Report cards
Here's some fun, on another gloomy Pedestrian Day, courtesy "Bhutanomics", a website many have been frequenting recently. I'm tempted to run a poll to see whose report card is the funniest (i.e., the most accurate).
Comments rule
This blog has enjoyed tremendous success. That success – measured by the number of readers who visit this blog every day – is not just because of my posts. Instead, it’s driven mainly by your comments. Many of your comments are informative. They are thoughtful. And they are insightful. In fact, many of them are better than the original post. That’s why they generate so much attention. And that’s why there’s such vibrant debate. So naturally, I am deeply grateful for your comments. That said, some of the comments have also been spiteful. They’ve been written with the sole…
Big Picture 13
Where, in Bhutan, is this place? The best answer wins a packet of Nado's zurpoe incense.
I’m sorry
My blog has been giving me a lot of trouble lately. I haven't been able to access my control panel. So that means that I haven't been able to update posts or approve new comments. I'm sorry if you've had trouble with this site. I'll try to fix the problem as soon as possible. On a happier note, it looks like my recent problems are due to the increasing traffic on my blog.
Big picture -12
Can anyone tell me what this is?
When loss is gain
Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, launched When Loss is Gain yesterday, at the closing session of Mountain Echoes 2012, a literary festival that keeps getting bigger and more successful each year. When Loss is Gain is written by H.E Pavan K. Varma, India’s ambassador to Bhutan, and a prolific writer who has already authored no less than 16 other books. This, however, is his first work of fiction, and one that you will most probably read continuously, in one sitting, from cover to very enjoyable cover. The story, set mostly in Bhutan, is about the…
About financial crisis
If you, like me, want to know more about the global financial crisis, here’s a quick two-step process. First, get hold of Justin Cartwright’s novel Other People’s Money. Okay, it’s fiction. But it’s very readable. And you’ll find that the story, which revolves around a failing London bank, provides an enjoyable introduction to why financial institutions collapse, and how rich bankers, powerful politicians and influential journalists conspire to prevent the bank from crashing. Justin Cartwright’s story also mentions Bhutan – not as the land of gross national happiness, or as an up and coming financial centre, but, interestingly, as…
Big picture
It's been a while since we last played the "Big picture". The person who most accurately tells what the picture is receives an appropriate gift.
Double wedding
Earlier today, twin sisters Sonam Lucky and Lucky Wangmo married twin brothers Nima Dorji and Dawa Wangchuk in a double wedding. How rare is that? Very rare. Facts About Multiples, an online encyclopedia of multiple birth records, has recorded just 28 instances of quarternary marriages i.e., twins marrying twins. How cool is that? Very cool. Many guests talked about the double wedding as a spontaneous opening act to the much anticipated Royal Wedding that we will celebrate in October this year. Congratulations!
Powerful tendency
In their editorial last Sunday, The Journalist warned us that “Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”. Their editorial, and the quote about how power can corrupt, reminded me about a conversation I had with a friend of Bhutan several years ago. This is how she explained the context of the quote by Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, an English historian and the First Baron of Acton (1834-1902): In 1870, the Catholic Church entered a crisis over Vatican's promulgation of the dogma of "papal infallibility" -- the dogma in Catholic theology that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the…
Vast paintings
A painting of the Punakha Dzong has graced the banner of this website for about two weeks. The beautiful painting was created by Rajesh Gurung. I saw Rajesh Gurung’s Punakha Dzong at the VAST gallery. It’s still there if you’d like to see it. And so are many other paintings, all by Bhutanese artists. I’ve uploaded photographs of a few of the paintings to tempt you to visit the VAST gallery. Enjoy …
I’m sorry
We walked from Sipsoo in Samtse through Sombaykha, and arrived in Dorikha in Haa yesterday. I couldn’t go online during the entire journey, as I couldn’t connect to B-Mobile’s signal. Their cellular signal was generally unavailable and in the few places that I could connect to B-Mobile, their signal was weak, and data transfer impossible. It wasn’t like this last year. Then, when I traveled through the same villages, I’d been able to connect to B-Mobile and go online through most of the journey. And I’d celebrated their coverage in Connecting Bhutan. This time I couldn’t blog or tweet…
MPAB delivers
I’m back in Thimphu having completed my medical treatment (I’m fully better now), and after visiting Bumthang where, thanks to His Majesty’s People’s Project, the victims of the recent fire disaster in Chamkhar town and the town itself are already well on they way to a full recovery. The banner features MPAB artists entertaining RBA soldiers involved in the reconstruction of Chamkhar. The artists also performed for the residents of Chamkhar. And, a day after arriving in Thimphu, they organized a fund raising event at the Clock Tower Square.
Mind your language
“Spelling bee” generated a lot of discussion. Almost all of it was good. The debate was lively. And most of the arguments were presented convincingly. But a couple of commentators got carried away. They started swearing, in English and in Dzongkha. This is unfortunate. And unnecessary. You don’t need to curse to drive home your point. So please, no swearing. No unnecessary expletives. Henceforth, I will exercise my option to censor comments that are abusive.
Kilu music
The banner features Kilu students singing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" during Radio Valley's second food festival at Thimphu's clock tower square yesterday.