Letter to Kelzang Chhoden

Dear Kelzang Chhoden,

Along with thousands of people across the world I read those heartbreaking letters your dear husband Tenzin Dorji wrote to you ever since you left him. It was so painful to read yet so enthralling to avoid. In the midst of reading my vision would blur and before I realise tears would roll down my cheeks.
In those letters we knew you, we saw the radiance of your young heart; in those letters we celebrated your selfless love; in those letters we felt your ambition and drive for change, your perseverance was far ahead of your age; In those letters we pained in your sickness and those letters shattered us in your death.

But you left behind a dream, and I am writing to tell you that your husband lived that dream bigger than you ever thought. You have left him a purpose, a deeper meaning to seek in your death beyond the endless tears and sleepless nights. He hasn't left a single stone unturned in building your dream on his broken heart. I must tell you that your memories have touched countless lives, which pains me to wonder what you would have done if you lived on.
It's the hardest to digest knowing your death was avoidable and I am proud to tell you that your husband fought a hard battle against all the people who were involved. He knows that you are gone forever but he didn't want the same to happen to anybody. I hope this time the message went deep and high.

Tenzin Directing a Child at the Camp!

Your husband engineered your dream into Camp RUF(Rural Urban Friendship) and it has inspired the largest assembly of charitable Bhutanese, they came forward to offer help in all humanly possible ways. They came together to support your husband in his sincerest pursuit of your dream. They seek love, compassion, kindness, and peace in helping him because his love for you, even in your permanent absence, was a heartwarming surprise.

We followed your dream to Dagana, Lungtengang Pry School, the school where you taught. It reminded me of my one year in Sombaykha, Haa. I saw the room you lived in, the ceiling was almost falling down and there is hardly any natural light coming in. The toilet was over hundred meters aways, without water. Tenzin told me how hard it was to walk you over that painful distance at night when you were sick. I felt so guilty knowing that in your sickness you lived in such difficult place while we lived easy urban lives.

The camp, likewise, was a big eye opener for the 54 urban students and volunteers. I had joined over 150 campers as a photographer along with my South India friend. While I grew up in village and had been in equally difficult place yet the camp had so much to offer. It made us realise how many things we have taken for granted, it made us realise how ungrateful we have been. I could see the reflection of how the urban children would feel in my Indian friend. He was a lucky child and he only realised it in Dagana. He was totally underprepared for the place and after four days he literally gave up and I had to leave the camp with him. He still tells me that he is happier than ever after Camp RUF, he says he now has no complains about his life at all. I hope the camp had same impact on all the children too.
Your mother and sister graced the camp and I know how painful it must have been for them to be there but you should have seen the pride in there eyes as they look at your husband. When your mother left she left a message for him, "Tenzin, you are no more my son inlaw, you are my son."

Those four days at Camp RUF with my camera gave me the opportunity to capture the joy of giving, the joy of helping, joy of sharing, the joy of friendship... I will never forget that expression on Ap Phuntsho's face on the day the campers help him rebuilt his home. I wish I had stayed one more day to experience the moment when children visited their host families and gifted them clothes. But I know by leaving the camp early I have saved myself from the terrible pain of departure. Those three evenings where I presented the photo slideshows made me feeling the subtle attachment to those innocent faces and selfless friends I had captured.

At times among the busy crowd of happy campers I saw your husband lost in his thoughts, I know he is wishing if you were there. Sometimes it seems like he gave way too much joy that he had nothing life for himself but he told me that those silent moments were spent in celebrating your memories and thanking you for giving him so many sincere friends and making him live a purposeful life.

Lone Tenzin watching the campers 

It been a while and I am looking back at the pictures from the camp and in those thousand pictures I see how a man can change the world. Your husband made it. I hope the successive camps will be as successful and inspiring.

With Love
Aue PaSsu

P:S: I forgot to tell you that Tenzin has finally decided to move on. He found a Kesang in whom he saw a little bit of you. I met her on my way back. I hope they find in each other the divine love you left behind.

Friends across Border

After a month long vacation in Gelephu, I am left with no more appetite for fun in Phuntsholing. It's time to relax and retune my mood back to normal mode because in few days I will be back in school. It's already my fourth day in Phuntsholing but I haven't seen anything here yet, perhaps I don't want to go out like I used to do. I wouldn't even be stopping here for so long if Friday wasn't a holiday. It cost me three more days to wait for Monday to visit one office here.

Waiting seems to make days last longer. Thank god we are offered a nice suite room to complete our holiday in south. So in between endless sleeping and television shows I am working on the wonderful host's design works, from logo to signboard, website to Facebook Page for the hotel.

And like an annual ritual I visited my friend Bikash in supermarket. We met some seven years ago. On the first day of his clothing business we met and the following year when I went to meet him he was more than happy to see me. He said his business is booming, he already owned two shops and supplied to other shops as well. He said we were his lucky charm. So this lucky charm goes to meet him every year.

Bikash- Seven Years of Friendship

Another friend I made over the years was Amit Kumar. I know him for five years now. He brought Gola to Jaigoan from Mumbai. He would always ask about my family and send us message through common friends. He has hundreds of Bhutanese friends but when I meet him he will always make me feel like I am his best friend. He and other momo guys are moved from their regular location and are currently operating near Hanuman temple. They are fighting to come back.

I suggested him to visit Thimphu and other places across Bhutan during festivals and he liked the idea.

Ninzi with Amit's Gola, and Amit is Standing behind her!

Lamperi Park- A Place to Visit

I have travelled this road thousand times and for thousand times I have looked at the gate of Lamperi Botanical Park and wondered what must be there beyond the gate and wall. But I never had time to stop for a while and walk into the park- well today I asked myself, how long am I going to deny my excitement? How long am I going to rush through life and leave behind simple joy of living?

It's a wonderland beyond that gate. Nu.10 ticket has priceless experience to offer. There is a lake (tsho) with boating facility on the side, Orchid garden, Rhododendron Garden, Rock Garden, Children's Park, Medicinal Plant garden, library and the whole park is connected with Bike trail where mountain biking facility is offered (Nu.100/hr). If you are hungry there is a cafeteria and if you are pissy there are clean toilets around, but don't go behind the bushes- keep the park clean. The park is also open for night camping at Nu.30 per person and if you opt for guest house it's Nu.250 per person. (Full Details can be seen in the picture)

Enlarge and look for details

For a man like me who grew up in country it's like going back home but for someone like my daughter and all the kids who were born and bred away from roots it's like taking them to a fairy land and connecting them to who they really are.(entry for kids below 12 is free)
And for couples who haven't had much to to talk to each other recently, the park offers you the correct mood and setting to look at eachother and talk life. There is no TV, no WiFi, no Cars, no shopping, just the person you love in front with birds singing from the woods. Refresh your romance once in a while.

Taking my hyper daughter to the calm lake

One of the many interesting creations

After The Queen Grandmother- Rhododendron Kesangiae, seen in Rhododendron Garden

Another place to sit and romance

See the Orchid Garden beyond the bridge

 I am already planning my next trip there with pack lunch during a sunny holiday. I hope you will do that too.

Dorji-puen: Spiritual Brothers and Sisters

Both my mother and mother in-law were among thousand other in Haa last month receiving Thrul from his holiness the Je Khenpo. And this time I had the opportunity to understand the purpose of closely. There were many things I took for granted and therefore I missed the biggest responsibility as the eldest son.
Thrul is the spiritual preparation for death, it's the turning point in ones life; the point in life where we realize and accept death as the gateway to next life and therefore receive the teachings that are believed to be the light through the gateway.

My Mother (green tego)and her Dorji-Puen

Two interesting events during the Thrul are Getting the spiritual name and then meeting the spiritual family.
Our names are believed to be associated only with our body, and therefore we must leave it behind as well. We receive choeming, meaning the spiritual name, the name with which we will be known after death.
Then the spiritual family- the crowd of thousands will form groups of seven with the blessing from the je Khenpo and they become Dorji-puen. Seven strangers unite in the presence of his holiness to be spiritual brothers and sisters across lives, yes across lives. Dorji-puen means your brothers and sisters for next life.

My Mother In-Law (in Blue tego) and her Dorji-Puen

And if you love your parents so much you must make it your first priority to let them receive this blessing when they are still strong and breathing. You may not believe in all this but what is more important is what they believe in. This is one priceless gift. But I failed. I was out on vacation when my mother met her spiritual brothers and sisters. I and all my siblings were expected to be with her during the ceremony, and we should be meeting her newfound family over tea or lunch. I am only hoping I will make it up to her someday. But you need not wait for another day, know that you have to be there during the last two days of the Thrul with tea, which I didn't know. My brother in-law, though youngest in the family, made all the difference by being there and fulfilling his duty as son. Thank you.

Don't Envy Teachers' Vacations

Don't envy teachers' vacations, if you check their bags you will see bundles of answers scripts demanding more time than we have vacation. I put all my guts together and left my bundles in my car at Paro airport. But when the flight was delayed for four hours I badly wished if I had brought along the papers in my hand luggage. Nightmare of correcting exam papers didn't leave in Bangkok also, no matter how I try to tell myself that I was on vacation the teacher in me kept worrying about deadlines.
Finally on 14th July I flew back. From Bangkok to Dhaka to Paro to Thimphu to Wangdue to my study table and started correcting papers all in a day. There were hundred things I wanted to blog but nothing seemed more pressing than my papers. I was soon sick of seeing the same post on my blog and many shared the same irritation. Sorry to all my readers who are used to my regular updates. I am back I promise.
I like to thank you for giving me 300 followers and 300,000 hits, which gives me great joy in blogging, and inspiration to explore further. Blogging has long become my source of daily happiness, and last ten days away from my blog was very painful.
Among my painful hours of correcting papers I had hearty laugh with some answers my students wrote. One answer from class VII maths in particular is worth sharing:

The Question was: Rigsar got 2/5 votes, and Bodra got 1/4 votes. Find the Difference in vote between Rigsar and Bodra.

Expected answer was to subtract the two fractions and find the difference which is very obvious but the following answers came from the blue:

A girl wrote: Rigsar is like rock song. It is for shiking body first first. Bodra is slowly.

First I laughed so much then I got worried. Is it her mathematical problem or inability to understand English? Perhaps both. Blame it on me for maths, and the English teacher for the English but I must tell you in the same class I have students who scored in 80s, and I don't take the full credit. But for all the laugh I give her the full credit.
Now I have washed my hand from paper correction and ready to begin the next session with renew hope and same is with my blogging. I must Challenge the Zero Tolerance policy. I must clarify I was not involved in making of the policy nor will I be involved in implementing it. I will be busy correcting students, which is why schools are there, and which is why teachers are there.

Bangkok Diary

Bangkok excitement held us week before but it nearly died when the flight was delayed for four hours. While the rest of the passengers were making hundreds of calls me and my daughter took the liberty to think of the boarding room as our bedroom.

Good Night at Airport

My daughter screamed all her first-time-flying excitement when we finally boarded the plane, she drew lot of attention. She drew more attention when she denied the seat belt. It took three air hostesses and all their management skills to belt my daughter on to me while taking off. We had economy class tickets, but we're seated in business class, yes the place where everybody does their business- near the lavatory. My daughter kept me and an air hostess busy at all times. After a while her flying excitement died and wanted to go out, and we were over clouds to listen to her demand.

I should have asked for standing ticket for my daughter. She never used her seat.

We landed in Dhaka, where my girl badly wanted to go out, and I took her to toilet every time she asked to go out. we set the record of highest toilet visitor on the flight.

At Suvarnabhumi Airport we had to get our visa on arrival, because we were late in applying at Thimphu which could have saved lot of time here. Nu.500 more in Thimphu for express service seemed too much for me who have lot of time to spare but forgot to consider my daughter's mood. She became very difficult and cried the loudest in Suvarnabhumi airport. Her magic worked here as well, her super high pitch cry earned us the place at the top of the long queue. Very systematic Thai service has room for consideration that won our heart right at the gate to Thailand.

Hippi,at the Hotel Finally! 

17 floor above the ground for the first time. Pullman Hotel.

Enjoying the Height

Out of the Baggage. Economiest Class lol

Thaitanic Pose

I always wanted to travel in a boat and in Bangkok you don't have to wait long. We took a family boat and went as far as and as long as we wanted.

Fishing Family

Angry Bird at all times

One place I can't take my daughter away is from the swimming pool. If we are to divide the time between her swimming time and rest of the activities in Bangkok, it would be even. Even as I am blogging my wife is struggling to get her out of the pool.

Her Chill out time, the only chill out place

Which Gang should I register my Son with?

On New Year’s Day my son got robbed in Jaigon amidst the crowd. His beloved mobile phone and some cash were snatched away by a group of Indian Nepali boys. The first question they asked him was, “Are you a member of MB Boys?” MB boys, I heard, is a gang in Phuntsholing with over hundred members. They are in permanent state of war with the Indian boys ever since the murder of an Indian boy in Bhutanese soil. And today, despite strong indo-Bhutan friendship, no Bhutanese youth can walk safely across the border, unless in groups or with elders.

For once I wished my boy was with that gang; they would have given him protection and he wouldn’t have to undergo the traumatic experience. But that’s soon forgotten as we packed our bags and headed home.

But that was just the tip of an ice berg of what is happening in our towns.  Wangdue is now seeing strange faces and deadly group names, which only mean gangs are growing here at home too. I heard of some gang leaders from Thimphu visiting Wangdue to register members; they seem to have registration form, fee, interview, and other formalities in place. And as a concerned father I am seriously wondering which gang I should register my son with, because I don’t want my son to be a victim of all the gangs. He may need protection even as he walks to school. He has already seen the weakness of being a good boy.