiss expedition try and fail to summit it. So, as a boy, he vowed to everyone that he would go up there, or die.

The other relevant point that the article highlights is that while he was lauded and decorated in other countries, he faced jeolousy and envy among his own people. Sounds familiar?

😁😁😁

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1954/06/05/tenzing-of-everest?utm_brand=tny&mbid=social_facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0SELqsSW9vP-ESzpqJrtxDs3mdo58IwsaSOAiiGCf0_h9f2K9M0HNBgMU_aem_AcfLoiXeU88RY1H8FlW3CXMdWu8CP4JG2FEiXp68tUMgZQS0jmTGWSynObfRAykxkFkkq-_aIcddPhLERl1GvyTH

Jigme Palden Dorji’s feat is beyond him.

Congrats to our young army officer, Jigme Palden, for dragging himself to the peak of Mt. Everest. I say “dragging” because everyone who has been above 5,000 meters will know that it is no more a casual walk after that altitude.

I was joking that the highest point I have been to in my life was 5,300 and with an extra shot of whisky I felt I was on the top of the world. What a feeling it was!

Jokes aside, first, Jigme’s personal achievement is not just about him. His achievement is a reminder, and inspiration, to our youth that there are still places to go, things to do and peaks to summit. It need not necessarily be another mountain, or the Moon, but could be the peaks of science and technology, of business and innovations, or art and music, and films or farming, and many more.

In a country where strong socio-cultural norms and the perceived limited opportunities make you feel constricted, young Jigme (I think he was my daughter’s schoolmate) is a reminder of the immense possibilities and potentials that the world offers and that one should not be holed up in the excuses provided by the society around you and the authorities above you. It is an example of having a dream and pursuing with with determination.

It is about thinking beyond the normal, routine and the acceptable. Nothing great has been achieved by humanity without challenging all the above.

Second, and most importantly, it is about challenging yourself – to wake up early, train hard, work late, put your heads down and keep going.

“You don’t conquer the peak. You conquer yourself”, a seasoned mountaineer once told me long time back. It is not about reaching the summit. It is about knowing yourself, where you can get, what you can do, and who you are at the deepest level – because only when you push yourself to the extreme you know what you are. This is perhaps a person’s biggest achievement in life. Once you figure this out, the rest will follow.

I join the nation in celebrating this proud moment of his achievement and in wishing for a wonderful life ahead of him with more “peaks” to conquer.

May the spirits of your ancestors, and the dharma protectors of this small great nation be with you.

✌️✌️✌️

So, it is not just me who is nauseated by this committee thing for every decision to be made in this country – especially with the over-emphasis on it. (See my earlier post)

Well, to share my own experience I have always believed in the old Bhutanese adage – consult others but decide for yourself. In much of what I do at personal – and at professional level, this old wisdom has been my modus operandi.

Sure, it has got me into trouble. I was slapped with 141 audit memos when I led the Bhutan TV project in 1999 (my promotion was held for several years because of these). At work, my colleagues were often caught off-guard when they found themselves lagging behind me. This attracted, and attracts, a lot of envies and jealousies. But never mind. Nothing lasts anyway.

There is one thing one must remember, though: And that is, never to do anything with greed, hatred or self-interest. If you leave those out, the universe will ultimately find you honest and innocent – no matter what you do or how you do. And you will have no skeletrons to hide in your cupboard. You can age with a smile and with a pure heart – a clean chit, with tens of achievements on your cap.

And so is life..

Time does not wait for anyone. As my good friend, blogger Yeshey Dorji, says: the world does not wait for Bhutan.

In life, if you get entangled with what others might say or think, you will age regardless, and soon it will be time for you to pack your belongings and vacate place. No one owns the job one has. Don’t make it too personal. Rather, do what is best for the job – not for yourself.

For those in leadership positions or in a place of power or privileges, cherish it! You are the Chosen One. But don’t waste the opportunity by playing safe, or by playing dirty – or by the holding back the best of yourself. Because when you go – and you will go one day, you want to go with a style, not with regrets and remorse. You should the proudest of yourself when you eventually retire.

The choice, of course, is yours.

By the way, the iconic Taktshang was not built by a committee.
😁😁😁

So I needed a few used patangs – ceremonial swords worn by decorated officials. I needed for my next project – another religious construction. After a few direct enquiries with people I knew, which bore no results, I posted my request on Facebook.

And to my surprise, a kind lady, who doesn’t want to be named, responded. Let’s call her Golden Heart. Golden Heart mentioned that she had in fact three patangs and a few karbas (Sharchop word for ladle). She said if they were fine for my project, I could have them. She called me immediately to get my home address.

“Do you want to know how I got those patangs?” she asked.

“I was walking along Thimphu street and I found an old woman in a scorching Sun selling them on the sidewalk,” she said. She decided then and there to buy all the goods although she had absolutely no use of them. She felt sorry that someone that old had to sit under the burning Sun to make ends meet.

“I felt so pity for her,” she added. “The old lady told me that her husband finds old patangs and restores them and sells them. And with the money they earn they survive.”

The karbas came from other rural salesman and were also bought out of sympathy.

What also struck me about Golden Heart is that she comes from the Lhotsham community, who are predominantly Hindu. Who would have thought? And how inspiring is it for me that my works get resonated beyond my own religious fraternity.

More than her religious faith, however, I learnt through our call that Golden Heart is driven by kindness and simplicity. Although she lives on a small pension and is currently broke, while undergoing a long medical treatment she refused any money from me.

To be honest, I am often discouraged by the bureaucratic roadblocks I have to encounter even when I am doing something good for some distant community, or for the nation. However, it is ordinary people like our Golden Heart, their support and simplicity and their words of encouragement that keep me going.

Thank you, Golden Heart. May you be blessed with speedy recovery and a long life. The world needs more of you.

I don’t chew doma (betel nut) but in the freezing temperature of Thimphu dawn, I drove past an elderly woman who was selling it. She said she was feeding her family by doing this. I bought her whole stock.

So, what did I do with all the doma?

Many years back I called my lama, Dorje Phagmo, and asked her to protect me as I undertook one of my endless road trips across the country.

“Do you ever notice the road workers and their children along the highway?” She said. “Take some doma, and juice and biscuits for them. Their gratitude and happiness will be greater than my prayers. You will have a safe journey”.

Now, every time I hit the road, I buy a few cartoon of packaged juice, biscuits, candies and doma (betel nuts) and I stop and say hello to those people who are making my trips safe and successful.

This is where the whole stock of doma I bought yesterday from the elderly lady went – to the people working on the road.

You can’t hit two birds with one stone. You can hit many 🥰🥰🥰