A disguised fable of our ‘Padestrain Day Policy’!

The comic tells about not so comical issue (sketch: BO)

The recent and very sudden CHANGE in the Pedestrian Day Policy is obvious. The rectification was imminent. The ‘CHANGE’ has its own purpose and it was  custom designed to happen at this moment.

The CHANGE deserves to be understood bit differently here…..keeping the ELECTION TIME in focus. The sudden CHANGE in the pedestrian day policy is actually very simple to understand.  

‘The Pedestrian Day’ was initially in place for the protection of our environment but the CHANGE in the policy now is underpinned to help make the political stand of the ruling party more vibrant. How?

The CHANGE inspires to galvanize potential voters because the moment is very crucial for the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa- the ruling political party- for its own political future. The CHANGE comes in as one of the last minute strokes in five long years of office of the ruling party to make the ground beneath their feet more stable for the next general election.

No more walking to office...Pedestrian day is on  sun-day.

It is a very basic intention of any political party in power to soften with its own regulations and become more approachable to the general public and to their sentiments in times of election.

 It is more true for Druk Phuensum Tshogpa to do so when talks on the next general election has already started brewing in towns and cities, inside homes and on tv screen nation wide. The ‘CHANGE’ in the Padestrain Day Policy is just another political gimmick because a month or two of softness could lead them to another term in the office for next five long years.

I had once shared with my colleagues that the politicians in power at the moment won't mind attending our house warming parties if we happen to call them now. Reaching at home, they won’t leave any stone unturned to appear nice and easy. By their virtue of being the representative of our constituency, we won't leave anything to serve them well too…. They would seemly hesitate to accept our hospitality in the beginning but later all of us would be glued by their well-polished and sweet talk.

Coming back to the Padestrain Day Policy, the new resolution states that the first Sunday of a month will be observed as the pedestrian day henceforth. The beauty of the new resolution now lies only on it’s gimmicky nature. With this new approach, the purpose and the impact of its noble intention has been immensely reduced now. The need of the hour for the government is different so the approach won’t matter either. (God bless us all.)

When there were a lot of grievances among the general public on the stringent ‘Pedestrain Day Policy’ because of its impact on businesses, the government was reluctant to act then. Now the ruling party needs to meet its own end and as expected of a political party, it will also bring in a lot of schemes for the betterment of the citizens. Just wait and see….a lot of citizen friendly reforms must be in the pipeline of DPT to woo our votes. The new resolution on the pedestrian day is just the beginning.          

                                               BE WISE……….and ELECT WISELY!

I can’t wait to meet you again.

Dear Karma,

Where should I begin?.... aaaa…. Okie…. let me start with the mood I am going through right now “I can’t wait to meet you again”.

Yes, I can’t wait to meet you again. I can’t wait to listen to your laughter and see you smile at me. Yes, I can’t wait to caress your hands again and convey through those touches that you are always missed and loved. Can’t wait to be in front of you and look into your eyes and get lost in the universe I see in it.

Yes, your eyes tell me a lot about you like your name which has its own story to tell.

image:google

It has been observed that people with gray eyes are wise and gentle individuals and are the least aggressive. They are known for their sensitivity, a flexible attitude and their inner strength. They possess a style of analytical thinking and are rational and clear in their thoughts.

Yes, the softness in your voice and the way you carry yourself is very gentle. You have always let me speak first and you look so happy to listen to me. For you, each word I utter has meant so important to you. I felt it so, because you have never missed any of the emotions in the words I use in our brief meetings. You know exactly when I am delighted, nervous or worried.

Yes,you deserve all my love and respect for the inner strength you have. I love you for so many reasons but the way you think about your parents, the respect you have for elders, the urge to stand on your own feet and your wish to give your mother all the happiness made me bow my head and I simply thanked my God, ‘Thank you, I found her finally’.

Yes, I found you finally. Yes, I always wanted to meet a girl who understands life in a more emotional way. Yes, enjoyment and fun are good in life, but it needs to be taken seriously too. And you happen to talk a lot about emotions. Love, care, happiness is all you want.

Yes, I found you finally. Your name “Karma” means past deeds. And i believe, there were many good deeds which I had to perform and receive before I could meet you. No wonder why I took so long to meet you. Yes, my ‘karma’ is with me in a form of a person now.

image: google

Karma also means ‘star’. No wonder why I couldn’t see you before. Because I was searching you in the deep sea and on the vast land hoping to meet you somewhere. Many years went by but I never could find you. Finally, my desperate search for a girl like you made the Gods in the heaven feel empathy for me and you were requested to come down for me. Yes, I know, when you decided to step down to the earth, the sky shed a million tears because it lost it’s brightest and the most precious jewel.

Thank you Karma for leaving your beautiful universe for me and for making my life shine by your presence. I love you. Yes, I love you immensely. 

Our parliamentarians will be on the walls again!

When I first arrived at Lichen Chewog in Trashi Yangtse as a teacher at the community School, the ruling party had already completed their second year in the office. The mainstream politics and the names of our iconic parliamentarians had already invaded the decent homes of the East and had also stirred the innocent minds and hearts of the local community there. 

The woods and the mud plastered walls were laminated with portraits [Publication of  Kuensel Newspaper] of Lyenpo Sangay Nidup, Our Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley and of the members of their respective parties; the ‘People’s Democratic Party’ and the ‘Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’.

Location: Laya (Photo courtesy: www.sfgate.com)   

The election campaign publication of kuensel Newspaper had gained a status of its own. The papers occupied most of the walls of all the houses in all the five hamlets around the catchment area of my previous school. The modest hamlets were now standing firm with their own political affiliation and the dwellers were getting constant inspiration from the glossy pictures of their favorite politicians posted on their wrecked walls.

The colorful pictures of our parliamentarians were displayed neatly and were given the most visible and also sacred spaces in their houses; the walls at the entrances, the walls of their living rooms and on the empty spaces on the walls of their altar rooms…. Smiling and poised….. the pictures were posted next to the gods and deities worshipped by the local people. With it came in the culture of glorifying the parliamentarians when visitors like me entered their room with in-depth understanding on how government is formed and why politicians are found giving sweet talks everywhere.

One hamlet one ideology

During the first year of my tenure, going around the hamlets for usual chit chat with the villagers landed up in understanding their political views and came to know the ardent supporters of the respective parties by looking at the lavish display of those smiling portraits of our otherwise very serious political figures.

We didn’t discuss much about the politicians posted on the walls then. But in my second year of tenure our comfort zone for each other expanded immensely. Along with it, the discussion on politics of our small yet vibrant nation, the success and failure of the ruling political party and the sense of duty showcased by the Opposition Leader, Lyenpo Tshering Tobgay got brewed so well inside those cozy houses with the warm hospitality of the eastern Bhutan.

Farmers at work...without political heads.

The different hamlets nestled in far away mountain had their own political inclination. One hamlet was different from another in terms of their political affiliation yet the people would break bread together and help each other selflessly. The political vibe of the villagers turned thin and weak when they come out to work in their fields. But as they go back to their houses and to the portraits the vibes got re-charged again.

For me, visiting the hamlets soon became more of a balancing act in terms of the political views I share in their houses and in front of those glossy portraits starring at me. Being apolitical and general in opinion was the only trick. I knew people won't welcome any contradictory comments on either political or religion believes that they live with. It's too personal and its best not discussed in public. So, we discussed more on the personality of the parliamentarians hung on their walls than about their political gizmos.

Another hamlet...another ideology

The thick glossy portraits of our first list of aspiring parliamentarians did serve many purposes there. It helped in gathering the falling dust from the wall to the wooden floor, kept alive the believe and hope of the voters and shielded the cozy and warm rooms from the chilly wind blowing in that high mountain.

But did the elected members of our parliament served us well? Are they still exuberant about their campaign promises? Did they work enough to win your vote for the next election? Are the future parties and their members only drooling and are lured into politics by the status quo of our present MPs? All said and done, we need to be ever more responsible in casting our votes this time to make our government more vibrant and strong.

But no matter which party wins the next election, how successful a candidate turns out to be or what else the new government will do, all the candidates standing for the next election will definitely serve a great deal of purpose for the next five years in those far flung villages. Because just before the general election a brand new set of glossy portraits of our parliamentarians will be nailed to their wrecked walls and it shall smile along the gods…gathering dust, warming the rooms and welcoming guests to their houses for the next five years.

We remembered you! [His Holiness late Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche]

1^st November, 2012: On the joyous occasion of the fourth coronation day of His Majesty the King, a group of faculty members of my school ( Druk School) went for a volunteer work to assist the construction of Zangdopelri Lhakhang around the Kudung (remains) Choeten of His Holinesslate Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche in Dagophu Goemba, Paro.

The Model of the Zangdopelri( Photo: Anjana Mongar)

Our visit and the volunteer work had a very special prayer wrapped in our hearts for our King and our Queen.

As our hands started picking up those bricks our hearts silently murmured this  prayer: “Your Holiness, Whatever karma i receive through this contribution let it go into the establishment of the legacy of our Wangchuck Dynasty (May our King and Queen be blessed with a Prince or a Princess soon)".

(Photo: Anjana Mongar)

The volunteer work was initiated and coordinated by Dechen Namgyel, a teacher of Druk School.