Apart from providing 26 CGI sheets and timber, more than 20 officials roofed her two-storied traditional house, and built a balcony and a small kitchen.Tshering Dem and her husband were living under a broken roof for more than a decade. The shingle roof no longer protected them from the monsoons nor the frost of winter.  The couple struggled to make ends meet, let alone roof their home.

“By doing something small like this, we feel we’ve implemented GNH,” dzongda Lhundup Wangchuk said. Lhundup Wangchuk said what the dzongkhag administration did for the couple was supplementing what His Majesty the King has been doing. Tshering Dem is a kidu recipient and receives Nu 800 a month as destitute allowance.

A passenger shed at the junction of Bajo and Wangdue-Trongsa highway is inaugurated. In fulfilling the philosophy of GNH, the dzongkhag administration henceforth would provide volunteer service to the needy in the dzongkhag, the dzongda said. “There are many who need assistance but they don’t come forward,” he said.

Coinciding with the international happiness day, a newly built passenger shed at the junction of Bajo and Wangdue-Trongsa highway was also inaugurated yesterday. The shed, which can accommodate more than 20 people, was built for commuters to rest, protect themselves from the rain and sun while they wait to hitch a ride, the dzongda said.

In Bajo town, the district health sector provided a medical check up for life style related diseases where more than 100 people turned up to avail the service. The day was also observed by planting more than 100 tree saplings in the dzongkhag administration compound and students of Bajo higher secondary school performing culture programmes.

Courtesy: Kuensel

]]> https://bhutanyaktravel.com/spreading-happiness-in-wangdue/feed/ 0 https://bhutanyaktravel.com/month-long-display-in-bhutan-of-heart-shrine-relics/ https://bhutanyaktravel.com/month-long-display-in-bhutan-of-heart-shrine-relics/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:20:35 +0000 https://bhutanyaktravel.com/?p=701 Read more...

Maitreya Buddha Statue, Kushinagar: The department of culture will exhibit, later this year in Bhutan, ancient sacred Buddhist relics that are meant for the heart shrine of the 500ft tall bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha to be constructed in Kushinagar, India. Chief cultural property officer, Tshewang Gyalpo, said the relics’ exhibition was scheduled for October 15 to November 15, and would travel to western, central, eastern and southern parts of the country for the people’s convenience.

“The relics are collected by the spiritual director of the Maitreya Project, lama Zopa rinpoche, from around the world,” he said. Most relics are of the Buddha and other Buddhist masters, and include relics, such as the hair of great rinpoches, blood relics from Meiktila in Burma, head relics of Shakyamuni Buddha, and relics of Shariputra and Maudgalyayana.

One of the relics collected by lama Zopa is a ninth century letter written to Guru Rinpoche by his tantric consort Yeshe Tshogyel on a banana leaf and paper in Tibetan. Tshewang Gyalpo said, the programme to display the relics was planned, after a member from the project suggested to display the sacred relics in Bhutan, as it was a Buddhist country. “Given the huge number of relics, only the selected ones will be brought for display to the public,” he said.

The relics are currently being displayed in America and Europe in two groups.  The relics will travel the world inspiring faith, giving hope, sharing blessings, spreading kindness and bringing communities together until the statue is completed.  Work on the project had started since 2005. Buddhist spiritual leaders from around the world have donated relics to the collection, specifically for placing in the Heart Shrine of the Maitreya statue.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama has also contributed, according to the project’s brochure.

“Since the relics are very sacred, it will be a rare chance for the Bhutanese to receive blessings,” Tshewang Gyalpo said.

Courtesy: Kuensel

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Initiated by the third reincarnation of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, Thuktrul Jigme Drakpa, the old ways live on

Talo Tshechu: Every year, two weeks before the annual Talo tshechu in Punakha begins, a group of lay monks and elderly women gather below the Talo goenpa and practice mask dances and folk songs. It is not that there is no other space around the goenpa for them to practise.  But it’s believed that Gangsa Pang (ground) was the place where dances were first practiced, when the third reincarnation of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, Thuktrul Jigme Drakpa first introduced the Talo tshechu in 1708.

Carrying on the 305-year-old tradition, a group of 22 men and less than a dozen women have been on the ground since March 7 to practise for the upcoming annual Talo tshechu, which begins from March 19. It is believed that Zhabdrung Jigme Drakpa would watch from his zimkhang (residence) window, when his gomchens (lay monk) and village women practised for the annualtshechu, one of the dancers, Lhendup, 57, said.

Those days, Zhabdrung’s attendants were mostly gomchens. The zimkhang, which is considered as one of the most sacred rooms of the goenpa, overlooks the Gangsa Pang ground. In his last 39 appearances as a dancer in the annual tshechu, Lhendup, who became a mask dancer from 18, said not a single dance has been performed at the goenpa’s courtyard without being routed from the Gangsa Pang. “I saw this legacy being followed since I was 18.”

On the first day of practice, the dancers gather at the geonpa’s main lhakhang (temple) for a Zhukdrel ceremony.  As they come out to walk down for practice, a pair of old trumpets is blown to inform the people and local deities about the practice.  After they reached Gangsa Pang, the group facing the zimkhang, offers chang phee (the first sacred offering) and starts their practice.

Before the tshechu begins, the group would bathe in the spring that flows below the Gangsa Pang, said Lhendup.  The spring, which is considered holy, will clean the defilement of body, speech and mind. During the four-day annual tshechu, the dancers spend the nights in the goenpa and are not allowed to mingle with their spouses. “We’re held back from sleeping at home,” a folk dancer, Kinzang Wangmo, said. “Our leader keeps an eye on us even when we go to toilet.”

Kinzang Wangmo joined as a dancer when she was only 14.  Today, she leads the folk dance group. “In the last 34 years as a dancer, I haven’t spent a night at home during the tshechu,” she said. “It’s believed that dancers would skid, if we have sex during the tshechu.” Despite being old, these dancers continue to actively participate in dancing to the songs composed by Zhabdrung.  They said most young girls in their village are in schools or towns and those, who aren’t, are not interested in becoming dancers.

Talo gup, Kinley, also shared his concern about youth losing interest in traditional values and cultures. “Our culture is being overshadowed by modernisation,” gup Kinley said. “Today, the young ones are mostly interested in foreign songs and dances.”

Courtesy: Kuensel

Bhutan Takin preserve officials said this was the highest number of births in nine years. 

Judging by her motions, the caretaker was delighted. In another two hours, Kinzang Lham, a name given to a female Takin at the Motithang park on the way to Sangaygang, delivered a calf on February 21. Bhutan Takin preserve manager Kuenzang Gyeltshen said it was a healthy calf born at 8am. “When the females are about to deliver they remain aloof and become nervous,” he said.

The following day, Tenzin Dema, 6, and Chungkula, 42-month-old, gave birth to the last two calves. “It’s the highest number of births in nine years,” the manager said. “Last year, there were only two, including one also born on February 21.” Kinzang and Tenzin were brought in 2010 with a Takin bull, Samdrup from Jigme Dorji National Park in Gasa. Forest officials brought them in to improve the breed and restock the preserve, for the first time, as it had only six of the animal then.

The resident Takins had become vulnerable to diseases as they degenerated genetically from inbreeding. The national park in Gasa recorded 164 Takins last year. With the six newborns, there are now 22 Takins in the preserve. Of the 16 adults, eight are female. The manager said Samdrup, 10, was the father of all six calves as he is the most dominant bull of the herd. Takin calving season begins in February and ends in March. A takin has a life span of 12-15-years. Females start breeding from two and a half years.

Meanwhile, caretakers said the calves were growing healthy by the day. “If they’re not healthy or are going to die the mother abandons them after giving birth,” Kuenzang Gyeltshen said. “All of them are feeding well.” He said physical verification of the animals was difficult because they were wild. “We only know the sexes of two calves, both female,” he said. “Going near them for a closer look is risky as the mothers are very protective.”

The preserve established in 1975 also shelters 14 Sambars, two barking deer and a gorel, some of them rescued. The preserve has a minimum of 30 to 40 visitors, including tourists, every day, which increases on weekends.

Courtesy: Kuensel

]]> https://bhutanyaktravel.com/richer-by-six/feed/ 0 https://bhutanyaktravel.com/conservationists-after-ape-like-creature/ https://bhutanyaktravel.com/conservationists-after-ape-like-creature/#comments Sat, 02 Mar 2013 09:45:34 +0000 https://bhutanyaktravel.com/?p=677 Read more...

Wildlife conservationists have set up 20 camera traps in north Pemagatshel over a 150-200 sq. km, with the hope of capturing an image of an ape like creature that was sighted last year in Zobel gewog.“It looked like a gorilla, it was black, huge and over five feet tall,” Sonam Dorji, a ferrosilicon employee who sighted the creature while driving from Tshilinghor and Yonglagoenpa, said. “I was startled but the ape like creature standing in the middle of road disappeared in the forest after a glance at me.”

Forest officials talked to the people of Zobel gewog and some confirmed of having seen such ape like creature in the area. The gewog has 400 households.

Special advisor to national environment commission Dasho Paljor J. Dorji, who was informed about the sighting through a social networking site, lead a team of wildlife experts to the area. “We reviewed the camera traps from January 25 to February 25 and so far have not found any evidence of the ape like creatures’ presence,” Dasho Paljor said.

Instead the camera traps had captured lots of other wild animals living in the same region. Some of the wild animals captured were leopard, serow, wild dogs, wild pigs and different bird species.

“This study was like a wild goose chase but we will carry out a biodiversity expedition in the area soon and also set up the 20 camera traps, far from human settlement,” Dasho Paljor said. Earlier the camera traps were set up at Tshilinghor and Melongbrak area in north Pemagatshel about 2-3 km away from human settlement.

A researcher with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute of Conservation and Environment (UWICE), Bird Sherub, who set up the camera traps said, it cost USD 500 for each camera trap and it was all done through support from UWICE and wildlife conservation division (WCD). “Apart from Assamese macques and caped langur, we didn’t find any ape like creature so far,” he said.

But there were lessons learnt about camera trapping such as location for camera traps, need for better batteries and higher memory. “The good thing is although most people in the area had knew about the camera traps locations, there were no disturbance to it.”

Plan for future study in the area also include use of better camera traps with funds to be proposed to government and other non-government organizations such as Bhutan Trust Fund. Present camera traps will also be set up in different locations for the study.

Courtesy: Kuensel

Photo courtesy: UWICE

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Their Majesties offered prayers at the monastery and were offered the most sacred ash relic of the tenth century Buddhist teacher, Atisha Dipankara Srijnana. His Majesty also laid the foundation stone for the Atisha statue and pagoda to be built at the Monastery.
His Majesty the King was warmly received by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, at her residence in Gonobhaban in the evening. The Prime Minister hosted a dinner in honour of Their Majesties.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina visited Bhutan in November 2009, soon after being elected prime minister earlier that year and once again during the 16th SAARC summit in 2010. His Majesty the King was invited as the guest of honour for the 40th independence day celebration of Bangladesh in March 2011. The visits reflect the warm and affectionate nature of the relations between His Majesty the King and the leadership in Bangladesh.

Courtesy: Kuensel

As part of the final preparation, a full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade was held today in New Delhi.

All the grand military and cultural displays that will be showcased during the celebration were performed. Different regiments of three Indian military services, Indian army, navy and air force presented the Guard of Honour.

India is deemed as the land of diverse culture, and thus, the Big Day will observe an exhibition of varied cultural performances from different states of India.

There is tight security in and around New Delhi.The colourful flags of the two countries are seen hoisted in and around the India gate.

It was on this day in 1950, when the Constitution of India came into effect, and India became an independent republic. Thereafter, January 26 has been celebrated as the Republic Day of India.

Courtesy: BBS

A day-long photo exhibition called the Rainbow of Happiness was held in Samdrup Jongkhar town yesterday.

Hundreds of photos were displayed outside in the open. The exhibition was by a Japanese volunteer, Mariko Kamara, who is working with the education ministry.

She said she want to spread the message of happiness through the photos which had representation from more than 50 countries.

“Our JOCV members are working actively in developing countries and I have asked them to collect many photos of happy moments, so people can find happiness if you look carefully around you,” she said.

The exhibition had more than 800 photos including portraits and landscapes.

Courtesy: BBS

Given a calculated and pre-empted end to developments of now, mergers is not off the menu for most thinking minds right now. Merger is on the cards and in the minds of every new political party after the primary rounds, if there is any. Merging will not be about coalition that electoral laws of the country disallow, it will be in the form of ‘candidates hopping’ and ‘supporting one another’. Speculation on merging of candidates is the talk that is red on agenda in the political scene and what makes it livelier or potential is formation of offshoot parties. When this happens, the 2013 elections will see former candidates of the same party contesting against the same pack.

Party watchers comment that new registered parties might defend against the merger plan that seems obvious in the country. As of now all the parties are registered and merging is also an option for them. “In my observation as I oversaw the party’s internal review, there are hints of merging,” said a close party worker. He also added that ‘merging should be the strategy of the new parties’. Taking in consideration the popularity of the party, finance and manpower resources, experience and better candidates ‘merging should happen as the new parties have only few candidates that are known to people and bringing resources together will fare well for the parties’ said a source.

Merger plan according to party watchers will happen in the manifest of candidates hopping to other parties after the primary round when their parties don’t make it to the general round. Political analysts say this can be a good strategy for two reasons, one for a strong opposition institution and the other can be fair distribution of potential candidates so that there will not be a landslide victory like in 2008. Another factor approving merger plan is that the presidents of the new parties as well as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s leader, they will all win from their constituencies and it would mean more votes and more seats in the parliament.

Going by candidates or the party president and the eligible voters- if the Opposition Leader (OL) with 7,520 eligible voters from Sombaykha, Haa, Bhutan Kuenyam Party (BKP) president Sonam Tobgay with 19,431 eligible voters from Athang-Thedtsho, Wangduephodrang and Druk Chirwang Tshogpa (DCT) president Lily Wangchhuk with 12,628 eligible voters from North Thimphu and Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) president Jigme Zangpo with 31,926 eligible voters from Mongar wins – there will be a whopping  71,505 eligible voters which one party together could at least get half the vote that can win more than 5 seat in the parliament. (This applies to both ruling and opposition).

There are every chances of political strife if candidates hop pertaining mainly to ideologies and the berth that might be offered to them by the host party. “If we can’t be the ruling party, now many parties has formed and if all can submit the letter of intent and battle the primary round, Bhutan then can have a very strong opposition party,” said a core member of a party. “It is very hard to predict the situation, certain decision will be made at that point of time,” said Druk Chirwang Tshogpa’s President, Lily Wangchhuk, speaking about DCT wanting to accept candidates after the primary rounds if DCT makes it through the primary rounds. Sharing the same opinion, Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa’s President, Jigme Zangpo said that ‘they need to work it out on merging and it will all depend on the strength of the party’.

The other problem pointed out in the new parties is about ‘leadership incompetency’. Leadership issue can be compensated if candidates, prominent and infamous ones come together, a single party can be empowered and become a strong party for next ruling or opposition party. The civil servants had expected much from the government and this is the last year of their administration. And they haven’t still delivered much of their expectations. Also there have been as such, no new changes in the country. Gleaning such critical views, the mindset of civil servants rest on grounds where they want to see the new parties come together under one umbrella and become a strong party. Civil servants want to ‘see a change’ showing that they make the informed choice saying ‘democracy is about minority as well’.

PDP’s candidates on terms of anonymity told The Bhutanese that they would come back to the party now that they have better contacts and the ‘fog’ has been cleared off from PDP. On the other hand the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) might as well make its own arrangement with some parliamentarians from the upper house expressing their intent to become political parliamentarians. This has not been unsaid, altogether or entirely. If speculations are to be believed, it is said that DPT would be offering and candidates would be asking for its ticket to contest and the majority of candidates will be from the pool of National Council (NC) members.

‘Rupee crisis’ and ‘performance of the government in urban arenas’ will hamper the votes from the educated lot. The educated lot were also of the opinion that they might not excise their right to voting, which will affect the turnout. And yet, turnout will be more for National Assembly (NA) elections. In 2008, elections registered voters for NC and NA were 312,502 and 318,465 respectively out of which 165,962 cast the vote for NC and 252,672 cast their vote for NA.

Summing up, at the national level, the turnout for NC was 53% and 79.3% for NA. Most of the parties that The Bhutanese talked to said that ‘merging’ might happen as 47 candidates are not easy, and reviewing and re-reviewing is already happening. The new political parties say that reviewing candidates has been a laborious task and many of them don’t really ‘confirm’ their candidatures. Some of the more visibly politics-acquainted people say that the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) accepting the registration of three more parties (making it five in total for the next elections), have done a great job as DPT as it is, still remains the most strongest and have strongholds in most of the constituencies. This new development also leaves room for possibility of a strong party  fromed by merger of  three parties.

DPT is also planning to ‘win’ all the 47 constituencies with no opposition party as its strategy and it is undoubtedly true as DPT has given ticket to new candidates, young as well, who have a hold in their constituency. Word is also out in town that many candidates  (of PDP) have gone out from the same party, there might be chances of coming back together also for their ideologies are not different. In the last PDP party convention, people said that when the opposition leader, Tshering Tobgay on record said that he will ‘step down’ if its former president Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup joins the party, it was a clear message that opposition leader heeded the grapevine that ‘former candidates’ will join PDP again if Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup joins politics (joins PDP).

Meanwhile, the suspense is only about the ‘two parties’ that will be voted for the general rounds which already seems slim and bleak. Hopping of candidates will not be visible right away as all parties are gearing up to hunt the best candidates. According to some talks, it is said that DPT and PDP will overshadow all the other parties as the new parties are not properly introduced to people and it also owes to the short campaign period that ECB is working toward to maintain a level playing field. In this light, most candidates are hoping to buy tickets of these two founding parties of Bhutan.

The trend in ‘merging’ back in 2007 was quite different and a precedence not so practiced now. Merging happened way before the primary round that finally led to no primary round at all. DPT was a product of  the merger of three parties called Bhutan People’s United Party (BPUP), All People’s Party (APP) and the late in scene, Bhutan National Party (BNP). The political party in the fray that remained undeterred to merging was the PDP. Another in the process so much like Druk Mitser Nazhoen Tshogpa (DMNT), in 2007 there was also a lobby group from the South which approached PDP but had received an indifferent response as PDP was not ready to really consider their demands while party president then Lyonchhen accepted it as ‘top priority’ to foster greater sense of security and peace in the country.

Today DMNT remains under the umbrella of PDP with more than 1,000 youth strength. In Germany, for instance, coalition government is the norm. However, in Bhutan the constitution and electoral laws do not encourage political parties from forming coalition government.

 Courtesy: The Bhutanese

On the day of shifting, the hive’s entrance will be closed in the early hours, before the worker bees are out.  The association would have to hire a few heavy vehicles, and need some people to spray water on the hives, when they reach low altitudes. The association is however worried about the fund required for transportation.  Pulami said they are waiting for some support from the department of agricultural marketing and cooperatives (DAMC). DAMC’s senior marketing officer, Dawa Tshering, said the association has verbally proposed about the fund, during a recent meeting with the cooperatives in Gelephu, but said they have not received any proposals yet.

He said if transportation were crucial for the business, the department would look into it. “We can support in group management and technically, if needed,” he said. In 2006, the association took two hives to Bjemina, six to Haa and another two to Khasa near Khasadrapchu.  Haa was found to have the potential for honey production.

Courtesy: Kuensel