Photographing Bhutan...

Signs of approval

Here’s a secret: Yeshey Dorji, one of Bhutan’s best photographers, has a website. He started posting some of his photos online to satisfy friends, fans really, who keep bothering him to see his pictures. So if you go to his website, “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon”, you can treat yourself to some breath-taking pictures [...]

Carving slate...

slate-dragone-2-21

This week’s photo panel features a slate carving by Thinley Dorji. The artist, an instructor at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, composed the two dragons facing the wheel of dharma to commemorate 100 years of our monarchy. Look at the dragon on the right and see if can decipher the message “Bhutan 100”.

Thinley Dorji [...]

Featured photos...

druk-wangyal-chortens1

This website now offers a panel, located immediately above my latest entry, that will feature one photograph every week. I encourage readers to share your photographs, particularly those that tell a story which may be relevant to a particular week.

This week’s picture, of the Druk Wangyal Chortens in Dochu-la, was taken by Lhendup, [...]

Happy Teachers’ Day...

Gakiling has only one school, a community primary school. It is in Rangtse, a small, impoverished village located four walking days from the nearest motor road in Haa. Tshering Dorji is its principal.
In 2006, after teaching for about three years in remote schools in Samtse, Lopen Tshering volunteered to go to Rangtse to establish a [...]

Good karma...

Coffee, many say, is the most popular beverage on earth after water. Yet good coffee is hard to come by in most places. But it is available in Thimphu, at Karma’s Coffee, located in the Zhamling Building somewhere above Hotel Phuntsho Pelri.
Karma’s is owned and run by Karma Tenzin, Bhutan’s first barista, who spent about [...]

A unique example...

Last year, in Sherubste College, a student asked me: “We’ve been told, many times, that democracy in Bhutan is unique – please tell me how it is unique.”
The fact of the matter is that all democracies are based on, more or less, the same principles, and none can claim to be really unique. But, [...]

The Growing Bhutanese Middle Class...

I’m reading “The Great Indian Middle Class” a bestseller written by Pavan Varma, a prominent Indian, and India’s next ambassador to Bhutan. The book traces the emergence and evolution of the Indian middle class, and examines its influence on the development of India’s society, politics and economy.
The publisher calls Mr Varma’s work a “powerful and [...]

Pema’s left foot...

Today I met Pema Tshering. He was born with cerebral palsy and congenital deformities in his spinal column. As a result both his arms are useless. And he has only limited use of his legs. He is 28 years old.
I first met Pema, in Mongar, over four years ago, during an audience granted to him [...]

Treasure hunting...

I met Tobgay today. He’s nine years old and has just completed Class II in Dechechencholing MSS. He was rummaging through my negibour’s waste.
In fact, Tobgay was recycling garbage. He was collecting various tins and bottles, and plastics and metals to sell to a scrap dealer in town. His part-time work would fetch him Nu [...]

Bhutanese bloggers...

Dorji Wangchuk – writer, director, producer, social worker, and owner of a Centennial Radio – has started blogging. His blogs will be good. After all, he has both insight and experience.
His insight comes from the wide range of activities that he readily engages in. And his experience comes from writing columns and op-eds. A good [...]

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