Reviving School Museum in Bajothang

One of the last things I did before leaving Bajothang was starting a school museum club and physically creating a school museum. But that was in 2014, and after I left, my idea almost died. In the first few years, I would call my old friends to inquire about the status of my museum; each time called, I got more disappointed until I stopped calling. 

2014: My Students and I on the trip to Matalungchu

Fast forward to 2022, and out of the blue, I got a call from a teacher in Bajothang, Mr Norbu, who traced me out as the founder of the museum and shared his passion for reviving it. He called to ask me to attend the opening of the museum.  

2014: Look what we found.

The Oven Maker

After he called, I walked down memory lane on my blog to the time my 22 students and I joined forces to start a new club. I remember starting the club to convert the old building into a museum and protect it from being demolished. That old structure has a fascinating history that makes it worth preserving. It's said to be the first structure built on the empty plains of Bajothang during the reign of the Third King. The place was created to serve as the centre of commercial ventures, a new idea of a marketplace back then.  

Mr Norbu posing with the Museum Signage ( It's the same board we made in 2014)

The Old Structure housing the Museum.

I am grateful to Norbu for gathering a bunch of young people around him to revive the project I had started and for reaching out to me to be a part of it. He recognized the importance of that project, which showcases rural artefacts that are alien to urban Bhutan. The importance of the school museum will only grow with time as we distance away from our roots. Even when we were starting the project in 2014, many of us couldn't recognise half the artefacts we collected. Imagine what it will be like now and worse in a few years when Bhutanese children are born in a foreign land. 

My Kids who made this happen. I wonder where they are now. 

Mr Norbu knows more than just reviving the dying project; he made it an important event in Wangdue Dzongkhag but inviting the Lam Neten and Dzongda to inaugurate the School Museum on the 115th National Day.