Paro Int'l Airport needs vehicular parking solutions as well

Not having visited Paro Int'l airport many times, I make this opinion with today's visit as my basis.

The parking lot of the airport looked very very crowded and the security personnel simply kept requesting everyone parked near by the entrance and the exit to park their cars some place else. Unfortunately, there weren't many places to park around the parking lots. This is a sign of the issues to arise in the near future as more and more flights are introduced with more visitors coming and leaving the country as is the policy of the Government. Perhaps, the concerned agencies are already looking into the matter. It may not demand immediate action but certainly befits a consideration in the plans to be implemented with the new policies.

Today's kuensel ran an aricle on our flag carriers' hangar conditions and it's very disturbing to learn that it could cause problems. Given the recent spates of grave accidents and lives lost of loved ones; it's critical that no compromises are made when it comes to public transportation in general. Looking forward to the developments in connection.

GNH and being Bhutanese

One often finds there is so much discussion on and about Gross National Happiness or GNH where ever the Bhutanese inteligensia is said to be found. I do not disagree with it's significance given especially the deep and powerful impact on all our lives that GNH as the core givernance and development philosophy commands. It is only befitting that such an issue be discussed at all levels of society more than ever now.

Thinking about Happiness, one is inevitably confronted with the question of the definition and understanding of Happiness in context of persons, people and ultimately communities. It is in this light that it is absolutely critical that one needs to first understand people and communities before even beggining to discuss general happiness as a subject.

In arriving at what GNH now means to a Bhutanese, we perhaps might need to understand what being Bhutanese is all about. Maybe then GNH can truly be said to have worked it's way into the very social fabric of the Bhutanese life. Perhaps then GNH would mean more to invidials as Bhutanese and as one large community.

Even as academics and great thinkers discuss GNH; more often than not one would find that for someone who has no technical understanding of GNH and it's nuances find themselves simply lost. Someone like that would probably think of happiness in his or her context which is only logical. In identifying and characterizing Bhutaneseness, we are then trying to characterize a commnunity which is the agrregation of Bhutanese individuals.

One would find that even though we have GNH in our constitution and every other important document in the country, many ordinary Bhutanese still do not understand how to relate to GNH. Does GNH leave room for individual happiness or is it only as one large community or it is the one and the samething?

The four pillars seem fine in the order of the priority but really, why is that ordinary Bhutanese can not find themselves to relate to them easily.

Entertainment for thothormi site workers

Between my trip to Thothormi (Lunana) and now, I have had a lot of time to think and I thought this issue was importnat and hopefully, I will be able to write something to this effect in one of the papers. This is just an attempt to pool together my thoughts on the subject.

The task of removing huge boulders and also breaking them; working in the very very cold waters of thothormi lake is a vert difficult job. While I hiked upto the summit, I realised it was a good distance for the workers each morning, possibly about an hour and a half. Although this may seem like a good idea at first, one soon realises that the hard work once at the site needs all the energy that can be conjured. I hear that next camp site will be closer to the lake, that should make it easier to save some energy walking.

I learnt during my visit that initially the idea had been to engage the workers from 0900 hrs till 1600 hrs with an hour's break for lunch like anywhere else. However, the management later arrived at a decision to execute the labour work on contract, allowing for flexi-hours work. Sundays still remain a holiday and other free times often one would run into many workers wandering around thanza locality and beyond. Thanza is the place in the picture where the camp is posted.

Imagine bringing in some 300 people who mostly do not come from the locality into a community. Imagine then that they have hours to spend with not much to do after working. They go out looking for something to do obviously.When one thinks of it on the surface, one would easily be lead to believe that these workers are trouble makers, thinking of the times they may have gotten drunk and caused comotions. Imagine living in a very very secluded place, cold and harsh weather conditions, not the most apetizing of meals, difficult working conditions and after add all that, no family to return to or any engaging entertainment, in a place like lunana, there arent many things one could do as days pass by.

While I was sitting there, watching these workers at work, I heard a radio (walkie-talkie) crackle and then a voice. I was transported back to Thimphu for a second, listening to Kuzoo on the FM radio. I realised quickly it was the radio operator at the base camp who player some music over the walkies and the music echoed around the site. When the song completed, the operator called out to listeners to make requests and obediently, our guide named a song and dedicated it to the workers, once again, the site echoed with the song and it seemed almost like easier somehow to work.

Entertainment to occupy time in a more accpetable fashion is what I am talking about. Movie screenings, television programmes (and I saw people play khuru) and some other forms of entertainment would benefit everyone greatly. The camp leaders would have less worries and the workers would be happier works by that much. Productivity would increase and the gross savings of the families of the workers there would greatly improve not to mention the mishaps that could be avoided.

Corruption : High Risk and Low Gain - Thinking in my own head

This is a reference to recent spurt of news on mines and how agencies have failed to clarify in the minds of the people doubts about the system's unclear, opaque and confusing buck passing.Fines have been levied and warnings made out; such stories come to light with each edition of news prints (thanks to committed works by journalists). And on the other hand we say we want to turn corruption into a high risk but low gain prospect.

Would fining such serious gaps mean we are making corruption a High Risk and Low Gain prospects for amassing quick wealth? Are warnings enough? Wouldnt these actions sent out messages to others that corruption is worth it if by paying a small fine and perservering through some warnings could fetch a good chunk of wealth (proceeds of corruption)? Most people would know that mines as natural resources belong to the entire nation and allowing them to be misused without benefitting the masses (in terms of royalties and other fees) means violating the rights of the common Bhutanese? As someone with no knowledge I can only guess that even 1 single day of activity and transaction at a mine site would translate into 1000s of Ngultrums and here we are talking of a tiny winy fine and a warning which may continue again in the future.

The example maybe of mines for now but, really the enforcement needs to be better in other fields too. Otherwise this may sent out a very very wrong message and become the source of rising corruption in Bhutan.

1st Annual Nomad Festival in Nagsephel, Bumthang

The 1st Annual Nomoad Festival was organized in Bumthang by the Cenn. Park and consisted a congregation of 8 regional nomads.

It was interesting for me to learn about a lot of the projects the Government continues to support in these communities and gives one an idea of the other possible support in future.

The homestay programme needs to improve in a lot of ways but if one just ones to enjoy warm Bhutanes hospitality, I would say it's ready but for the ones expecting along with that some degree of modern comfort of a farmhouse, it's got some way to go but in anycase, I think it's a good start and hopefully, by the next festival, it would be only gotten better.

Perhaps then other districts could benefit from it.

Catching Gasa's 1st Snowfall

The 102nd National Day celebrations continued after December 17 with a 2 day archery match amongst the public, their representatives and civil servants. It was a way to pay tribute and celebrate Bhutan and being Bhutanese.

The morning of the 1st day of the match saw Gasa white and fluffy and shooting arrows in the whiteness was a most memorable way to celebrate and end the 102nd National Day celebrations. Gasa received her 1st snowfall on December 18, 12 days before the rest of Bhutan received hers.

Nyelo eve

It's Nyelo tomorrow (a Bhutanese new year form celebrated in the western parts of the country coinciding with winter solstice) and a festive for the people to celebrate. The day would begin with thupe (stew)and grand meals. Archery, Khuru still are played on this day, while others put on their fine wear and picnic in urban areas and in the villages, gatherings and time for fine dining and meetings with members of family who have been away from home working or for other reasons.

An interesting activity that precedes Nyelo is the Nyelo eve. On this eve of Nyelo, people get into groups and carry out the "Lolay" procession. They go from house to house and sing the Lolay. The Lolay is sung to bless the house and it's members and the occupants, in return for their good wishes and prayers, gift them (in kind and cash). This collection becomes the resource for the festive for the actual Nyelo in the next day.

This is Nyelo eve and a few Lolay groups can be expected.

Thimphu gets its first SNOWFALL on the last day of the year

Awakened to a morning with snowfall; it's been a while for winters with no real snow falls in Thimphu and so it came as a surprise to find white flakes twirling down from the skies and the ground carpeted with snow.

Its the last day of the year and Thimphu received it's first snow fall. Most of the snow has now melted away but the damp soil and the moist ground still reminds one of the snowfall in the morning.

The day after is Nyelo and will be heading for Gasa in the afternoon tomorrow for a game of archery with the people there. The game is planned out for two days.

1st Annual Nomads Festival

Attended the 3 day annual Nomads festival in Bumthang at Choekortse. Represented by participants from 8 dzongkhags, the programme consisted of dances and stalls set up from the different nomadic communities. The venue was about an hour and half drive from Chamkhar, towards Dur tsachu.

The Hon. Minister for Agriculture was the Chief guest and several disnitiaries of the Government had joined. Members of Parliament from Wangduephodrang (Sephu), Bumthang (Chumey), Bumthang Dzongkhag and Gasa Dzongkhag also attended the event.

The Programme concluded on the December 28, 2009

read somewhere

All action is for the sake of some end, and rules of action, it seems natural to suppose, must take their whole character and colour from the end to which they are subservient.

First autumn shower in Thimphu

Thimphu received it's first autumn shower early today.