23 November 2012

"Please Use Your Liberty to Promote Ours"

I loved the movie The Lady because I celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi and I celebrate her bravery. I idolized her ever since I knew about her in high school. I felt proud when later in college I discovered that the brave lady spent some time in Bhutan during her happier days along with her husband Michael Aris

Aung San on her way to Paro Taktshang, Bhutan

The Lady is a biographical movie of Suu's life, of her bravery, of democracy that ran in her blood, and of ultimate sacrifice, she, her husband, and the Burmese people made for democracy in Burma. This movie made me understand why Aung San Suu Kyi was not with her dying husband in his last days, which otherwise kept bothering me and my love for the lady. However, the man who took care of Michael Aris till his last breath was a Bhutanese student by the name Karma. I knew he was Bhutanese from Dasho Kunzang Wangdi (@KunzangW) on Twitter and also that he is now in Bhutan. It made me so proud. 

(Update 2021: I now know the Bhutanese student Karma is celebrated scholar Dr Karma Phuntsho, the founder of Loden Foundation and author of The History of Bhutan.)
Michael Aris in Bhutan

The movie ends with an unforgettable quotation from Aung San Suu Kyi, that must have made difference in her struggle for freedom;
"Please Use Your Liberty to Promote Ours"
This line kept repeating in my head for days and brought about a sense of guilt of being free and not having done anything for those who are struggling for freedom. Now that Burma has seen the light, I wish to take this line and use it on behalf of other oppressed people.


4 comments:

  1. A very powerful post, Passu Sir.
    I'm watching this movie tonight :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. WOW...!
    i was shocked and proud after reading your post...never knew such facts about michael Aris and his bhutanese man who took care of him....
    another awesome post inside @passu diary`s treasure....
    KUDOS!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello, I saw the movie yesterday with my husband. My husband is Bhutanese from Paro and I am European. We live now in Europe because Bhutan, despite we applied more than two years ago, refuses to marry and to allow me in with him and his family. The movie I saw yesterday is about fight for human rights and freedom. Don't you think is a human right for a Bhutanese to be free to marry whoever he loves and to live in his country with this person? Apprently, for Bhutanese government, is not like that and we are still suffering this abuse.

    Thanks for understanding

    ReplyDelete

Your thoughts on this post;