Tribute to my teachers

The teachers of the past, present and future,

Whose compassions are infinite and unconditional,

On this very auspicious occasion,

On the knowledge of the students from ten directions,

I wish you all a very Happy Teachers Day.

Praying for happiness

Dull it would be the soul who could pass by,
You have taught us the importance of truth;
To the character and beauty to the soul,
You are the best the world can hold,
True teachers, you are always remained in the hearts.

Teaching is the profession,
That teaches all other professions.
Hadn’t teachers been there in the dark,
We would have mistaken the path and
Dull would be the world that could pass by.

You are the bravest of all,

The world has nothing to show more,

Unto the open field and to the empty sky,

Your knowledge, like the beams,

Warmed the earth and us.

You have chosen the untraveled way,

For whose way like the Pacific Ocean,

In creation, your heart is a powerful ray,

To such a deep, it would win everybody,

And the darkness would be more clear than noon-day.

in the past

Concrete words may replace abstractions,
Name of an artist may substitute his work,
But the true teachers cannot be replaced.
Without doctors, patient may die,
And the infrastructures may collapse without engineers
But without teachers, the world would collapse.

The kindness and care you have provided,

And the way you have shown,

Are the most valuable thing,

As long as the space and sentient remains,

You all will remain in our hearts.



My Home



Thrimshing village

To the north of Phegpari,

To the east of Brekha,

And to the west of Tsangpo,

Facing Thimkhar-

Lies my sweet village; Thrimshing.

In my childhood, it was poor;

Without water supply, electricity and road .

Thrimshing lhakhang

Beside others –

Fetching water form a pond,

Staying in the light of pinewood;

Locally called lintshong,

Would be a hard life of farmers,

Collecting lintshong wasn’t an easy task,

It would take a day just to collect a basket full,

But was only the choice in those days.

Now, the days of lintshong,

And the days of happiness has arrived.

My home has become a better place to dwell.

A place where I can find Gross National Happiness (GNH) 

With every modern facilities.

Thrimshing Comunity School

The people live with the most harmonious life here,
They have a strong society relation,

Strong believer of culture and tradition,

But due to some unfair activities of some,

One man's food become another man's poison.

Even than, for me my home is the best place, 

Therefore, I shall work hard at something worth for my village.

Ara vs Umbrella

There are many similarities between umbrella and ara.

Pouring ara

When do you drink ara? Of course we drink ara in many occasions but usually we drink at desperate time and in special occasions.

Umbrella during rainy day

Likewise, we also use umbrella during rainy days and in sunny days.

Winter Evening

When winter evening is settled,

I peeped through my window,

Nothing I could see

But the faded shadows of the trees.

The darkness covers everything,

Shape of the beauty vanished,

And the value of the day was lost

Yet- I felt the things around me.

Through the spread arms of the trees,

I saw the queen moon on her throne.

I sense the peace in my mind

And leaves the land still.



There is nothing more than the memories of winter evening.

Thou art Angel

I didn't meet like thee in the past

The best dress thou art in

With glittering rings on thy ears.

I feel like holding thee to my heart unhurt

But away thee dwell,

Still I never let thee from my little heart

Even then I do have concern

Thou art true angel of my life.

Thy cheeks art like the full moon

It does shine my little dark heart

Thou art like a new strung instrument

That is newly put in tune.

Even if the ocean runs dry

And rocks melt into sands

I will love thee still, my dear.

Even if I go a thousand miles

I vow thy face to see

Although I go ten thousand miles

I will come again to thee, my dear love

I will come again to thee

Even if my ways are barred

Don't leave me, I love you.

Hold me to your heart

As I hold you to my little heart.

Happiness

Who are the happiest people in the world?

Happiness does not only mean having ample of food to eat and clothes to wear. People who have no work do not mean they are happy.   


Happines is with friends



 Happiest people may not be what I think. For me happiest people are those who have less tension and less worries. Then who are those people who have less tension and worries? They are the people who are satisfied with the least they have.  And who are those people who are satisfied with the least? They are the people who have abandoned the materialistic and pleasurable games.



Hermit in the cave


Even if you have all the properties of the world, you won’t be satisfied. When we are satisfied with what we have then we feel happy.




Money: the source of suffering

 Money can’t buy happiness. Money is one of the most trouble causing factor if we do not know how to manage it.





Avoid stress and tense

  

Happiness comes from helping others. Happiness comes from telling the truth. Happiness can’t be found elsewhere. It is within our heart.



SWOT analysis

There was a man who lives in a building who has a very beautiful wife. For him she was a world. She was beautiful to the extent that his eyes never get tired of looking at her charming and gorgeous figure. 

One fine evening, the man was resting on the veranda looking around and refreshing his mind. Suddenly, he found a woman in the next building who was more gorgeous than his wife. He thought that his wife was the most beautiful lady but after seeing the women in another building, his mind changed.



 The woman in the next building was  committed to relationship. Now, how would you do a SWOT analysis?  The strength for the man was his wife and the weakness was the other woman in the next building. What was his opportunity? His opportunity was when the husband of that woman is out for the work, he can take an opportunity. But there was a threat that his wife will be taken by somebody when he is out.





Crazy lazy

In the hotels with bottles,

Crawling and howling in the street,

Hanging and banging in the bars,

Some kicked, others licked.


After wisky, life is risky

 Scenes I have seen since,

Truly not the time that has changed

But the way of life has been changed.

 And yes I believe in change

 But not in a way above.

If that’s the way

Better be in the field to yield

And get filled with good food

What is Gross National Happiness (GNH)?

What is Gross National Happiness? Different people will define GNH differently. It indeed is the sum of all the happiness. Everybody like to be happy, no body like to live in adverse conditions. We wear different dresses, we talk different dialects, we have different food habits, we have different culture and beliefs but all those different dialects, different food habits and so on, do not mean we are different.

The objectives in our live are to achieve the goals of happiness. So how can we achieve those goals? Achieving the goals does not come at once. If we are given a plateful of rice, can we eat that rice at once? We can eat but spoon by spoon only. We can’t eat at once so is in achieving the goals. Sometimes, we say we have achieved the goals. Without the helping hands of others, it is impossible to achieve the bigger goals. We are as strong as we are united and divided, we fail.

There are four pillars for achieving GNH in our context, viz. (1) Socio-economic development, (2) Preservation of culture and tradition, (3) Sustainable use of natural resources and (4) Good governance. With the rapid modernization of the world, the minds of the people changes. If the mind of the people is changed, their attitude is more towards the materialistic world.  Nothing can stop the change. It is then natural phenomenon. But there is something we can instill in our mind to achieve the happiness.

There is no short cut to happiness.  Most of us seek temporary happiness rather than lifelong happiness. The short term happiness may lead us to lifelong ailment. Nothing can heal the wound of regrets. Before anything bad happens, we should know what is good for better livelihood.  Being a human being, it is our ability to distinguish between good and better.

How can we be happy? If we want to be happy, we should make others happy first. Then only we can be happy. How can we not be happy when others are happy with our contributions?  To achieve Gross National Happiness, one must understand others. In understanding others, one must understand oneself. Little understanding would be better than misunderstanding. Gross National Happiness can be created, it can’t be achieved easily. We have to make it our selves. It is no where but with us only.

Where is Gross National Happiness (GNH)?

Where can we find Gross National Happiness? Is there GNH in the cities? Can we find GNH in the industrial areas where there is lots of pollution? Can we find GNH in the streets?

The Gross National Happiness is in the villages where there is no intervention of modern facilities. Unlike in the urban centers the facilities in the villages are countable. Yet, they are the true happy people with the least they have. They are the people who actually enjoy the true happiness. They have no worries for insecurity and no tension of work load.

Different cultural practices are still alive in the villages. Their respect to the costume and culture is incredible. One cannot deny believes of villagers because they have been practicing those cultures for generations and they are very much related to religious facts and can be even related to the science. Of course, there are exceptions.

Some of the neglected traditional technologies are available in the villages like water mills, stone mills; stone and wood rice hullers which we cannot find in the urban centers. These technologies are more than 50 years old. They have been using these technologies from generations to generations. Once modern western technologies are brought into traditional society, they manage to superimpose themselves and compete successfully with local production machines. I fear that one day, these technology might vanish. Never the less, it is always good not to have too many modern technologies.

Traditional post harvest technology in dry

People in the villages have very strong relations among themselves, their neighbors and the relatives which are lagging in the urban centers. It’s my personal view. Whenever the problems arise, they help each other. Every household contributes their helping hands, whether it is for personal or whether it is for public. That much helpful they are though they are illiterate. If they were educated, something miracles must have happened. So, the true GNH is in the villages.

How can urban dwellers survive if there is shortage of food supply from outside? For the villagers, there is nothing to worry. Whether it is a water shortage or food shortage, they somehow manage. The life in the villages is heaven-like. Free of pollution and violence. Breathing the clean air and tasting the organically grown food. There is nowhere happier than to live in the villages.

Meeting the farmers in the villages and sharing about the past could be the happiest movement. The elderly people in the villages have no wish to go to the cities. It is not because they have nobody to look after them; it is because they have found the happiness in their own village. 

My life at Trashitse (Part IV)

For me, class twelve is the time where we can decide our future, whether we want to cherish or perish. If we succeed from class twelve, we somehow get a job but whether to save money or not will depend on individual. Never the less, we it’s always good to work hard so that we can at least make somebody proud of us. Our goals should be out of sight but they should be out of reach. If goals are out of our sight, they are de-motivating and if they are out of reach they are motivating.

Since we were the first batch, there was little knowledge about the exam paper but our subject teachers were so kind that they did more than their own family to us so that we can achieve something in our life. Their hard work has really helped us and our credit goes to them and they will always remain as a teacher in my life.


my class mates



When we were in class twelve we were exempted from some of the social work. Moreover, we were allowed to stay in the classroom till eleven o’clock at night so that we can do our study. So we use to stay in the class room after evening study till eleven o’clock at night. Sometimes, we use to study hard and sometimes we don’t. The text books for science students in class twelve is thick enough to imagine. Sometimes I wonder how I have studied those thick books in class twelve because I cannot even study seventy pages notes in the College. When I study about ten pages, I feel like vomiting.

Rules

There was not much change in rules. The wearing of batta slippers on Wednesdays and weekends remained same. The hanging of language board also remained same but the punishment was changed. This time, whoever speaks other language, s/he was made to do up and down by catching his/her ear in front of the assembly. A Trashitse, the assembly ground is on the basket ball court and the plate form is high enough to see all the students in the corners. Everybody can see the students on the plate form.

 We were not allowed to use mobiles in schools. If principal or hostel warden find us using mobiles, they use to cease. Our hostel warden was kind enough (its’ my opinion) to give back our cell phones if principal find us using, he has no excuse.  In my opinion it was better not to use mobiles at such standard because it really distracts our studies if we do not know how to use. Because most of the time we spent our time on listening to the music and other entertainments. It was really distracting. Moreover, some amount of money has to be spent on it. On the other hand, it was advantageous because at times, we have to do an urgent call to either our parents or somebody. That time it was very useful. Teachers asked not to use. In case if we need, they told us to ask them but being a student we always have some feelings in the back of our mind. However, most of us were using the cell phones despite the rules.

And also, we were not allowed to go outside the school campus for studying. But, who would listen when there are many students in a confined campus. I use to go as far as four km from the hostel for the sack of studying. I use to go to Kurichello side which is to the west of Trashitse. It was safe to go that side because our principal rarely come that side. Most of the students prefer to go that side. Sometimes, the cattle herders use to offer us with ceing chang without any charge. Sometimes, I really miss that farmers and people whom I have met and I feel like going back to that village but I am not sure whether to go to that school or not. If the principal is same, it’s sure, I won’t go there.

Earthquake

The earthquake of September 21st in 2009 has badly damaged the life and properties of eastern dzongkhags. It was around 3:45 pm when there was a great movement of the ground under my feet. I was on my way to home to enjoy the Blessed Rainy Day with my parents and family. In that year, the blessed rainy day was re-considered as a part of government holiday after suspending for few years. It is indeed an auspicious day for everybody because it is believed that, on that day, the god and goddess above send us with holy water which will reduce our bad karmic causes if we take shower with that holy water.

Building collapsed in Narang


The repeated mild earth quake in the east really scared us because our buildings were built with concrete and if they collapse, they will hit us. So students were made to sleep in the football ground and in the basketball court because it was safer there. For more than three days students slept in the basket ball court and football ground. There are newly constructed buildings that can withstand earthquake. We slept in that classroom. The winter cold of Trashitse is unbearable.

Unforgettable Day

It was 2^nd June, the day in which our Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk was enthroned as the Fourth King of Bhutan in 1974. During the day time, we planted seedlings of different trees to mark the Social Forestry Day. At Trashitse, whether it is holiday or not, it was compulsory to attend evening and night study if the next day is not holiday.

When I was in class 12, we had a best cooperation among the class 12 students. We use to save our friends from any king of trouble. On that evening, most of the Bhutanese teachers have gone to attend somebody’s’ death funeral. Only the hostel warden was left behind. In that evening, we had a great fighting between a group of class ten students and class twelve.

One of the boys of the group came out of the class during the evening study. He was telling that if somebody want to challenge, just come out. Then the captains of class twelve went out and told him not to create such problems but he could not listen. So the class twelve students went out immediately after evening study and attacked the boy and the group. The group was mercilessly beaten. The son of the principal was shouting from the basketball court to fight with him. One of our friends gave a kick and he was badly injured. The hostel warden could not stop the fighting. The fighting continued for about ten minutes. Before the dinner, the principal and teachers came back. The boys were called principal in his office and the boys had given the names of some of the students of class twelve.


Kidu houses built after fire in Wamrong



During that time, we had two principals, one newly arrived, he came during the dinner time and asked us to go to the principals’ office but there was nobody to listen to him. Rather, he was challenged. So principal came after dinner he made every one of us to tell what has happened. We had some hot arguments. Most of the boys involved in the fighting were from his village and few of them were his relatives. Moreover, his son also involved in fighting. The principal called out the names of the students given by those boys. But we told us that they are not only the ones’ involved in fighting. We told him that, if he is going to punish, he should punish all the students involved in fighting. There were some teachers also. Principal told us that he will not solve the case; rather, he told us that he will send all of us to police to solve the case. But his words were just like a cow on the paper. Its’ my opinion.

The next day, he announced in the assembly what has happened the previous day. After the assembly, he called the two class captains of twelve. Then he called the names of the student given by the boys. Each day, they were suspended. Seven students of class 12 were suspended from the school. They didn’t appear the mid-term examinations. Though all of the students involved in fighting, only few were suspended. That was the saddest part of my life at Trashitse. Even then, all of them qualified from twelve. Some got profession; some are at CST, while others are at Samtse College of Education. They remain in my heart and they are still the best.



Nightmare of Wamrong Fire

Fire at its height



It was on October 8 2009. We were appearing our trail examination. We were doing our biology practical. When we were about to finish the trial, there was rustle and bustle outside the classrooms. We were still in the examination hall. Some of the students were shouting. When we were out of the examination hall, all of the students were rushing towards the town. It was raining but not heavily. Some of the students told us that the town was burnt. Hurriedly we ate the lunch and we also rushed towards the town. When we reached there, half of the towns were burnt. Some shopkeepers were crying, some were shouting, others throwing the goods. Every shopkeeper was after their own property. They were less concerned about the other properties.

 By the time we reached at the fire spot, the fire was at its height to the tallest building in the town. Some of the students climbed on the roof of a building and the roofed was destroyed. Some brought water and the rain rained heavily. Soon the fire was brought down. About 300 people battled the fire including the MP of Wamrong - Khaling constituency. After the fire, the minister for home and culture came to the spot. He was surprised to see the condition. The Gyalpoi Zimpoen also arrived. He distributed the food items and luggage to the victims.



People with broken hearts after fire

That was like a nightmare for me and I still have vivid pictures of what has happened on that day. Few days later, His Majesty the Fifth King visited the site and he consoled the victims. He provides all the necessary luggage and food items. But we were not allowed to go there by our principal. So we bunked from the school and we went to Wamrong LSS where HM gave speech to the victims.

Another year end and there was much I can remember.