Twitter Friends in Thimphu

Last weekend three prominent ladies on twitter- Aum Tshewang Tashi(@norththimphu) the vice president of BKP and born activist, Sonam Ongmo(@sonamongmo) the international journalist and editor of The Raven and the beautiful entrepreneur Chimi Zom Dorji(@czdorji) planned to overwhelm me when they called me for a debut meeting. 

I was excited and worried by the threats they made on twitter: "Don't Chicken out", but it was actually me who made it there first. I was prepared to run away if they really meant their threats but the latecomers were truly honorable and graceful. I loved every moment spent with them.

Then came in the true hero, Madam Karma Choden(@476Kaycee), another sage on Twitter. She made a thundering entry and overwhelmed three ladies. I was prepared but the ladies weren't expecting the sage to be so loud that they had to cover their ears throughout the gathering. They paid for the mischievous intention against me. They are only thankful that twitter has no option of posting voice tweets. They finally surrendered and chickened out with bruises on their arms and bells ringing in their ears. They hated me for not warning them but I was innocent, I was worried myself you know and I enjoyed the expressions on their beautiful faces.

Kuchey, We Surrender!

Days later I regretted, because I realised that I had spend the whole time laughing and drinking without talking anything significant with the ladies, but you know ladies never finish their own chats. I am looking forward to another meeting with them over coffee but time flies swift in Thimphu and I have my duties calling from Bajothang.

With graceful Chimi Zom Dorji

I am in Thimphu for the last two weeks working on the Education ICT Master Plan, and I will be working partly for this project for the next four months. Keeping the guilt of not being in the school aside, I am enjoying every day in Thimphu with my family.

Perhaps the History of Mojo Dog

Mojo Park is undoubtedly the most happening night club in Thimphu. Having heard about it so much I have been there thrice since December. The last one was yesterday at their Summer Gaga. Unlike hundreds who were passionately participating by coming in theme dress and screaming along with bands, I was a mere visitor in my jeans and jumper standing in a corner. I am yet to understand and live the urban culture but I love observing and appreciating small things happening in big places.

There was a fat white dog outside Mojo Park Gate and I have seen him every time I went there and assumed he lived there. The regular visitors fondly talk to him and allow him to sleep between their legs. Of many dogs there what makes this white dog their favorite? The interesting answer to it is that dog hates cops. He growls and barks at the sight of cops. I have personally seen this happen twice. Cops on night patrol make their presence at the club gate when it's about time to close down, and the dog barks at them with dedication as if he was trained to do that.

I have no idea about how this dog actually learned to hate the cops but the very character that made the canine popular among visitors made him unpopular among the cops. Last night, It broke my heart to see three cops waiting at the club gate, long after it was close, to put an end to this poor dog. I was waiting for a friend to return to pick up another friend whom she forgot to take along, which made me an eye witness to the brutality. The poor dog knew what was going to happen to him and was feeling very insecure without his hosts, who already left. He took refuge under the bench I was sitting  and was making pleading sounds. The cops closed in and asked us to move aside to avoid accidental hit. My friend protested and so did a hippie Band member (The drummer of the last event) but the cops were all set to finish the animal. He took one big hit on his back but managed to escape, crying in pain. The cops went chasing him and what happened after that will largely depend on his luck.

When Mojo Park opens on Wednesday if the fat white dog is seen around know that he has escaped a murder attempt, and that it's your love that brought him back to you. Perhaps it's time to untrain him. But if your favorite dog doesn't appear this Wednesday, that's what happened to him. Please pray for him. I will come around to check on him too.

PP Teacher Forever

My Aunty, Madam Lhaday, is over 90 kg and does little or no physical exercise but what keeps her healthy is her job. She teaches Class PP in Dechencholing. She has been teaching Class PP for last 30 years. Some of her PP students are now principals, directors, senior officers,... Today she is teaching children and also grandchildren of her once PP students. Her hair has turned grey but nothing has changed in the way she teaches and deals with children... Watch the video to see what I mean:

Meeting the Greener Friend

Karma Yonten, the founder of Greener Way and of course the winner of Global Entrepreneurial Award of the year, is a friend of mine on social media for quite sometime. I was following his greener way with admiration and shown interest to meet him. Thus it happened last weekend at Simtokha. We sped past each other on the narrow road and both of us pulled over and began conversing like we knew each other for ages.

We met again yesterday over coffee and shared so much within the short span of time he had in hand. He is a young man who has already seen so much of life in so many different shades. Listening to the stories of his journey before he found the Greener Way is heart wrenching yet so inspiring. He is still struggling despite all the name and recognition but he is built to survive out of the comfort zone. He is among the few Bhutanese who will go down in history for having dare to think and work differently. When are we going to break out boxes?

Politics in the Kitchen

Politics is the last topic I want to discuss during the election time, not because I-am-supposed-to-be apolitical but because I can never do justice to the subject. Whatever I write can offend as many as I can please, and I so far didn't see something called political middle path. Truth, like gold, maintains its property but can be molded into different shapes under the political hammer.

Food taste good on such oven

Spending endless hours reading everything political figures, supporters, critics, and parties write on social media I realized Bhutan is full of Political Pundits. It's hard to digest that we are citizens of the youngest democracy in the world.
This time, Critics have pushed politics right into the kitchen. I don't know if there is anything political about the Cooking gas subsidy withdrawal but the timing was shockingly suspicious. Just a week ahead of poll what else can be more damaging. Kitchen is the heart of a home, mood of a family is cooked in the kitchen and when politics comes into the kitchen every member of the family will have to taste the salty political food.
Big lesson to learn: next time you want to hurt a nation, remember to hit the kitchen ;)
I, personally have two months at my disposal before I begin to think about what next to do because I have two filled cylinders in my kitchen, which is why I sound so cool. By then I am hoping subsidy will be back in place, but if it's not I seriously can't afford another refill. I am not going to pay so much for stinking gas. I would rather sell my two empty cylinders and buy a nice electrical stove. For once I want to make myself believe that we are rich in electricity. Now, don't joke about increasing power tariff- that would be a national insult.
I am now starting to wonder how much a plate of momo will cost by next month because I remember cab drivers increasing the fare by Nu.50 when petrol price inflates by Nu.1. I think we should order for momo cooked on electric stove.
If subsidy withdrawal sustains then scrap dealers will make good money out of metal cylinders because Nu.1200 is still big in rural Bhutan. They will surely go back to forest and collect firewood, after all food taste good on mud oven.

Monthly Birthday Gift to my Daughter

My daughter, Ninzi Tshomo, in her three and a half years of the journey into life has only seen the best part of human life. It was her luck that she came into our life when Kezang and I are of the right age to become parents and when two of us are well settled in life to offer her the best. It was our luck that after the day she was born we got to see the best days of our life. She was someone on whom we could invest all our love and harvest unlimited joy. It’s a perfect life we are living, but this perfect moment asks me an imperfect question: Will this last forever?

                                           Compilation of Ninzi’s Self-made videos

It’s a very simple question, yet it breaks my heart. Everything that begins somewhere will end anywhere and nobody knows where and nothing can stop. As long as I and Kezang last she will be our princess but the sad reality is that we are designed to perish. My greatest fear is that the princess might have to face life on her own someday before we could make her ready.

If such a day comes sooner my daughter will be made to pay for all the good times she had with us, because we have lived for today and have done nothing for her tomorrow. There is no home she can call hers, not a patch of land to set her feet on and no savings to shelter her from the hard reality.

Ninzi VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

As young parents, we threw lavish parties on her first two birthdays but on the third birthday it suddenly occurred to me that my daughter would need more than just a birthday party because life is not a birthday cake, it’s rather like the candle on that cake that is blown off when the crowd sings. 

So on her third birthday (29th Nov 2012) I signed my daughter’s education insurance policy papers and sealed it with a big kiss. I can’t buy her a house or land but I have readied her college fees that day. On her 18th birthday she will receive her first premium of over hundred thousand ngultrums to pay for her college, and every year she will receive the same amount till she completes her college. On her 21st birthday, she will receive the full bonus and have four hundred thousand at her disposal until she decides what to do with her life. Every month on her birthday, i.e. 29th, I gift her with the monthly instalment. If someday I live no more the insurance company will still have to pay her college fees, as is mentioned in terms and condition. 

If I am lucky enough, I will pray for that and even the insurance company will pray, to see my daughter go to college, be there on her graduation day, then perhaps we will use that money to go on vacation every year, and on her 21st birthday she can buy a car for herself and take Kezang and me on a ride because by then my Santro car will be too old.

Wangdue Dzong Design

Today, 24 June 2013, is the first anniversary of Wangdue Dzong Fire disaster, which seemingly was forgotten too quickly by many Bhutanese, including media. Disasters across the world are remembered for ages and each anniversary they find out how much people and things have moved on, but today there was nothing about Wangdue Dzong in newspaper nor on television, perhaps we have moved on so much that there is nothing to reflect on or recount about.

24.06.2012

I am as insignificant as any one of you when it comes to having any stake in the reconstruction of the Dzong with a contribution of just a few thousand Ngultrum, but having seen the disaster firsthand it created a lasting impression on me. I often have nightmares. I see the ruins everyday and everyday I am reminded of that fateful day. Everyday I wonder how the new dzong would be like, everyday I design the new dzong in my head, and everyday I wish if someone could consider my design.lol.
Today, on the first anniversary I would like talk about my wishes for the new Wangdue Dzong. I have seen demolishing work in progress and I have heard of timbers be readied for the construction. I also know many great architects are putting their head together in coming up with the most magnificent design for new dzong. But at the back of my head I am deeply worried they might land up replicating Zhabdrung's design because I know how literally we relate Dzongs to Zhabdrung.

Today when we look at a Dzong, it relates us to Zhabdrung and his times, of people and their lives in seventeenth century. Hundreds of years from now when people look at Wangdue Dzong, they should be able to relate to us in twenty first century, and our lives. It must tell history of our Kings and not of Zhabdrung, because it's not the Dzong from Zhabdrung's time, it's built during the reign of our Fifth king and it's must be the history of our time. There are many other Dzongs that will tell tales of Zhabdrung. The purpose of Dzong has changed completely.

Wangdue Dzongkha Office after Fire-An Example

In this light, let's define 21st Century Dzong. It's must be a modern state of art with technology that defines our time. The walls need not be three meters thick anymore because we have no wars to fight now. The southern tower of the Dzong should accommodate a windmill to harvest the enormous power of wind that comes from there. The roof of the dzong should be made of solar panels to harvest solar energy.
The interior of the Dzong should house a theater for any form of art and cultural performance, not restricting to just tshechu. Royal Textile Academy infrastructure in Thimphu is a great example. It should have an international standard conference hall to host any regional and international meetings. The basement should have space for storage and parking, and access road to any part of the dzong, incase of emergencies like the last fire.
As museum is a must in the Dzong with outlet for handicraft sales that can showcase Bhutanese history and art to our people and to the outside world. National Library should find a space in new Wangdue Dzong too.
One pressing question is, should Dzong be housing all the Dzongkhag offices? I recently visited Wangdue Dzongkhag office, which is temporarily set up in Dzongkhag Choekhang, where a huge hall is divided into cubicles. It looked like a international corporate office, fine example of how future Dzongkhag office should be. And it can be outside the Dzong so that security and safety could be maintained easily.
The future Dzong should not waste space like it does now, it should create spaces that will generate revenue to sustain itself for all times to come- like Theater, Museum, Handicraft, Conference Hall, and Library. It should be the most sort-after public space ever seen in Bhutan.
It may take billions of Ngultrum but it's worth investing because Dzong are not built everyday. In building this Dzong we are writing the history of His Majesty the King and people of his time on the face of time. It must be the greatest structure ever built in Bhutan. So much I wish for...

Gentle Giant-King of Dogs

Nobody would want to mess with a dog that stands taller than a full grown man. But if you meet Titan, my cousin's dog, you will see what a gentle giant looks like. He is the largest dog I ever saw, perhaps he is the largest breed- Great Dane also known as King of dogs. He is very friendly, gentle and peaceful. He hardly barks but when he does you can almost feel the vibration.

Titan and I

Voters, Vows and Vouchers

A typical Election Campaign vow would be like, "Please vote for me. If I win by the grace of your vote I will make sure I put myself at your service and help find solution to all your problems, big and small."

There are rural voters who take the vow very seriously, not quite innocently though. Recently I was talking to a friend who got elected to National Council, who shared about his experience after winning the election. 

He was overwhelmed by the phone calls and messages he received from his voters. He went on thanking callers for hours after hours and after sometime he hesitated to answer, he badly wanted to switch off his phone, not because he was tired of those calls but because many calls were strange. But he didn't want to be rude, and didn't want to welcome filthy remarks by doing that.

What do I mean by Strange calls? While there are so many calls for shameless personal favours claiming that they voted for him, he was shocked by the number of calls and SMS asking for mobile vouchers. He went to share this strange story with other members of NC only to find that they have their share to share on the same. Are these voters innocent? Have they misunderstood the meaning of 'help' promised in campaign promises of the candidates? 

In no way these voters seem innocent to me, they are either taking advantage of the democratic process where they are pimping their votes or they are trying to pull legs for political reasons. One clear evidence of how cunning some people are was seen during the campaign period in one Dzongkhag, where a surprised candidate showed an SMS asking for voucher to his opponents, and discovered even his opponents had received same SMS from the same number. 

There are too many fingers pointed at politicians and some of those fingers carry stains of dirt on them, which are responsible for making politicians dirty. Clean voters will never produce dirty politicians. Trading vote for personal favour is the biggest risk to democracy that must be slapped on the face right now and here. I would like to urge all contesting candidates not to fall prey to such cunning voters. Tell them straight that you are going to earn votes not buy them and if possible report them to police.

We are all one vote powerful, it's this one priceless vote that makes us all equal in democracy, it's not something that should be joked about for a voucher.

At the Mercy of Chimi R Namgyal's Pencil

Three things government officials and politicians don't like to come under are Tripper Truck's tyre, Tenzing Lamsang's Pen, and Chimi R Namgyal's Pencil. But crazy adventurous soul of mine seeks to put me under the mercy of the famous pencil of the great young cartoonist. I always had this deepest desire to be caricatured by Chimi, but it's going to take a long time for me to become his subject at his freewill because I have no intention of joining politics and nor have talent enough to be a great personality worthy of his artistic investment. 

So I chose a shortcut to this dream, I directly asked him to consider me as his subject and threw myself at the mercy of Chimi R Namgyal's Pencil. For days I spent sleepless nights worrying what this artist would make of me. I know what he has done with so many people. I buy Bhutan Observer paper only to have a look at his cartoons. It felt like waiting for Board exam paper in High School days. And the Result came out on 11 June 2013.

Kezang and my daughter couldn't help looking at me and the cartoon from time to time in between their laughter. I spent hours marveling at the magic of his hand. Now I am going to use this as my profile picture on all my social media accounts. Thank you Chimi, you are great!