I’ve thought about it. And rather than incorporating an online forum in this blog – we already have Kuenselonline and Bhutantimes.com for that – I suggest that you send, by email, a short written account of the topic that you’d like to draw our attention to.

But please permit me to review your contribution before posting it as a separate entry.

Natural power

Our Sunday bicycling group is slowly growing. Today, there were 12 of us. We met up at the Clock Tower Square, and rode together to Dechenphug monastery and back.

Contact Rinzin Ongdra at cyclebhutan@druknet.bt if you’d like to join the group. Or, just show up at the square at 10:30 AM on Sunday. To encourage you I’ve posted some pictures from today’s ride at the gallery.

Phurba Chencho

We were totally wrong.

Our poll predicted that Jangchub Choden would win the Druk Star contest. And that she would be followed by Jamphel Yangzom, Phurba Chencho, Sonam Tobgay and Chencho Norbu in that order.

In reality, yesterday, Jamphel Yangzom won the contest. She was crowned Druk Star, was declared the Voice of Drukyul, and drove off in a brand new Maruti Swift. Chencho came in second, followed by Sonam, Phurba and Jangchub.

We were completely off.

I’m happy for Jamphel Yangzom. And I’m happy for the other contestants who made it to the top 5. They’ve worked hard. And they’ve earned the adulation of the whole nation. Congratulations!

But I’m most happy for Phurba Chencho. He’s from Shari, a village of about 50 households in Haa. Before the competition, barely four months ago, he was a full time farmer tending to his cows, and preparing to plant wheat. He’d never been to school. And his singing was limited to impromptu performances during his neighbours’ chokus.

Phurba Chencho says that he’ll continue farming. But that he’ll take his singing a lot more seriously. Very good!

Photo credit: BBSC

Bhutanese golfers

Several of you have complained that Druk Star’s voting process is flawed.

Yes, you are right. Voters are permitted to cast multiple votes. But, they have to pay good money for each vote. So the candidate with the most money, or with the richest supporters, will, in all likelihood, get the highest number of votes. And win the coveted title.

The voting process, however, is purposely flawed. They are a business. Their primary aim is to make money. And what better way to do that than by turning a blind eye at the otherwise glaring fault.

But all elections are not flawed. In fact, that’s why we conduct elections: to select winners though a fair process.

And where would you expect to find the fairest elections? In the golf course, of course, among golfers, who dedicate their time to mastering the gentleman’s game – so called, because in golf, players expose their own transgressions, enforce their own penalties, and report their own scores.

So recently, when 36 gentlemen – yes, all of them were men – assembled in the Royal Thimphu Golf Club to elect a new president, not a single one of them doubted the process. The gentlemen cast their votes. And they counted them. The winning candidate had secured 16 votes. And the closest challenger had registered 15 votes. One vote, just one ballot, had determined who the next president of their prestigious club would be.

But one hacker – an incorrigible accountant, no doubt – totaled the votes. He counted 40 of them.

36 gentlemen had somehow cast 40 votes!

And I’m already thinking of adding another panel, one that will highlight some of the important issues that we discuss in this blog.

Rhododendron

Almost everyone answered “Big picture – 8” correctly. Yes, the picture was part of an emerging rhododendron flower. And as Linda Wangmo suggested, I took the picture on my recent visit to Sombaykha Dungkhag in Haa.

But Jigme Tshewang answered first. So Jigme wins the prize. Please contact me to claim the 2008 golden coronation badge.

The area between Tergo-la (at about 3,800 m) and Taashi Thang (at about 1,800 m) is almost one continuous rhododendron forest. The forest is old. And it is pristine. Aum Rebecca Pradhan, a leading naturalist, estimates the forest to have about 35 species of rhododendron.

Rhododendron trees mostly bloom towards the end of March through early May. So, when I walked through the forest, in February, only those trees at the lower altitudes were flowering. And most of them were the gigantic Rhododendron Grande. But a few others, like Rhododenron falconeri, Rhododendron barbatum and Rhododendron Arboreum were also flowering.

I took a few pictures – of rhododendron buds, flowers, trees and forests – during my last trip. And, for those of you interested in rhododendron, I’ve posted them in the Gallery. The photo in the “Big picture” featured a Rhododendron Arboreum, known nationally as the Etho Meto.

I plan to go back, during a weekend, when most of the rhododendron forest is in bloom. Would the upcoming field visit interest any of you? In lieu of an invitation, I’m featuring the rhododendron in our banner.

It’s been a while since we did a Big Picture. The first person to guess the big picture correctly wins a golden coronation badge of His Majesty the King.

Sons returning home

Yesterday was Nyilo. And, to celebrate the “return of the sun” to our part of the world, I cooked a hearty breakfast for my family. Then I went biking: from Taba through Dechhenchholing, Samteling, Hejo and Zilukha to Sangaygang; and from Sangaygang through Motithang, Changzamtog, Norzin Lam and Chubachu back to Taba. I’ve posted some photos that I took while biking on our gallery.

Nyilo tashidelek!