Birthday

Today's generations are fortunate in a number of ways, many are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Everything flows like a running river to the ocean of their wishes. Parents have been projected as wish-fulfilling gods and goddesses. Not all  but many categorically fit to it, especially the urban borns. There is nothing wrong, it's just that we're witnessing a ride on the wings of change.  Literally, an axis of our practice is tilted along the lines of progress being brought about by the development. I construe nothing faulty and guilty here.  

It was 6th January 2015, the 19th Birth Anniversary of a girl. At the eve, she's too happy to wait for the dawn to break for the day. The night slipped to give away for the day, and it's her Birthday. She is turning 19, the sun of her teenage is on its horizon to sink below the mountains. She rejoiced that the most awaited day has finally come and it's already evening. She's happy that she could make to her 19th despite the jaws of death already present on the day of her delivery. It's hugely gratifying to see one walk out of the bed breaking through the night. It's a miracle. Thank god! She calls her parents to give him a sum of money to throw a sumptuous dinner to her friends to celebrate the day. She found  no reason why her parents would decline her request, after all, those 18 birthdays have passed doing the same thing over and again. To her surprise, parents decline saying that she needn't celebrate her Birthday as it is a huge affair financially and she is already adult under the eye of law. Celebrating birthday is childish. She breaks down on call and it's over, and no Birthday. 

Sad that she couldn't decorate her Birthday. She couldn't laugh on her Birthday. She couldn't get Birthday Gifts that her friends have to offer should the dinner get along.

 

Source: Google

Listen folks to the wise words from His Eminence, the 19th Khamtrul Rinpoche. Last Sunday, I was blessed to be partaking along with Dharma brothers and sisters who wanted to celebrate Rinpoche's Birthday as a token of gratitude for his tireless effort to spread and keep alive the Drukpa practices in the world. Rinpoche was requested to give a talk and here is what  he said, "Many friends and families bring Birthday gifts. I have explicitly requested anyone coming here today not bring a gift for me.  If you want to gift me, give me what I like. If you bring what I don't like, it isn't a gift for me. What I like as a gift is that you can make a difference in someone's life. That's the greatest gift for me. I don't see any reason that I deserve to be gifted on my Birthday. It was the day I was born, I couldn't talk, and I made my mother cry. I made her stomach big for nine months and let her carry me along, it was a burden on her. It was a day I did nothing than being a problem, I haven't accomplished anything on that day. There's nothing worth that I should be gifted. Rather, I feel otherwise. On my Birthday, I should thank my parents and families for giving all kind of love and care. On my Birthday, I should call my parents and thank them for all of their love and care that I received. I think, I should present gift to my parents. I should celebrate the day to pay my gratitude and not otherwise”.

I couldn’t agree more to Rinpoche’s gold plated words about Birthday celebration. I think it should be otherwise as Rinpoche nailed precisely. So, what do you say? I am for it.

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Cutting intake of teachers to aggravate unemployment problems

I could still hear the echos of pledges that the present Government made to zero the staggering unemployment figure. They've pledged colossally which to their favor translated into votes, ascending them to the governance. The people harbored mammoth expectations that the Government would honor all of it. However, things aren't happening as pledged and people's expectations are receding ashore. Many hopes will have to encounter a fatal fate, albeit a few getting green signals.  One of the pledges to bring full employment is succumbing to ill fate, when the Government could no longer absorb more than half of the B.Ed graduates trained for becoming teachers. For 200 plus B.Ed graduates, it is really worrying as they are rendered helpless and cornered by Royal Civil Service Commission. There are  handful vacancies which would come as a shock absorber from private schools, but they might come wrapped with the underscoring criteria of a few years experience in teaching which many of them doesn't possess. Along with these unemployed B.Ed graduates, their parents who expected and were shielded from worries of unemployment would get entrapped into the whirlpool of unemployment.

Disappointed B.Ed graduates

For this reason, the belief that the Bhutanese are good planners is untrue. This rather is indicative of miserable failure of proper planning. Where has planning gone wrong, the B.Ed graduates are inducted into training as per Human Resource Plan. Unless we are able to find glitch spot, the problem of unemployment would be a national conundrum. Why suddenly such major surgery is prescribed by RCSC despite the fact that they were trained teachers to be inducted into Royal Civil Service Commission on completion. Until this time, B.Ed graduates were guaranteed employment. But why not today?

Has the Government or RCSC thought of any alternatives in employing them? Are the curriculum and pedagogy of B.Ed program tailored so that they can compete to seek employment in private and corporate sectors along with any other graduates? These are questions that RCSC or government have to answer. If the practice of recruiting teachers were that of other graduates, the issue would have been a trivial and not-talk-worthy kind of thing. But the kind of practice we do and training they're given during the program undisputedly deserves the Government's attention. I am totally against the decision of the Royal Civil Service Commission and silence of the present Government on this. The Government has to see it through the hearts of many unemployed graduates' parents. 

My humble submission to the RCSC and the Government is that there is a need for major surgery in the planning process of  Human Resource Requirement. This will solve an unemployment problem  in  lots of ways. I personally feel that there is a missing link in the process of planning for Human Resources Requirement. Please train required Teachers for teaching rather than imposing undue social problems. If seats were not enough to accommodate all the graduates, the information should have been passed four years back. More importantly, RCSC, RUB and the Government, please don't make the blunder by taking in huge number of students for B.Ed program. I think the Government and RCSC have to press second or third thought on this.

Smooth coordination among RCSC, RUB and the Government (MoLHR) is called for in a future to ward off such unemployment drought.

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Eavesdropping along the corridors of JDWNRH

“Are you leaving?” ,  says a patient attendant. “Yes, she is discharged” , comes a reply from a smile-lit face of the other attendant. 

Next comes a heart-wrenching, heavy and hefty request for the one leaving, “Please pray for the swift recovery of my patient."

These are the talks that one could hear along the corridors of JDWNRH.  As I reflect on that simple, short, moving talk, my heart became swollen and heavy. I could feel the pain albeit helpless I walk along the corridors. It’s just a touching flight of sentiments I could hear. It’s deep and wounding. One would better know when you see pain-driven patients in multi-categorized wards of JDWNRH. The new are born and there are equaling numbers succumbing to the ailments. Witnessing those uncertain life realities is just abhorrent. In the drama of life, we are actually witnessing Heal and Heaven LIVE right under our eyes.

Source: Google

People from all walks of life are brought together by the sicknesses in themselves or with relatives at hospital, know each other by chance and cruelty of time parts away at a flight of an eye wink. This is a day in and day out at JDWNRH or any hospitals.

Of all, as I overhear those talks, the heavy, emotion-laden request,  “Please pray for swift recovery of my patient” , was heart-piercing. It’s sentimental.

Want to see and understand how people suffer of sicknesses? Our Regional Hospital, JDWNRH is a Store House.  

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The Selfless Jewel King

At 16, when youngsters of his age were enjoying their youthfulness, an enormous, heavy responsibility of shouldering a landlocked country befell him. He beheaded his youthful life when his father, the then 3^rd King, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuk left untimely for a heavenly abode. However, he stood more than strong to spearhead his country that he’d planned ahead. His vision for his country was sky clear and farsighted. He is a man above extraordinary. He is our selfless Jewel King, His Majest Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

From oceanic noble steps that he strode for his country and people, following are a few ripples from many that make him a role model for an entire world.

At his age as a Monarch, is beyond stretch of my imagination how he could lead small, landlocked country, wedged between two economic titans. However, he was firm and by then he’d his focus made clear on paths that he shall walk for his country. He was formally crowned two years later, hitting the annuals of world record as youngest reigning monarch then.

Started rigorous decentralization process in a bid to fast track decision making process, and this has finally led to Constitutional Democratic form of governance. Though people were reluctant to accept the noble priceless gift from throne, His Majesty was confident on his part to usher his country into Constitutional Democracy. Through his farsighted lens of leadership, he’d seen it timely for the transition. This profound action of his shall be an epitome for all leaders around the globe.

Putting his life as secondary in the interest of nation’s sovereignty, His Majesty personally led the troops to flush out illegal militants who camped by southern belt. He is a great warrior in many ways. This brave action of his shall be an epitome for all leaders around the globe.

Source: Google Images

His Majesty is a great thinker: he whispered eloquently to the world that Gross National Happiness is a better measuring stick for economic development of the nation than Gross Domestic Product. He is a father of Gross National Happiness. This brainchild of him, climbed to the world stage when UN happily gave a nod to it by introducing Internal Day of Happiness on 20^th March every year.  This noble think of his shall be an epitome for all leaders around the globe.

He travelled extensively to the remote pockets of the country, tirelessly through rugged terrains and climbed snowcapped mountains to understand conditions dwelling around his subjects. He’d brought about immeasurable developments within his reign of 34 years as a Monarch.  This tireless effort of his shall be an epitome for all leaders around the globe.

For the first time in the history of nation, he abdicated his kingship to ascend his heir to the throne. At his age then, his health and intellectual capabilities were invaluable to continue reigning for next decade. But he gave away his throne to his successor. This hallowed action of his shall be an epitome for all leaders around the globe.

During the golden reign of 34 years, the nation had witnessed an unprecedented growth and prosperity in a whole gamut of social-economic and political spheres.

Long Live His Majesty, the 4^th Drukgyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk!

PS: My tribute through small account of His Majesty, the fourth Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck as nation gears to celebrate 60^th Birth Anniversary. Any statistical errors and omissions could be excused as article is just a minute fraction from his ocean wide initiatives and developments.

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Bhutanese Cuisine

I can feel every taste-bud of my tongue yearning for a Bhutanese Cuisine. Right after I landed to Bangkok, I could feel reluctance of my tongue for non-Bhutanese foods. What could be special dish for Thais went into dustbin when it was on my plate. It’s really difficult for my tongue to accept those foreign meals. My eyes could feast upon skycrappers and crowd around but I could feel my stomach grumbling for Bhutanese food. But no way could I find one around. I felt the same when I visited to Kolkata the previous year.

 

Bhutanese Beef Chilli

At Shah Ahlam, Selangor, in Malaysia where I came for a short training, it seems fairly better off than Bangkok. Here, because Indian and Chinese makes a certain proportion of Malaysian populace, has imported spicy meals into the country. But there are a few of it. At least grumbling of my stomach could be suppressed.  

Malaysian Nasi Lemak

Many people adapt fairly well with any meals but in my case it’s really typical one. In a sight, I can make a taste whether it would abode well with my tongue or not. Keep aside giving a try I prefer looking for one that gives a better appearance to eye of tongue. I could see how choosy I’m. If at all it’s possible for implantation of taste buds, I would happily do it. So, that my tongue can accept anything that world has to offer.

Thai Beef Ball

I was dumbfounded that taste of water here is different than Bhutanese one. Ours it is superior in lot of ways, at least my tongue feels this way in ways. 

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