Seven high points in my life. Until now.

Business Bhutan - the country's first financial newspaper asked me to feature in their Seven page. Here is what I shared about myself in that page.

SEVEN high points of my life

1. Graduation, 1995: Doing my university studies in Italian was tough that I doubted if I would even complete. I not only graduated but did it with a distinction from the University of Bologna. As a part of a bet, my friends threw me into the icy sea with my Ferre suit on.

2. Birth of Tseten, 1997: The birth of our elder daughter gave back our lives. Earlier my wife, who was expecting a twin, had a miscarriage and we were both shattered. When Tseten came to life, we also felt like getting a rebirth. Our second daughter Dechen brought back all the laughter in our home.

3. Launching BBS TV, 1999: In 1995, in my final year at the university, I developed a technical proposal to introduce TV in Bhutan. I sent it over to Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley who was then Bhutan’s Representative to the UN in Geneva. Bhutan Television was born. But many obstacles came in between and project only got through in January 1999. On June 2 as I escorted Her Majesty Ashi Tshering Pem to switch on the signature logo, I felt a great sense of achievement. The country was celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Fourth Druk Gyalpo’s reign and the launch of television was a highlight. I can never forget the smile on the face of our legendary King as he announced the era of television.

4. BBS FM project and the ABU Engineering Prize, 2000: FM technology was written off because of our mountainous terrain. But my field tests with low-powered transmitters proved otherwise. Of course, I couldn’t predict the signal at high power with possible multipath fading and interferences. Nevertheless, we went ahead with our National FM project. When we switched on our first station from Dochula I was so excited with the results that we kept travelling for days and nights doing field measurements. For my works in VHF band in mountainous areas and for introducing TV in Bhutan I was conferred with the Asia Pacific Engineering Prize in Manila.

5. Winning Japan Prize, 2003: Winning the first major international documentary award came as a surprise because I was never trained as a filmmaker. In the run-up to the Grand Finale, I was the underdog. So I joked with the organizers that if I won, my country should be announced first. When the result was declared and the presenter went, “And the winner is – from the Kingdom of Bhutan…..” I went totally blank. I could barely feel my feet as I walked up to receive the award. And when I lifted the prize, I saw the entire hall clapping – including the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito. It was such an emotional moment that I broke down.

6. CICCC & the Coronation Medal, 2008: Together with two of my friends, I organized the Citizens’ Initiative for Centenary & Coronation Celebrations despite a series of bureaucratic hurdles and a persistent badmouthing by people. But with the Coronation Medal conferred on three of us and as 56 days of music, laughter and celebrations closed on December 31, the National Geographic Channel interviewed me and asked me, "what remained on me of the whole experience," I replied, “Now I can die a happy man!” I really meant that.

7. In His Majesty’s Service, 2009: Being summoned to serve His Majesty directly is the greatest honor one could be bestowed as a Bhutanese. For a week, I went around like a zombie in total disbelief. Captain Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who safely landed a damaged passenger jet on Hudson River with 159 passengers on board, told in one of his interviews that he thought that his “entire life up to that moment was a preparation for him to handle that moment.” I felt something similar. I wonder if my entire professional career, the shift toward journalism and the numerous international awards that actually went unrecognized in the country were all a “preparation” for this big assignment. I have now started believing in fate, destiny and hard work. The opportunity that His Majesty gives me to serve the people is perhaps what really makes my current assignment very fulfilling - because that is the most direct way possible.

"Let's build a generation with a conscience" - King of Bhutan

I reproduce the Commencement Address of His Majesty the King of Bhutan at Calcutta University, 5 October 2010.

________

Honorable Chancellor and members of the University, Distinguished guests, And my dear students of the University of Calcutta,

You may have in the past had as speakers, leaders from your society and country – whom you could identify with and might even wish to emulate. Sometimes you would have had speakers from beyond India, who were nonetheless familiar as famous leaders in their respective fields. I fit in neither of these categories. Still, I feel so much at home and among friends as I stand here today. After all, India is Bhutan’s closest neighbour and friend and beyond that, the great state of West Bengal has been Bhutan’s partner and comrade since time immemorial. I feel privileged to be here at this august institution and I feel a deep sense of happiness in being among so many of Bhutan’s young friends. I thank you all for this opportunity.

Today, I am here to share my thoughts and experiences with you, people of my own generation, who face the same challenges and opportunities that I do. I am here for a simple conversation, and only hope you will take away something from it.

I don’t want to talk about what the world should do or what countries should do – or about great subjects and issues and what leaders must do. Instead, let us talk about what we, the youth, should do and how we should live our lives as individuals – about how we are going to tread this earth during our time. What kind of footprints are we going to leave as our generation gives way to that of our yet unborn children?

To do so, first of all, lets get an idea of the kind of world we have been born into - the one you are entering after this convocation. It is not a pretty picture, I must warn you.

Now, these facts and figures that I quote are easily available anywhere, and one quick glance on the web will give you much more information than I can read out to you today.

First, lets talk about the environment:

If you listen to these numbers, it is alarming how reckless we have been and continue to be. Something as fundamental as the environment – the Earth – has been forsaken for profit:

· Up to 70% of the world’s known species risk extinction if the global temperatures rise by more than 3.5 degrees centigrade.

· Every second, rainforests the size of a football field disappear

· Water problems affect half of humanity

· Glaciers are receding

· Often as a direct result of the disrespect for the environment, natural disasters become more frequent and forceful. Very recently, disasters have struck Ladakh and most parts of Pakistan

· The costs of natural disasters can set back a community or nation by decades – not to speak of the lasting emotional damage inflicted on the people affected

Yet, sadly, there is not much hope for quick global action that is so essential. As we all know, the efforts to build global cooperation towards a lasting solution have been failing regularly. It seems the interests of humanity always lose out when faced with the interests of individuals.

It is quite clear now, that we will be handing to our children, a world which has been, in so many ways, made worse than when we inherited it.

Now, lets talk about poverty:

In a world that has seen unprecedented material growth:

· The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for only 5 percent of global income while the richest 20 percent get 75%

· More than 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day

· 24,000 children die each day due to poverty

· About half of humanity – 3 billion people - live in cities – of which 1 billion are confined to slums.

· The problems of poorer countries and people are often worsened by corruption.
In developing countries, bribes alone total $20 to 40 billion a year – imagine what it could do for health, education and economic opportunities for the poor.

Poverty brings hardship, suffering and untold misery to the poor. But those in richer communities or nations should be mindful that with such disparities come disharmony, conflict and ultimately instability on a global scale.

What about health?

· 1 billion people lack access to proper health care

· 11 million children under the age of 5 die every year from malnutrition and preventable diseases

· 300 million suffer serious sickness due to malaria and 1 million die each year

· 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS of which only 4 million have access to antiretroviral treatment

All this in a world that prides itself on scientific achievement. We can send people to the moon but we cant find out how to get essential medicines into the hands of those who need it the most.

Then there is the global economy:

· The unpredictability and imperfect legislation of advanced economies has caused instability and uncertainty in poorer countries affecting the already insecure livelihoods of their people

· Coupled with military spending the world’s future is even more unpredictable and dangerous. World military expenditure in 2009 was estimated at $1.5 trillion or about $225 for each person in the world

· The poor countries, most in need of resources are typically the ones with the weakest voice in how the global economy is shaped

Thus, we are only laying the groundwork for a world of inequality and resentment – of future conflict over resources and livelihoods – of continued strife, of terrorism and instability.

The list of global problems goes on and on. And coupled with the rapid growth of the world’s population – from 2 billion in 1930 to 6.8 billion today and 8 billion in the next 10 to 15 years. That is something to think about.

I could summarize everything and put it simply – “The greatness of humanity, of science and inventions, of great philosophers, of enterprise and industry has undoubtedly brought the world immeasurable benefits. Today we live a life far removed from that of our forefathers. Yet, we face new and greater global challenges. Why? Because – growth that overlooks inequality, injustice, environmental degradation, unbridled consumption is ultimately unsustainable. And it will continue to throw in humanity’s way greater and greater problems, until one day when we will not be able to repair the damage.”

So what do we do when our generation is faced with such great challenges? I suppose we must first acknowledge, even as we contemplate the sad statistics that define our predicament that one lesson history has taught us is that we are the authors of our own global problems.

I believe that every generation has faced its great challenges as far back as we can find the history for. And every generation – has ultimately realized, often too late – that humanity faces its darkest moments when we forsake the very characteristics that make us truly extraordinary living beings – our human Conscience – our Values.

As we begin to play our role – from the moment you leave this hall - let us not speak of world leaders and great nations – let us demand answers from ourselves, as individuals. What is our role?

Did we ever sit down and think about this while at university? Some of us will have done so – but most of us feel limited in our capacity to make real change – most of us would think - we are young – we are not billionaires or world leaders or famous celebrities – we are students fresh out of college – it is difficult enough for a young person to survive – to make a living – shouldn’t it be world leaders who make a change in the world?

This is the flaw – this waiting for saviors – why must the world wait for a few individuals to be born?

In a way, the environment we live in inculcates in us this outlook to life – those words we use so often at university - competition, future, jobs, income, investment and other such words –nothing wrong with the words – except that we have slowly become their victims not their masters. In the absence of other ways to qualify and evaluate success in education, we equate success with money or power. Even Mahatma Gandhi during his time felt that we had no idea what education really meant and how to put a value to it. It is the same today. We know what we get if we work hard, a good degree and find a good job – we get a nice car, nice house and the appreciative admiration of others. We don’t know what we get exactly from being honest, just and compassionate. The benefits from this do not accrue so easily or visibly.

But as Gandhiji said, “an education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other, is a misnomer.”

For our generation, no matter what we have all studied in university or where we are from, we have been born into a world where it is more likely that we will pursue material rewards more than what is morally right – that we will follow the path of individualism at the cost of community and fraternity. This is the direction we have been pointed towards by the kind of growth the world has pursued.

How unfortunate – for if we take this path - then no matter how much scientific or material progress is made in our lifetimes, global problems will prevail, in fact multiply and we will continue to endanger each other and the future of our children.

But how wonderful if we decide today that we will make the effort, as individuals, to try and solve global problems, to make the world a better place for our children and for the less fortunate among us. If we decide to change the way we are expected to think and behave. If we, in this room, seize this chance to do things differently. If we act without waiting for great leaders to be born. If we can believe in the extraordinary potential of simple human values then …. We can be the generation that made the difference – the generation with a conscience – the generation that the world has waited for, for so long.

None of us here may have, today, the wealth or skills to combat natural disasters or plug the ozone layer or remove world poverty. But we know that there is one thing we can change – that is ourselves. That is the most important thing – that is the one obvious starting point in our quest to find a solution to global problems - one’s self. As Gandhiji said, “Be the change you want to see.”

Do not feel alone, small or inconsequential. Too often leadership is associated with one great person giving an inspiring sermon to the masses and leading them to greater heights. I would be happy with this version of leadership if only it happened enough. By enough I mean if great leaders led millions everyday all over the world and solved all our problems. But that is not going to happen. We need millions of Mahatmas but history has given us only one.

Therefore, even if all of us cannot own billions or rule the world - what we can do for certain is we can touch the life of one person at a time – that is what is humanly possible and that is the great equalizer – whether you are the richest woman in the world or an ordinary man making a living you have the same power to truly touch someone with kindness, compassion and care.

When I speak about kindness, compassion and care – I know I may sound naive but the fact is that I believe in what I am saying. What I am saying is that in this global village – on a daily basis we are not fighting world wars or military conquest – every single day we are fighting the consequences of simple human negligence, complacency, lack of compassion, inequality. What we need is not a Leader to lead the Masses - we need Leadership of the Self.

This is my message today. I do not know how to find the cure for diseases and I cannot tell governments or multinationals to respect the environment - but I can assure you with all confidence that each of us can be better individuals – better human beings. Whether we become farmers, scientists, inventors or bureaucrats, the one thing we can all do alike is to live our lives according to the values of kindness, integrity, justice – we can be good human beings.

How does Leadership of the Self – being better human beings - translate to a better world?

Well, there are … hundreds of us here today and thousands more under the University of Calcutta. Some of us will become scientists, some corporate leaders, some national leaders and teachers so on. The difference will be that as good human beings we will be scientists who make the right inventions and cures; corporate leaders who do business with ethics; national leaders who keep in mind the weakest sections of society and the welfare of future generations; teachers who nurture and build good people. Imagine all the good we can do with the skills that our education provides, the tools that science and technology offer and all the resources of the world.

See, throughout history, we have always had the resources, the technology and science to not only solve but also actually prevent the problems that have plagued our world. What we lacked at certain moments is the Conscience to direct these resources to their right and noble use. When 24,000 children die every day due to poverty, we spend $1.5 trillion dollars on arms and ammunition. So now we can direct a missile at a target on another continent with the simple press of a button, but we cannot yet bring safe drinking water to half of humanity. We always had the resources. We lacked steadfast commitment, conscience and compassion.

I hope you see why I have kept speaking about the need to develop ourselves as individuals before we seek change in the world. We live in a highly globalized and interdependent world, a world where problems facing humanity like poverty, disease, war, strife do not recognize borders of nation, ethnicity or religion. It affects all of us; it affects every part of the world.

The solution to global problems will not just materialize from politics, from great leaders or from science and technology. The solution will come from us living as citizens of our communities, our societies, our countries and above all as citizens of the world. As citizens of the world, our unifying force – our strength must also come from something that is not bound by nation, ethnicity or religion – from fundamental human values.

Values shape the future of humanity.

Values are the root of our character – if we do not tend the roots, the character that springs from it no matter how much wealth, power and fame surrounds it will bring little benefit to oneself, the lives of others and to the well being of the planet.

All these buildings, monuments, this life that we hold so dear – all of these must give way and perish – not Values – Values of kindness, integrity, justice. Even death shall not extinguish them. Nothing travels endlessly with time and stays relevant from generation to generation, era upon era except fundamental human values.

I hope we will realize that we are at the cusp of a fundamental change of thought – a social revolution that will change the way humanity will pursue growth forever. Our generation is called upon to rethink, to redefine the true purpose of growth. And in doing so, to find a growth that is truly sustainable.

We must never forget that for lasting peace and happiness in this world, the journey forward has to be one that we must all make together. No one should be left behind.

This we must achieve without waiting for some great leader or genius who may or may not ever emerge – we should instead seek to do so, each of us, on our own. As we become better human beings, we build better families, stronger communities, successful nations and a peaceful stable world for ourselves and our future generations. It all starts with Leadership of the Self.

Now, as you go into life beyond university – you might say – everything that Jigme has said, I have thought about them before … and … I want to be a good human being – a kind person - a just person – but sometimes its not enough to be good. How does one cope in this ever-changing world, where the ups and downs are so unpredictable?

Yes, the world may not be an easy place – and life can be hard sometimes. If it is of any worth to you, let me share my approach to keeping myself on the right path. It is a simple way in which I try to keep my goals, hopes and aspirations and above all my conscience always in the forefront.

I imagine my life is a book that I am engaged in writing. In so doing, I find that every moment brings the urge and energy to do something special, something worthy to write into the book. When I am confronted by some challenge, I find the opportunity to write a wonderful tale of hardship, suffering, hard work, determination and commitment. When faced by the temptation to take short cuts and cheat, the book serves as my conscience. In the end, after all, like anyone else I want the story of my life to be as good as possible. But this story is written by my own best judge – the one that cannot be cheated or deceived – myself. As is said in the Gita – “Let a man raise himself by himself; let him not lower himself; for he alone is the friend of himself; he alone is the enemy of himself.”

So my young friends of the University of Calcutta - let us - you and me - today introduce a new Individualism - the individualism of values – that seeks the progress of oneself as an individual - as a human being – and thus, the progress of humanity.

Before I conclude, thank you for having me here and for taking the time to listen. I want you to know that being here with you means a lot to me. It has been a real privilege. As you begin your lives after university, I pray that all of you go will go on to live wonderful happy lives; that you will find true love - its important you know – some of you may have already found your soul-mate, some waiting in anticipation while some desperately looking for one – well, Good Luck - I hope it leads to happy marriages and beautiful children who make you proud and bring you comfort.

On a more serious note – I pray that you will find wisdom, courage and determination to overcome challenges and grasp opportunities; I hope that you will develop a strong moral compass that will help you navigate towards leading honorable lives. I pray that at the end of it all, you will all be able to look back at extraordinary lives free of regret, full of satisfaction, happiness and fulfillment. And that I will learn, year after year, with great pride, of all the good you have done as wonderful human beings and as my friends.

Thank you.

Tashi Delek!

When they attacked New York on 9/11

Nine years back on this fateful evening (it was morning in New York) I was in Bangkok waiting for a connecting flight to Amsterdam. The flight from Paro to Bangkok was so early in the morning that I didn't have enough sleep the night before. So I was feeling drowsy and lethargic as evening came and I patiently waited for my midnight flight.

My physical conditions were further aggravated by the long and tiring wait in the uneventful Don Muang Airport. The only thing that kept my eyes open was the CNN news where I was lazily checking the weather and the temperature in Amsterdam to make sure I had packed the right set of clothing.

Then suddenly the “Breaking News” banner started flashing on the TV and I saw a tower burning and people running. My immediate reaction was, “When did CNN started advertising movies?” I thought it was the trailer from the "Siege" with Denzel Washington. Then an aircraft appeared on the screen and hit the second tower. The newscaster screamed to tears, which woke me up completely. More people started crowding around me, all facing the TV. Someone shouted, “Oh! My God. I can’t believe it!” I was stunned. “Is this happening just now?” I asked innocently. “Yes, that’s New York!” Suddenly all my fatigues disappeared and I stood there – almost frozen to death.

I couldn’t even blink my eyes with the horror unfurling in front of us. So much so that only a loud and continuos thumping noise took my head away from the TV screen. To my right I saw the Thai anti-terrorist squad heading for the boarding gates. An announcement came in. “There will be slight delays in all the outgoing flight". That frightened me. Moments later they announced my flight and we were to proceed for security checks. I was still confused as I headed for my boarding gate. There was a long line of travellers getting checked one by one. Besides the usual Thai ground staff, there were armed policeman in full battle gear scanning the place. The sight frightened me even more.

The queue was unusually slow and as I snailed towards the counter trailing an old European lady I started wondering if I should even go to Amsterdam. I could cancel my flight and my trip. Stay for few days in Bangkok and return home. When you are about to board an aircraft the last thing you want to see is a plane crashing into a building and killing thousands for real.

I was lost in all those strange thoughts when a voice called me, “boarding pass and passport, please”. The counter girl, probably in her thirties, smiled at me. I handed them over still unsure if I should go. “Thank you and have a nice flight,” she told me as she handed them back. “You must be kidding,” I thought as I walked away looking for an empty seat.

But as I settled down between two Dutch guys with my eyes scanning the place for any suspicious characters, I started asking myself, “What am I scared of, actually? Dying? But if my time has come I would die anywhere. One day I would die for sure.” That's when my Buddhist upbringing and being Buddhist came handy. No one can escape one's fate or cheat death. If your time is up, it’s up. Whether you are in the Land of Smile or in the Thunder Dragon Kingdom or among the tulips. You will be making your appointment with the Lord of Death anyway. So might as well do that seeping champagne, 30,000 feet above the Earth, seated in the business class with beautiful Taiwanese hostesses serving you.

I boarded the Eva Airways flight bound for Amsterdam.

Regarding Sanga

Sanga works as the chief physiotherapist in Thimphu hospital. He is also indisputably the best in his business. His hands can do wonders. When you come out from his treatment session, you feel that your pains have disappeared. Sanga is warm-hearted and rarely turns down anyone seeking his advice or services. As he “sees” his patients, he also comforts them, encourages them and explains everything in detail.

There is one thing about Sanga, which makes him extraordinary – he is visually impaired. He also comes from a modest background and has obviously struggled to get where he is now. But having known him for years I forget he has that physical handicap. I take him like a normal person.

But Sanga is much more. Besides being a good professional, he also lives his life to the fullest. On one occasion I found him discussing an upcoming football match involving his hospital colleagues. Another time he was planning the next hike to the mountains with his friend and colleague, Dr. Chencho.

I first met Sanga some years back when I interviewed him on my TV show. He made me look deeper into myself and ponder. How come I don’t have any physical disabilities (touch wood!) and yet I am often grumbling about my life, my work, my colleagues and my career? If I were in his place, would I be even half as successful as him?

As age catches up, one feels the muscles and bones giving up easily and visits to Sanga get more frequent. But life, I guess, is a package. My visits are not only physiotherapy sessions but also a great occasion to talk about our common interest - hiking. As he ultrasounds my chronic backache, we share our trekking plans and adventures. The only difference – he treks for leisure while I trek for work. He has been to Singye Dzong. And so did I. But when I tell him my next trek was to Chumphu Nye, he tells me that's easy and that his was actually to Dragye Pangtso located some 14,000 feet – above Paro Taktsang. Shame on me, I tell myself.

People like Sanga are simply inspiring. Especially to those of us who waste our time badmouthing others and nagging about everything. And here is someone who is visually impaired and yet is doing his job well and enjoying his life. We often forget that we live in an imperfect world anyway. The only certainty in life is that life itself is very uncertain. 

So while you have all the limbs and senses, go out and have fun! See places that tourist pay $200 a day to visit. Make pilgrimages to holy sites blessed by every Buddhist master down the ages. May be the merit you accumulate would assure you a better reincarnation in your next life. Above all, walk to the remotest villages and take some smiles and laughter there while you are still fit and strong.

(photo courtesy www.tsheringtobgay.com)

Heroes Around Us

Bhutan Today’s detailed account of Ugyen Dorji, 18, who risked his life to save another boy from being swallowed by Thimphu River, really touched me. Pity that other Bhutanese media did not celebrate his heroic deeds. As much as nothing substantive was done on the people who received the National Order of Merit last year or on the medallists from the last South Asian Games. This is what I meant in my earlier blog that “we rarely celebrate our own heroes.”

Talking about heroes and role models, someone asked me if there was anybody who is really inspiring. Without a second thought my answer was yes! Besides our Kings, there are many ordinary people whose lives and stories of daily hardships and survival, of hard work and dedication and of sense of duty and altruism are just as inspiring as the leadership and achievements of successful people we hear or see.

Years back, on a trip to Gasa, I heard of an extraordinary story of a schoolteacher who risked his life to trek for days to get to Lunana. Subsequently I made a documentary on him - a modest homage to thousands of teachers who are posted in far-flung areas doing their job of preparing the future citizens of our country. Aren’t they heroes?

How about that postman from Lingzhi, Ugen Tenzin, who for over 30 years carried mailbags between Lingzhi and Thimphu – at times carrying just one letter. Once he was even swept away by the icy Thimphu River. He lost all his belonging and nearly his life too, but not the postal bag which he didn't let go. The bag contained just four letters – one a ‘return to the sender’.

When I was a student travelling was no fun. Once it took me 13 days to reach Tashigang from Phuntsholing. Such stories are rare today. Thousands of National Work Force workers and engineers live on the road to keep the way clear for us to drive our Marutis and Land Cruisers through. Let alone acknowledge them, we can't wait a minute for a slide to open.

Lest we forget, our soldiers who died defending our country while thousands others who survived are living in the cold icy mountains and mosquito-ridden foothills to secure our borders.

In a collective journey we call nation building, the lives and works of thousands of such people, and even that of a farmer toiling to feed a large family or business people struggling to pay their employees on time, form the backbone of our country. There is no dearth of heroes and role models. It is our national obsession for gossiping that skews them - made worse by our inflated ego, greed and indifference. To be a hero you need not necessarily win a Nobel Prize or possess supernatural powers. You could do by jumping into a river to save someone whose existence you never knew before that very moment or by risking your life to deliver just one letter. Or simply by making a small difference in someone's life.

(In the photo above, RBP team rescued Ugyen and the boy. photo courtesy - Bhutan Today)

Can I help you?

In his book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki recollects of how growing up as a child his rich dad would never say no to whatever he asked. His rich dad would be like, “umm… Let’s see how we can afford it”. While his poor dad would slam his request with “We can’t afford that.” Kiyosaki argues that the we-can’t-afford-that statement not only closes the chapter altogether but it also shuts off your mind and creativity. On the other hand, the how-can-we-afford-it swings open the brain in search of infinite ways, means and possibilities. That’s why the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer - or remains poor.

These days many young people come out with new ideas to keep up with the increased competition in life. Business ideas in the private sector, story ideas for books and films, project ideas to create jobs and employment, activity ideas to keep the youth away from drugs and violence. Yet our immediate reaction is rarely How can I help? But rather,Won’t there be any problem? With such an attitude, of course, negativity sets in. We are looking for faults. And in the process we find many. We find that rigsar dances are bad to our culture. Never mind that our children are hooked to anything Korean anyway. Public concerts and open-air festivals cannot be approved in the name of security. Who cares that lack of entertainment is actually manifesting as other social ills like gambling, drug-abuse, street violence and alcoholism. Business ideas are shot down because of municipal rules, lack of capitals or the required collaterals. We don’t explore ways and means to get the proposals through. We are happy to reject them so that we make fewer mistakes and more promotions would follow.

As a young upstart, I really don’t remember how many times I was turned down. "Lack of resources" was a favorite line in those meetings. But that was few decades back. It is ironic that we continue to hear those same lines. True we have not become richer but we could have changed our attitude towards our youth given what they are going through. For me it used to be such a cruel remark that closed all possibilities for further discussion and put an end to my motivations and creativity.

Surfing through online forums these days makes me feel if we are not falling into a national pessimism trap. There seems to be so much negative energy among the "educated" lot. We are blind to what is going right. We only keep nagging on where it is going wrong. We don’t encourage best practices. We are rather happy to go on a witch hunt. We rarely celebrate the good deeds or our local heroes. Rather we simply bad mouth just everyone.

If you walk into any public office, or even a commercial joint, you are rarely greeted with, “Can I help you?” Few months back I read about a group of youth in Paro starting a signature campaign to get a basketball court. I am curious as to how many people asked, “How can I help to give these kids a basketball court?” And if at all they got a basketball court.

Archery – the inconvenient truth

The incident involving a parliamentarian struck by an arrow has sparked an intense debate on the need for, or on the lack of, safety standards or regulations in our national sports. It is indeed a good debate but something that we could have prevented. Meaning, the issue was raised over and over again in the past and had we heeded to those voices, we won’t be discussing this issue today. But like every public issue, we are only responding to an aftermath of an event or a crisis. But what’s wrong with our favourite past time? Actually nothing. What is really not okay is everything surrounding the game itself - our refusal to alter a culture that has become a habit, which now suits us in many ways.

True, archery is not just a sport. It is a great socializing exercise. In the past, villages organised annual archery matches to patch up their differences or settle their disputes. No matter who won, the result was accepted, some ara shared and everyone went home happy and little tipsy. The game has certainly evolved - but not for better. It has now become great lobbying operation. Suppliers and contractors organise archery matches to keep work orders and bills flowing fluidly. Subordinates take bank loans to be able to play with their bosses and keep their careers going. Only few are there genuinely for the game.

Ours is also the only national sports in the world where drinking is tolerated. You could also be forgiven from staying away from your office duties for weeks. I remember once going for a signature at the archery ground because the inter-ministry tournament was going on. The civil "servant" grudgingly signed the paper only because I was a journalist. Had I been an ordinary being I am sure I would have been rebuked. These are things we can’t be really proud of. Why can’t the BAF matches be held on weekends like the European football leagues?

In the name of preserving our culture thousands of people live with a constant fear of being hit by stray arrows. In the past year, more people have died from arrow injuries than HIV-AIDS. A life of an innocent child has been forever ruined. We are quick to badmouth any minor wrongdoings but a death at an archery range does not even attract a proper investigation. If it is really the culture we are trying to preserve, we should then revert back to bamboo products. Importing American bows meant to hunt bears may be okay but then the equipment should be used in safer grounds - not in populated urban areas. In Europe, one needs a firearm license to own such equipment. But in Paro, some villagers disown their ancestral land in exchange for the latest Hoyt model. Even in Thailand, golf centres are required to put up wire mesh as high as 300 feet. Here we even don’t have a system of certifying archery ranges. The outflow of foreign exchange is perhaps not even an issue.

How do we reconcile all these? Just asking. Not questioning the essence of our national sport.