29th out of 106

                This is a single piece of the day every year where the entire Bhutanese family can perfectly commemorate the political muscle of our late His Majesty the first Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck.

            History has taught me the true colour of his courage in the unification and consolidation of the nation at a time when it was sustained with scars of a series of civil wars and rebellions. For many times, it was bedridden with the injuries of the internal scuffles that further worsen the stability by creating a durable political vacuum. 

            But fortunately, the so-called Lho Mon (Southern Land of Darkness) was destined to have a leader of its own race. On 17th December 1907, the 12^th Trongsa Penlop and the Knight Commander (order of chivalry established by Queen Victoria in 1878) Ugyen Wangchuck was unanimously enthroned by the clergy, senior officials, and the people as the first hereditary monarch of Bhutan. 

                Today, this day is celebrated as the National Day of Bhutan.

 

            Unlike the celebrations that take place in other countries, the Bhutanese setting of jubilation is completely on a different note. 

            This day has prominently given birth to an immortal Wangchuck Dynasty. It has securely established the permanent House of Wangchuck. The founding of the Royal house is an assurance that The land of the Thunder Dragon will be gifted with Dragon Kings who are farsighted, compassionate and powerful at all times beyond compare. 

            The policy of self-imposed isolation, makes us exhibit our pride to the entire globe for being free from the hands of colonization for many centuries. We need not have to add up in a menu of celebrations to pay homage or tribute to the lives lost in fighting to gain independence, which is a ritual on their national day in many nations. On this day, injected with gallons of triumph, we simply revisit the pages of our unforgettable history. And this year, we read 106th pages of this legendary history. 

            In number, I am proud to have walked 29 pages of this jubilant national function. However, the same ordinary festivity this year has given me an extraordinary dose of euphoria because I happened to tread on a different planet. 

        The group of Bhutanese studying in different universities in Thailand parked at the office of the Bhutanese Embassy. It was a moment where I felt homely because, in every direction, I could feast on people adorned with unique Bhutanese Gho and kira. That was one chapter of my life where I didn't miss my home. 

            I was swimming in the fragrance of a Bhutanese circle. I was laughing on the carpet of Bhutanese humour. And stunningly, I have murdered the used-to-be delay face of 8 hours without notice. Indeed, a great day. 

PELDEN DRUKPA GYELPO

Looking fresh??? Just got out of the room at 6:30 AM

My friends wanted to give me a pose.

My friend Rinchen is addicted to meditation. He can do this by standing.
   

Sonam sir, never make fun. Jampel does not like it when it is too hot with that thaerma gho

BSA President in a marchang ceremony in front of Ambassador Dasho Nima Wangdi

"Sir, please taste suja"- Karma Wangmo. "I don't think they will like our taste" -Kinley Wangmo

Auw Namgay, please take more dressi. No one is watching you but only this camera

Since my childhood, I was never afraid to lead the group for such programs: Eating

The yoga guru Rinchen is giving the shot  

Wrap-up session with Alaybay...

Ambassador delivering his last words before the departure 

This time the sun made me meditate instead of my friend Rinchen

The postgraduate candidates from the Ministry of Health

"Independence is Happiness"- Susan B. Anthony

11-12-13

Do you have any plans for tomorrow? If you don’t have none, make one. This is the LAST DATE on the Earth. It is an addition of another feather into a special wing of human evolution.

The dates such as

1-1-11 (Jan 1, 2011)
1-11-11 (Nov 1, 2011)
11-11-11 (Nov 11, 2011)
22-11-00 (Nov 22, 2000)

12-12-12 (Dec 12, 2012)

are the rare thing that can never happen after occurring once. They are perishable in the calendar but immortal in the calendar of human minds. 

11-12-13 is not an exception too. Tomorrow, we can hear this date die with thousands of people across the globe doing ordinary things to make it look extraordinary.   

11-12-13, the last date the human calendar will show on Earth

The sum of digits involved in crafting 11, 12 and 13 is 9. And 9 is apparently considered the lucky number in the Chinese calendar. It means ‘long lasting’.

In the west, the largest American bridal store David's Bridal, which specializes in wedding dresses and gowns have estimated that more than 3000 people will tie the knot on the day. Consequently, some papers are even quoted to have renamed it as a ‘romantic date’ for its splendid sequentiality.

However, there’s no significance in the Hindu calendar. Yet, Media have been flooded with wedding updates in prominent wedding halls of their city. The astrologers are of a view that luck may reside simply in an easy to remember date.

Concomitantly, it is also celebrated as Human Race Day. It is a social campaign race against time to curb extreme global poverty to meet UN Beyond 2015 Development Goals.

And more than all, if we take a moment to think deeply on this date, we can find striking characteristics that have in store.

If we happen to observe time at 2:11:21 a.m., it will be 12/11 2:11:21. This is like repeating 121 three times as 121-121-121.

By 8:09:10 a.m., our time will be 8:09:10 11/12/13. This is like counting over a set of consecutive numbers.

In the evening, at 2:15:16 p.m., when stated in military time or an astronomical time (24 hours system), it will be 11/12/13 14:15:16. This is another set of reading consecutive teen numbers. 

 

Similarly, at 9:10 p.m., our clock will murmur the time on this date as        9:10 11/12/13.

Isn't special, then?? No one can deny the fact.

Viewing the speciality of the date, I have proposed my Resolutions for 2014 on this date.

So, WHAT is YOURS?  

“The most beautiful moments always seemed to accelerate and slip beyond one’s grasp just when you want to hold onto them for as long as possible” ― E.A. Bucchianeri

Good Humans have no place on Earth

It is always painful to accept when the hands of the Earth loses god-like humans.  

The tragic death of Paul Walker, the star of an American blockbuster sequel “The Fast and the Furious” has given a massive blow to the giant Universal Pictures and to thousands of his fans on 30^th November 2013. Shortly before the crash, he was attending his non-profit disaster relief group ‘Reach Out Worldwide’ to raise money for victims of Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines.

And yesterday, the poignant demise of Nelson Mandela was a moving incident to his entire nation and the world.

Mandela who steered South Africa out of apartheid and later became the nation's first black president has died at the age of 95 in Johannesburg in South Africa.

A lawyer by profession, Mandela was the African National Congress leader who survived 27 years in prison for his Apartheid movement. He was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 besides the US Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In Africa, Nelson Mandela was a synonym to the "Father of the Nation". While globally, he would be remembered as an iconic figure of reconciliation, solidarity, equity and justice.

Now he's dead, let his ideation of equity and right to freedom for every people grow to the fullest. Let the seed of his hope grow stronger and visible ever higher in this world.

Humans like him are rare and phenomenal. The earth would miss him. But I realize that a good human like him has no place on earth. Heaven is the perfect palace for the soul like him to rest. 

Rest In Peace.  

   “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living” - Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Soul of a Nation

There is one speciality in Thai people. They love their King and the Royal Family with the purest heart and soul. That’s why the insistent political unrest that began on 24^th November this year was put off the shelf at least for today. So, any citizen creating messiness on this particular day is considered dishonouring their King.  

On 5^th December 1927, a unique Prince was gifted to the people of Siam. Known by the name Prince Bhumibol, he was the third child and second son to Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mahidol of Songkla and Mohm Sangval Chookramol. The prince was a direct descendant of King Chulalongkorn (known to Thais as Rama V) that belonged to the Chakri Dynasty.

Since his childhood days, the Prince had an exceptional interest in the items that possessed electrical and mechanical functioning besides his keen interest in music, painting, photographing, and sculpturing. But this wasn’t surprising when he suddenly read Science in a prestigious Lausanne University in Switzerland.   

Life as a Prince, as many would dream, was otherwise for this Massachusetts born. His father has passed away when he was barely two years old. To add insult to injury, his elder brother Prince Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) who had officially presided as a king in 1935 met with an unexpected death in his private chamber.   

Prince Bhumibol was then only 19 when he shouldered the responsibility as Rama IX after his coronation on 5^th May 1950. That same year, he was married to a beautiful young lady Mohm Rajawongse Sirikit who also shared a Royal Lineage. 

"The Soul of a Nation", King Bhumibol Adulyadej 

Thailand was politically unstable before His Majesty the King Bhumibol took over the throne. But the hands of destiny have prepared the King to make Thailand witness secured stability and as a sovereign nation within a short period of time.

Today, His Majesty the King Bhumibol is highly revered by his people not because he is a ceremonial figure but for his unwavering dedication to improving the lives of the people. Now the world's longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol is the greatest source of happiness for the people and the constant light that guide the righteous living.  

In records, there is no province left without his footprints. He has personally traveled all the 75 provinces to hear his people speak, share their troubles and double their happiness. That quality of humanity, godliness and kindness in his heart is one thing many people love this rarest monarch.

He has over 3000 Royal Projects established and financed from his own funds. Resulted from the consultations of his people in different provinces, establishing such a grant project for their welfare was never taxing due to his science and engineering background. One such initiative was introducing irrigation and dam that improved the crop yield for the rural people beyond compare.

A citizen crying after listening to His Majesty's speech 

Besides, there are myriad selfless contributions bestowed by this noble monarch ranging from the field of agriculture to the environment, education to health care, economy to security, and equity to human rights. For these noble deeds, people have revered him with thousands of titles and to name a few are Thailand's Working Monarch, Champion of the Environment and Champion of Rural Development. But these terms are still a portion of the fraction that can in reality qualify to describe what His Majesty the King symbolizes to his people.

His Majesty’s name Bhumibol Adulyadej in Thai stands for ''Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power''. As the name truly signifies, he is the strength of people’s love and unity. He is a God in human form and I am, therefore, not surprised to hear from the people that he is “The Soul of a Nation”. 

The cheering crowd waiting for His Majesty on his 86th birthday

Eventually, on his 85^th Birthday, I wish His Majesty longevity with a healthy soul till eternity. Let the prayers and wishes of all Thai people strengthen his life and always be the constant guiding star for Thailand in all times to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HIS MAJESTY.    

 “A good person can make another person good; it means that goodness will elicit goodness in the society; other persons will also be good” -His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej

The BHUTANESE Peace

How would you define “PEACE” in your own vocabulary of understanding? Should I face the gun of this question, I am prepared to define it under the lens of my own microscopic evaluation.

Peace is just a relative term. As in Einstein’s Theory of relativity, where energy and mass are equivalent and transmutable, peace is yet another commodity that can fit in any shape and size. It possesses a gaseous property that can take the shape of any container of explanation.

So categorically speaking, there is no wrong to assume that every tongue in this globe can have its own muscle to describe peace. And to witness an assorted colour of definition from different countries would be neither a strange story.       

However, of all the ways to dissect the meaning of PEACE, I would still prefer our own way of explaining it. The Bhutanese peace is absolutely synonymical to what Walt Whitman has asserted in his classical poem, The Sleepers: “Peace is always beautiful”.

The peace rubber stamp

The Bhutanese peace is always beautiful. It means freedom from wars and riots, revolts and rebellion. Our peace is immune to societal turbulence and turmoil, civic unrest and uprisings.

Having said this, it necessarily doesn't connote that our understanding of peace is a unique masterpiece. Neither does it mean that other countries do not qualify to describe it.   

The current political insurrection in Bangkok according to the protesters is referred to as peaceful. But the term peaceful is hitting the keyboard of weaponry and few have even lost their lives amidst the clashes. The giant shopping malls are closed, the traffic’s sealed and regular footprints of the visitors to the city have drastically dropped in numbers. The usual firefighter and the police ambulance siren which nobody gave much heed to before has now been allergic to the ears on the streets. Moving outside with a dress having colours of one party or the other is one thing we have to watch out for before leaving the room.  

The most unfortunate part of our share is missing the classes because the universities are closed on the ground of safety. Although there is no trace of protest in our area currently, still heading to the university has been like entering a crocodile zoo. Sometimes, when the situation arises to move out into the streets, I can feel the secretion of adrenaline in my body exceeding beyond measure.

Under such circumstances, it suffocates to live here and wish to run back to my home country. It reminds me of Oliver Goldsmith’s East, West, Home’s Best from his patriotic poem, “The Traveller”. 

Thus in all, one thing is certain and that is Bhutan will always remain a Home Sweet Home for me. 

"Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding” – Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Are you the AGENT of Change?

Today, Transparency International (TI) released a 2013 Corruption Perception Index (CPI). A total of 177 countries have been listed in the survey report.

A non-governmental organization, TI is founded in Germany in 1993. Currently, it assumes a role of an international non-profit organization that publishes CPI annually.

Our country Bhutan was ranked 33 last year. And this year, she has trodden two steps ahead but with the same points of 63 as the previous year. It is sharing with Cyprus at the rank 31 against 177 countries that are enlisted. 

2013 Corruption Perception Index ranking. (To see other countries, click HERE)  

While there is a reason to grin of its mount to a less corruption ladder, we still have many more factors that should ruin the laugh to celebrate.

Bhutan is a small nation often trademarked to the international stage as the Last Shangri-La. And to qualify this attribute to a real Bhutan, an innocent citizen like me feels that much needs to be done.    

This doesn’t mean that we remain stagnant to curb corruption. The Anti-Corruption Commission established under the Royal Decree in 2005 executes a splendid trade by battling with its weapon of intolerance. Yet, there are some barren spaces for its citenzry to step in and fight corruption. After all, combating corruption is a collective responsibility.

This year, the TI has initiated a forum for the youths to express on how they can assist to end corruption. Emenike, a youth activist, writer and teacher from Nigeria was invited to accept his award for the TI’s 20th Anniversary Celebrations for his capturing semi-fictional story.    

There is no technology in his article. Every illiterate can operate its meaning. And the most mind blowing feature is his actions which every one of us can do to curb corruption.  
He has resolved to be the Agent of Change, no matter what. 

So to feed my readers, I have managed to clip his messages here in my blog. But fearing to distort his beautifully laden lyrics, I have quit explaining. 

After reading, ask yourself: Are you the Agent of Change?  

The message from the Youth Activist Emenike

Emenike. Winner of Transparency International's 20th Anniversary Youth Writing Competition 

“In order to fight corruption, you have to recognize it as a problem first. Then you must make the decision to change”- Ugoh Wilson Emenike, Nigeria. Winner of the Transparency International’s 20^th Anniversary Youth Writing Competition. 

Featuring in the most popular magazines

I wanted to feature in the most popular Magazines and gracefully, I found it an easier way to get access. 

But this is crazily funny.  

The funny.pho.to has many things to offer. We can sell our choice and get the best frames that we want. 

I have chosen the leading magazines of the world and my favourite icons from different fields. 

Try and check it out. It is worth trying. 

Featuring in the Men'sHealth magazine

Soon Forbes was in the next line 

Featured even in the People magazine 

The best brand I am fond of: Playboy

Starring in the Iron Man 3 which is soon coming to the theater 

My favourite actor of all times: Jakie Chan

The finest piece of beauty: Angelina Jolie 

 The greatest footballer I have ever witnessed: Lionel Messi 

A man of might and personality, the Terminator series King: Arnold Schwarzenegger 

 

“When I turned about 12 or 13, I realized that being funny wasn't about remembering jokes. It was about creating them” -Paul Merton

The International Week

A friend of mine asked me if I was interested to participate in the so-called International Week organized by the University. 

I blatantly said, "No!! Assignments first, Leisure second. I am busy these days". 

The response made my friend stand dumbfounded near the door of my room. A few minutes later, after boldly taking some steps towards me, "Do you think that you will get this chance to be in this kind of meet?", he asked. 

I thought it over again and made up my mind instantly to take part in such an international occasion. 

I was accompanied by two seniors. We reached the scene to showcase our food items. As we reached the spot, I was fascinated to see many of the other teams with their own unique national dress. I asked Auw Namgay, the lady who led our team if we will also make ourselves presentable in our national dress. She agreed and liked our idea that we immediately rushed to our own apartments to get dressed. 

The idea to wear our national dress was never a bad endeavour. Although it contradicted the face of the weather that it was very hot, our national dress did attract many others besides us. Many of them were fond of seeing us. They came to taste our food not because they liked it. But it was the design of our national dress shining in the air that captured their movement towards our spot. The Shamu Datshi and Bhutanese Yue Chhum gathered thousands of hands then. 

We were captured on almost every camera that was there in the place. Because of our national dress, I was pleased to have been featured in the cameras from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. 

These are some of the moments I captured for the memory.      

 

 

The standing stage that spoke the theme
  

Free snap by the University: Me with Auw Namgay Lhaden

Ema datsi from the Land of Thunder Dragon

"Please taste, it's from the Dragon Kingdom", Mrs Melam, Ms Sangay and Ms Namgay

Ohhhh.... reminded me of my female idol.... Aung San Suu Kyi, The Powerful

Sushi from Nippon: The Land of the Rising Sun

Sausage from Siam: The Land of the Free

Taste from The Land of Kambuja

The taste from the Republic of Indonesia. I miss that cucumber juice...just cool....

The team from Bangladesh

The food from Truly Asia

Long live Bhutan-Myanmar relationship

Long live Bhutan-Thailand relationship

With my Thai friend and Auw Namgay

What's the deal? I am excited to speak about....bla bla bla

Showing the Bhutanese face

Attractive dress from Indonesia

Trying to take smiles with some friends of Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar

How do I look like?

Please can I have a snap?  So, I was busy for the pose.

Oh my God..many cameras..where should I face?

"I am sorry. What did you say?" The Bhutanese Jamesbond

Bingo...I am between two Thai queens

A friend from Malaysia caught a moment with the Thai beauties

What have they used to prepare this? A 100 percent concentration achieved in my life

Let me taste it anyway. Yummy..

Pose with Mrs. Melam Dema

A smile with Ms.Sangay

Pelden Drukpa. Lha Gyelo....

 "Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity"- Khalil Gibran