‘Bhutan’ Articles
Written by admin on 03 November 2012
Thimphu, Nov 3 (IANS) A religious organisation has been established here in a novel initiative to sustain 43 religious centres, training over 1,000 monks and nuns in different parts of Bhutan.
The Pedling Choeki Gatshel Foundation drew an overwhelming response from its members on the very first night of its launch Thursday, as it raised 2.8 Bhutanese Ngultrum ($52,000) as contributions from them, Kuensel media reported.
According to the ninth Gantey Trulku, Kunzang Rigzin Pema Namgyel, who heads this foundation, children of the economically deprived families usually become monks as they find it beyond their means to attend schools.
“The foundation’s fund would go a long way in making these students stand on their own feet,” Kuenselonline quoted him as saying.
He believes the rich Buddhist religious culture could be promoted through two ways –imparting knowledge and spreading Buddhism.
The foundation’s fund would be used to renovate and construct lhakhangs (temples) in various parts of the country.
While Gantey Trulku will be the permanent chairperson of the foundation, four other board members have been appointed. In future, the four members are to be elected.
The foundation aims to raise a fund of $50 mn.
Monks completing the ninth standard in a shedra, or the place of learning will be given a masters degree certificate in Buddhist studies.
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 31 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 31 (IANS) Bhutan is again gearing up to find out about the state of its people’s happiness through a survey, for which an exhaustive questionnaire is now being prepared.
The exercise to refine the questionnaire for Gross National Happiness (GNH) survey was as abstract as the subject itself, reported kuenselonline.com.
The second GNH survey questionnaire has been prepared by the Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS).
It runs into a staggering 43 pages, with 249 questions under nine domains and 124 variables, including 10 demographic questions.
A meeting was held here to go through the questions in relevance to the GNH policy.
“We take notes of the recommendations and suggestions to discuss further on whether to incorporate them or not,” an official was quoted as saying.
“Such stocktaking of suggestions and recommendations would help improve our questionnaires and GNH survey system.”
On psychological wellbeing, some participants pointed out the need to include children and family support system-related questions.
On spirituality, Girijesh Pant of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, said it was more of a religious sort and did not cover the whole section of a society.
“It ignores an atheist,” he said. “One can be spiritual even without praying, and an atheist can also be spiritual.”
Some of the questions under spirituality include “How often do you recite prayers and how often do you visit temples?”
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 29 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 29 (IANS) Over 200 cameras that were switched on 24X7 for 64 days have confirmed the presence of 14 tigers in the Manas national park that Bhutan shares with India, a media report said.
Wildlife officials of Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park and Manas National Park in India have confirmed the presence of 14 Royal Bengal tigers across the trans-boundary area. Six out of them were tigresses, reported kuenselonline.com
Royal Manas manager Tenzin Wangchuk said 204 camera-traps were fixed in the core tiger habitat areas.
He said that cameras mounted on trees and poles were on 24X7 for 64 days; to avoid damage from elephants, fresh elephant dung was placed on the camouflaged cameras.
Of the 14 tigers, four were common, photographed both in Bhutan and India, Tenzin Wangchuk was quoted as saying.
“This joint study was possible only through financial, technical and field support from World Wildlife Fund and Bhutan Foundation.”
The Royal Manas National Park spread over 1,057 sq km is located in the southern foothills. It borders India’s Manas tiger reserve in the south forming a transboundary conservation landscape.
In both national parks, conservationists said there was a combined record of 60 species of mammals such as Bengal tiger and clouded leopard. There are also 500 species of birds and more than 1,000 plant species.
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 18 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 18 (IANS) Tshewang Tashi is the first Bhutanese civil servant this year to have decided to join politics, saying it’s “payback” time.
Kuenselonline.com reported that if all goes well, she will represent Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam party from north Thimphu constituency for the 2013 parliamentary elections.
It’s “payback” time, said Tshewang Tashi who received her relieving order two days ago. She was a civil servant for over two decades.
“We’re the lucky ones,” she was quoted as saying.
“We got good education, accordingly a good job, and have been comfortable for this many years of our lives.”
She added that “now it’s time to stand up, try and do what we can for people, who are less fortunate”.
Right now, she is the only female candidate of the party, said the media report.
“More than being a woman, it’s more about having requisite qualities to represent your country,” she added.
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 10 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 10 (IANS) Bhutan’s capital Thimphu has over 35,000 vehicles – over half of the entire country – causing traffic congestion and a daily now wants the government to improve its city bus service.
An editorial in Kuensel daily Wednesday said that the government’s initial plan was to introduce city buses to provide Thimphu residents a reliable mode of public transport, besides reducing car numbers causing growing congestion on city roads.
“But the plan found itself at odds with the government’s softer side of feeling for the low-income people wishing to own cars of their own some day,” it said.
“The domain of the heart eventually prevailed so far over that of the mind that, today, we have more than 35,000 vehicles in the capital city alone, of the more than 66,000 across the country,” the daily added.
In New Delhi, the capital of neighbouring India, an estimated 60 lakh vehicles ply on roads every day.
The editorial said that perhaps it is time to “vivify the city bus services, so more of the capital residents would use it, as they would once out of the country”.
“That simply means the authorities need to improve some of the long overdue city bus services,” it added.
The daily suggested distributing leaflets to inform commuters of bus timings and their routes as well as to affix route maps, along with bus numbers or destination names at identified stops.
Swipe cards for regular commuters and driver-operated stationery ticket vending machines should also be installed.
The daily stressed that the most crucial aspect would be to “disallow commuters from eating, drinking or chewing once on board, and the rule has to be implemented strictly”.
“If it can be done in huge, sophisticated metropolitan cities, it can certainly be done in Thimphu, which, by international standards, is not even a city,” it added.
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 09 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 9 (IANS) Religion should be kept out of politics, a leading Bhutan daily said Tuesday and stressed that religious personalities too should stay away as such “earthly games” are for “lesser mortals”.
Keeping religion out of politics has so far meant keeping out religious personalities from contesting elections, an editorial in Kuensel said.
“There are very strong reasons for that. A well-known religious personality, without any campaigning or promises whatsoever, is likely to beat any of our well-known politicians hands down, any time. This is indicative of the sway or hold religious personalities or religion plays in the lives of the Bhutanese,” it said.
“When to-be politicians visit monasteries and roll the dice, or seek the blessings of a religious personality, before taking a life changing decision like joining politics, what more else is there to say?”
The editorial said that the “more important reason why religion personalities should remain above politics is because it is understood that they have dedicated their lives in the propagation of the dharma; earthly games like politics is for the lesser mortals”.
Religious personalities and institutions staying above politics have also meant that monks registered with any institutions do not have a right to vote.
It admitted that ensuring the separation of religion and politics has been an ongoing debate.
“There have been grey areas and will always be grey areas, considering that religion has always influenced politics and continues to do so.”
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 02 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 2 (IANS) Like a giant Brahminy kite swooping down on its prey, Drukair’s Airbus, plumed in the national colours of orange and yellow, veered sharply to the left over the Himalayas to head for an unexpected v-shaped opening in the mountains.
To the collective gasps of its passengers – who had barely recovered from the excitement of flying alongside the world’s mountain peaks, including Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Jumolhari, Dhaulagiri and Makalu among others – it emerged through the gap to present a vista that was both panoramic and breathtaking.
A long strip of asphalt beckoned below in a welcoming carpet at the quaint Paro airport, the gateway to the mystical kingdom of Bhutan. It was flanked on either side by verdant slopes of cypress, pine and oak, dotted in the foothills by pretty traditional cottages and chhordens (Buddhist stupas), with their fluttering white flags, and the sparkling chu (river) that gives company a good way during the one-hour journey from Paro to capital Thimphu.
Welcome to the country often described as “the last Shangri La on earth”, that Lonely Planet calls one of the world’s most enigmatic and intriguing nations.
“Felicitations to the Royal Couple on their Wedding”, greeted a giant billboard with a coloured photo of HRH Jigme Kesar Namgyel Wangchuk, the fifth king of Bhutan, and his wife Gyaltusuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuk, as one set foot in a land whose benevolent rulers have chosen to measure their people’s well being through the unique concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than the universal metric of Gross National Product (GNP).
Though the couple are observing their first wedding anniversary this month, the kingdom – it now calls itself a democratic constitutional monarchy – is still to get over the international attention it got when the world media came to cover the royal wedding last Oct 13.
Immigration is a breeze (Indians require no visa but on the whole tourism has to be of high-value – other foreigners have to pay $200 each and travel in groups – ecologically friendly and cultural acceptable) and soon one is settled on the road to Thimphu in one of the Maruti Suzukis or Hyundai Santros that seem to predominate the 66,000 odd private vehicle population of the country. Although the snaking road to Thimphu is full of hairpin bends, no one honks because, as our driver put it sagely, the mountain gods “would feel disturbed”.
Thimphu has changed since the time I was last here two decades ago. The city – which resembles an Indian hill town – of about 50,000 people is much more crowded, has many more markets, hotels and restaurants, and there is new construction everywhere, although everyone has to adhere to traditional Bhutanese architectural norms – white-washed rectangular buildings with sloping, crested roofs and gilded windows and all carrying the local icons of dragon and lotus.
There is also the ubiquitous phallic symbol dangling from the eaves of Bhutanese homes to ward off malevolent spirits. In the words of a Bhutanese writer, “phallic rituals appear everywhere in our daily lives, marking events that range from the mundane to the momentous.
“The birth of a calf, for instance, the purchase of a new truck, or the augury of a brand new home all merit a nod to the preeminent phallus.”
Bhutan is a deeply spiritual nation of nearly 700,000 people whose history stretches back to the origins of Buddhism and who have developed a unique identity, derived largely from a religious and cultural heritage, designed for a harmonious evolution of man with nature.
Such is the Bhutanese obsession with retaining their pristine lifestyle that the biggest media debate a few months ago was about the installation of the first traffic light at the busiest downtown crossing. Ultimately, the traditionalists, backed by the king, prevailed and the lights were dismantled.
Today, a policeman directs traffic under a crafted canopy, traffic is orderly and non-cacophonous and Bhutan, the land of the thunder dragon, continues with its delicate balance between tradition and modernity.
(Tarun Basu can be contacted at tarun.basu@ians.in <mailto:tarun.basu@ians.in>)
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 01 October 2012
Thimphu, Oct 1 (IANS) Rising cases of Hepatitis B infection in Bhutan has become a major health concern.
Last year alone, 744 Hepatitis B cases were reported, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, a doctor at the National Referral Hospital here, said.
The higher rate of detection was due to the increasing number of testing centres. But Bhutan also has Hepatitis A and C, The Bhutanese daily quoted Wangchuk as saying.
Hepatitis B infection could lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The virus is spread through blood transfusion, unsafe sex or sharing of needles contaminated by the virus.
Tucked in the eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is bordered to the west, south and east by India and in the north by China.
There is currently no government awareness campaign, but patients are provided free medical treatment, the health ministry’s chief programme officer Tandin said last week. There is however less emphasis on testing Hepatitis C, which is more serious. About 95 percent of patients lead a normal life with treatment but the virus remains in the body.
Bhutan, with a population of just over 650,000, launched Hepatitis B vaccine in 1997 after high prevalence of the disease came to light.
Diseases like malaria, dengue and cholera are also widespread in the country.
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 30 September 2012
Thimphu, Sep 30 (IANS) Bhutan is to inaugurate its third domestic airport in Gelephu next month.
Two more airports in Bumthang and Trashigang will be relaunched next month, the national newspaper Kuensel reported. The airports would be serviced by national carrier Drukair, which also operates its only international flights from Paro, the gateway to the mystical Buddhist nation that is seeking to keep a fine balance between modernisation and tradition.
With a population of just over 650,000, Bhutan is bordered to the south, east and west by India and to the north by China. India is its main trade partner.
Namgay Wangchuk, general manager of Drukair, said the airline had earlier suspended flights to these destinations due to repair work.
The laying of a concrete layer on to the 1.2-km Batpalathang, Bumthang runway was delayed after a bridge in Trongsa was damaged and construction materials had to be rerouted. Work at the Yonphula, Trashigang airport was delayed due to bad weather. A patchwork on a 600 metre stretch of the 1,300 metre runway is being carried out, according to the Kuensel report.
Drukair now operates flights, besides India, to Nepal and Thailand and is also starting flights to Singapore from Paro, which is about an hour’s drive from capital Thimphu.
Tags: Thimphu
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Written by admin on 23 April 2012
Paro (Bhutan), April 23 (IANS) Cooperation among countries can help transform South Asia from an energy constraint to an energy surplus region, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley has said.
‘Shared vision and collaborative efforts at public and the private sector level can mitigate the impact of climate change and cooperation in energy, and can help South Asia in its transformation from an energy constraint to energy surplus region,’ Thinley said while inaugurating a conference here Sunday.
The two-day conference on climate change and energy cooperation in South Asia is being organised by the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) led the Indian participation at the event.
The SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry is headed by India’s Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who is also a member of FICCI.
While addressing the event, Sahney stressed on the need for collaborated efforts to devise mechanisms to tackle the adverse effects of natural calamities due to climate change.
Sahney suggested creation of a SAARC climate change fund to finance projects related to climate and environment protection in the country, according to a statement released by the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) includes India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Tags: Paro
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Written by admin on 13 October 2011
Punakha (Bhutan), Oct 13 (IANS) The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Thursday crossed yet another historic threshold with its 31-year-old King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk entering into a wedlock with his commoner heartthrob, 21-year-old student Jetsun Pema at a lavish ceremony.
The Buddhist marriage rituals were held at the 17th century monastic fortress in Punakha, the former capital of Bhutan, with the Oxford-educated king coming down from his throne to place the crown on the head of the stunning Pema. Punakha is about 80 km from capital Thimphu.
And immediately the fortress reverberated with chants of Buddhist hymns by monks clad in maroon and yellow robes as the newlywed Pema was escorted by the king to the throne.
Former king Jigme Singye Wangcuk, who abdicated the throne in favour of his son and ushered in transition from absolute monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom, and his four queens as also the entire royal family were present to bless the newlyweds.
Jigme Singye Wangcuk, flanked by his four wives, handed the blessed, coloured scarves to the nervous-looking bride. The young groom wore a crown adorned with a raven’s head during the rituals in keeping with the tradition.
After the rituals, the king and the queen walked out of the fortress to greet thousands of people waiting to have their glimpse.
The king broke protocol to pat children on their head and shaking hands with the crowd outside the fortress. The king and the queen also greeted the guests by waving at them after the marriage rituals.
‘Now we have a king and a queen, and for the Bhutanese people this is like a symbol of body, spirit and mind coming together. It is so important because we see it as reminding people of family values,’ said Kinley Dorji, Bhutan’s information secretary.
Pema was dressed in a yellow-red jacket and skirt, and her crown glittered as a select 300 guests inside the fortress looked in awe as the deep-throated chanting of Buddhist hymns echoed in the fortress.
The king is thought to have known Pema, the daughter of an airline pilot, since she was a young girl. A biography released by the palace listed her interests as fine arts, painting and basketball.
Jetsun Pema, who was born in Thimphu June 4, 1990, stands pretty at 5 feet 10 inches.
She had joined the Lawrence School at Sanawar in Himachal Pradesh in 2006 and cleared her plus-two examination in 2008. Before joining Sanawar, she studied at St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong in West Bengal and Changangkha Lower Secondary School and Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School in Thimphu, Bhutan. She graduated from Regents College, London.
Pema comes from the Bumthang Pangtey family and her father, Dhondup Gyaltshen, is an airline pilot for the past 22 years. Earlier he was with Bhutan’s national airlines, the Druk Air, and now flies with Bahrain Airways. Jetsun Pema has two brothers and two sisters.
Indian guests at the royal wedding included Jyotiraditya Scindia, ambassador Pavan Varma, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, former ambassador Dileep Mehta, the late Arjun Singh’s grandson Aishwarya Singh and his wife Devyani Rana, and journalists Karan Thapar and Malvika Singh.
The royal couple left for Thimphu by road in the afternoon even as thousands of people lined up along the roads to have a glimpse of the newlyweds.
King Jigme is widely revered in Bhutan, a nation of some 700,000 people that made a historic shift from absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy in 2008.
King Jigme was enthroned as the monarch in 2006 after his father Jigme Singye Wangcuk abdicated the throne in favour of his son.
Tags: Punakha
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Written by admin on 13 October 2011
Punakha (Bhutan), Oct 13 (IANS) The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Thursday witnessed a historic event with 31-year-old King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk entering into a wedlock with his commoner heartthrob, 21-year-old student Jetsun Pema at a lavish ceremony.
The Buddhist marriage rituals were held at the 17th century monastic fortress in Punakha, the former capital of Bhutan with the Oxford-educated king coming down from his throne to place the crown on the head of the stunning Pema. Punakha is about 80 km from capital Thimphu.
And soon the fortress echoed with chants of Buddhist hymns by monks clad in maroon and yellow robes as the newlywed Pema was escorted by the king to the throne.
Former king Jigme Singye Wangcuk, who abdicated the throne in favour of his son and ushered in transition from absolute monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom, and his four queens as also the entire royal family were present to bless the newly weds.
‘Now we have a king and a queen and for the Bhutanese people. This is like a symbol of body, spirit and mind coming together. It is so important because we see it as reminding people of family values,’ said Kinley Dorji, Bhutan’s information secretary.
Pema was dressed in a yellow-red jacket and skirt, and her crown glittered as a select 300 guests inside the fortress looked in awe as the deep-throated chanting of Buddhist hymns echoed in the fortress.
The king is thought to have known Pema, the daughter of an airline pilot, since she was a young girl. A biography released by the palace listed her interests as fine arts, painting and basketball.
Jetsun Pema, who was born in Thimphu June 4, 1990, stands pretty at 5 feet 10 inches.
She had joined the Lawrence School at Sanawar in Himachal Pradesh in 2006 and cleared her plus-two examination in 2008. Before joining Sanawar, she studied at St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong in West Bengal and Changangkha Lower Secondary School and Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School in Thimphu, Bhutan. She graduated from Regents College, London.
Pema comes from the Bumthang Pangtey family and her father, Dhondup Gyaltshen, is an airline pilot. Jetsun Pema has two brothers and two sisters.
The king and the queen acknowledged the guests after the marriage rituals by waving.
King Jigme is widely revered in the Bhutan, a nation of some 700,000 people that made a historic shift from absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy in 2008.
King Jigme was enthroned as the monarch in 2006 after his father Jigme Singye Wangcuk abdicated the throne in favour of his son.
Tags: Punakha
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