Have a Taste of Bhutan

I had a very remote idea of Bhutan before I explore the country. A land far away from modernity, not connected by modern means of communication, where people are not much exposed to modernity, but happy. (But this was around 10 years back and was my first lone voyage to a foreign land.Much has been changed today, the new king has ascented to the throne and democratic elections were introduced; and Bhutanese have more access to modernity.)( So the GNH (Gross Natinal Happiness) of which Bhutan is proud of, popped up in my mind always. 'Are you happy?' was the question I wanted to ask every Bhutanese I came across. Much of my prejudices are gone when I reached Thimpu, the capital. I could taste Bhutanese hospitality the very first day when my taxi driver took extra pain to find me a room (even without me asking for that). Thimpu is quite and lovely, people are friendly, curious and like to be photographed. I really fell in love with its unique architecture, besides there is no sky scrappers to intimidate you. It has got the feel and taste of a city, yet it is not in the rat race for modernity. Changes are evident with the introduction of TV and Internet in 1999. There are restrictions regarding certain channels and sites, still Bhutanese youth are quite trendy and up to date about fashion. They enjoy parties, dancing, liquors as any youngsters elsewhere in the world. India is very important for Bhutan due to economic and geographical reasons. As a country hardly industrialised, Bhutan has to depend heavily on Indian products and India give military protection also. Hindi films and serials are very popular there, I was even surprised when some little girls enquired me about Hindi film actors. It is a common sight in Bhutan where girls glued into TV to watch sas-bahu serials. Most of the Bhutanese understand Hindi (thanks to films and serials). And my home state Kerala is very popular among Bhutanese due to the huge presence of teachers from there. 'Keralites make good teachers than Bhutanese' some youth confirms. They are very proud about their country. Almost all the people answered in the affirmative to my question whether they are happy. Eventhough the country has voted for democracy, people aren't much bothered about that. But they love their king, probably no head of state earns that much love and respect in this world. 'In war like situations, our king lead the army in the front' a young forest officer says. The visionary king Jigme Wangchok's sincere efforts pay the dividents. Government tries the best to provide quality education to its people. It pays for higher studies in foreign countries to those students who are qualified. Beside, medical treatment is free to all in this country. 'We are lucky to be born here' says Karma Choeden, an young girl who works with an NGO. Young Bhutanese are not very keen to go abroad in search of greener pastures. Garab Dorji, an young IT officer with Thimpu corporation represents the spirit of educated young bhutan. 'I love to visit other countries, but not for work. I am happy here'. Bhutanese girls are so elegant in their traditional 'Kira'. Though this dress is compulsory in offices, they are free to wear the dress of their choice outside. As crime rate is much lower, girls are safe and free in this country (serious crimes hardly occur here). In thimpu, I have seen girls running restaurants, shops etc. Tsongs, where the main administrative activities are done, lend a special charm to this tiny Buddhist country. Religion is a major influence in all aspects of Bhutanese life. Eventhough they eat meat, animal slaughter is banned. Development without exploiting nature and culture is the mantra of Bhutan. So there are certain villages that is restricted for travellers (ofcourse in Bhutan you need special permission to go almost everywhere). With 80% land forested, ancient temples, traditional way of living, Bhutan is really a delight for the mind and the soul. I still fondly remember the smell of nature during my journey from Thimpu to Phunaka. Bhutan is a place where one love to get lost in nature's abundance. It is probably the last Shangri-la on earth as they say. But the influence of west can be seen in cities. Hip-hop, fashion- all they ready to receive from West. X rated films and drugs popp into the lives of younsters, despite ban. Some youth already feel the threat. 'Today's youngsters are not modernised, but westernised. So they are getting more arrogant', Dr. Choeden points out. I feel, it would be extremely hard for the authorities to hold the young in the fold of tradition and values. Yet we have a lot to learn from this country about how to be modern without forgetting who you are.

Spiti-The lost Valley

br/> Spiti is a lost< valley sandwitched between perennial snow capped mountains. Cold, remote and dry - it looks like another country inside India. The sight of huge mountains that appears as if to kiss the blue sky is so spectacular. The valley is not much exposed to tourism though blessed with unique features. Reaching there is a real adventure. The muddy, zigzag road from Manali to Kaza (head quarters of Spiti) can be scary at times. It was dry and sunny in june when we set out for Kaza. Everybody at the Himachal Pradesh state bus we were traveling seemed so tired when it stopped for lunch at Rohtang pass. There was only one little dhaba on that deserted way. The simple food consists of rice, dal and a vegetable appeared so delicious. The red soil of Kaza reminds me of the Mars surface's pictures. Kazans are friendly and greet you with a warm hello ("jooley"). Their world is so small and simple and without much ambitions. I could read a kind of tranquility and innocence on the face of every Spitian I came across. I wanted to take into my arms the muddy faced children who looked at us in awe and curiosity. Their culture and food habits are similar to that of Tibetan. Spiti is a 100% buddhist valley where people hold Dalai Lama in high regard. One of the ancient Buddhist temple - Tabo monastery, build in 996 of our era, is situated here. Due to the extreme weather and location, life is hard for Spitians. They are literally away from much of the modern amenities. There is neather means for higher education nor opportunity for job. Only few can afford to send their children for higher studies. Bollywud and cricket connect India well. Here also I have seen people thronging before TV to watch hindi films and Cricket. Before leaving, me and my friend Mat were invited to the house of a local Spitian whom I befriended in the bus. The house is made in a traditional style with mud and straw. As everybody knows hindi I could communicate with them well. They didn't have any idea of Switzerland where my friend Mat belongs to. For them he is just an 'angrezi' (English man, but tried to include him also in conversation). Everybody in the house sat on the floor mat to chat with us. They were so eager to speak of their place and culture. We have been served tea and different snacks. While leaving, our host told me that their house will be open to us anytime we go there. With all their limitations, Spitians are rich at heart, I thought.

Covid Diary

"Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty.” ― Albert Einstein When the whole human race is fighting with a deadly virus, the US President blocked medical kits to Cuba and refuses to lift economic sanctions on Iran, which is fighting a lone battle amidst this pandemic ! I am not surprised but disappointed. Back in India the insensitive regime arrests and slap terrorism act on innocent people who have the potential to expose the govt, hiding behind the iron curtain of lock down. This actions are pointers to the insensitive world and the human race in general. Will the pandemic and the helplessness of mankind before a microscopic virus enlighten humans against their ego and greed? Universe is billions of years old and an average age of a human being is maximum 100; humans are just another species on a planet in one Zodiac among millions of other Zodiacs in this universe. So what is the role of human beings on this planet earth? Is our life relevant here? What is our contribution to the planet that accommodates us? Nations compete in investing in weapons and waging war, thus much of our resources and time have been invested on destruction not in nurturing or creating. The whole human race can be destroyed with a button by our advanced technology, yet we have not yet invented medicine for a microscopic virus. That is an indicator of our priority in a world where nations thrive on enemities and war. Why do we need weapons and bombs when a great majority on this planet struggle to survive, when millions are dying of poverty?World leaders have vested interests in advancing the greed of weapon lobby but the people in general must rise against this weaponisation of whole world. Greed of human race is the mother of all wars and sufferings. Our corporates in connivance with greedy politicians have exploit nature and driven out the indigenous people and other species whose very survival depend on the forest. As Gandhiji said we have enough to satiate our need but not our greed. Today major portion of our resources are with one percent of the total population and such level of inequality and greed would bring more disaster to the planet and its inhabitants. Human race, like all other species exist at the mercy of nature, yet we with our evolved intellect do believe that we are the owners of planet earth and are endowed with the right to eliminate and exploit other species and nature. We do try to control the nature and even the space by creating a world exclusively for ourselves where every other species are forced to exist at our mercy. Our very existence is actually a threat to the nature.Universe will survive without us but we cannot, it is our responsibility to protect the nature that nurture us. Unlike human beings, all other species live in harmony with nature. They do not fight or dominate each other, they do not kill unless they are hungry. They do not have class,race and religious divisions like human race. Covid 19 is not a new virus but has been invaded to a new abode from animals that happened to be human species. The destruction of forests and the eco system forced animals to venture into human habitation that might have caused the infection. This may not be the end, there might be other virus or disaster waiting to happen but nature may go on. We are not inevitable to planet earth as we are the biggest threat to her; the universe will exist without our presence. Covid 19 is not an issue of a nation but whole human race must awaken from the slumber to save the planet from destruction and disaster . Are we ready to learn lessons yet ? Will human race learn from mistakes ?Will we be more empathetic to each other ,towards our surrounding and other species?