Good Bye 2011

Time seems to be fleeting so fast. I feel like I have embraced 2011 just a day ago but it's on the verge of its end and 2012 will be dawning soon(within hours). Though the year happened to be as transient as the morning dew and the cloud during the clear sky of autumn season many things irrespective of good or bad has taken place. Following are some of the few I encountered. 

The change in the mode of transportation from taxi to 
rickshaw as an alternative

As planned on the evening of January 16, twelve of us gathered at Zangdopelri  in Phuntsholing, a night ahead of our departure to the University. We were worried as we were to board the train at 11:00 from New Alipur junction Railway Station the following day whereas the strikes organised by the people of West Bengal for days kept the travellers stranded at Phuntsholing and Samdrup Jongkhar. To over come our worries we booked two Indian cabs for early departure at 4:00 AM so that we were safely driven to the railway station i.e., well ahead of the resumption of strike, the following day. Later in the night we were informed that strikes will be called off and the border gate will be opened from the following day which relieved us. Hence we postponed our journey from Phuntsholing to 08:00 AM only. Though the major strikes were called off, some people were blocking the roadway with bonfires. Hardly, half a kilometer's distance was left to reach the railway station when we were nearly pelted with stones by a dozen of strikers.  Thank God, they spared us. They only directed the taxis to return. As an alternative we had to hire rickshaw to carry our luggage through an alternative route.

Punch Session

On Blessed Rainy Day i.e., on September 23, three of us ( Paljor, Tshewang and myself)  didn't bother to join the rest of the countrymen for the celebration. We  celebrated on our own. We emptied a bucket which was half filled with punch that evening. No wonder we even forgot whether we really had our dinner. We had so much fun being individual and I bet that we would have missed the fun had we joined the rest. In a way we made right decision. 

In November, along with Tshewang I started to attend the swimming session in the evening hours on alternative days. For a first timer, learning to float on the water was challenging, yet with unwavering zeal and enthusiasm I succeeded. However, we couldn't continue our swimming for whole December month. Nevertheless, as a New Year Resolution I promise that I will resume from January till the end of April, i.e., till I am done with my studies.

After end semester examination in the first and second week of November, University remained unofficially closed for more than two weeks. This was because most of the local mates left home. The long breaks without anything to do bored me.  Sleeping wasn't the best choice and Facebook didn't help me  either. To keep myself engaged and save from boredom, I began to scribble my blog in the fourth week of November. However, I owe to a friend of mine, for the ice-breaking post in my blog titled "LESSON". Had he not beguiled me, I wouldn't have learnt the lesson. Hence, Mr Tenzing takes some credit as well. Besides this,  I began to read  others's blog to enhance my knowledge spheres.  Having found out that blogging is one activity to keep myself engaged during free and leisure time, I continued blogging although most of the posts happened to be based on my personal experiences. 

Finally, as I sadly bid good bye to 2011, I wish Happy New Year 2012 to all the bloggers as well as the readers. May New Year bring loads of peace; prosperity and success to one and all. May the world become a better place to live.

Silly or great? but its an error

How can we expect our young school going children to be perfect when someone occupying the important chair in the society can afford to make such a silly but a grave mistake?  The scanned image below is one among the thousand plus certificates awarded to the graduates who attended the National Graduate Orientation Programme (NGOP) 2008. 

I am sure the mistake was unintentional but a mere carelessness on the part of the person who designed it. Yet, does it mean that bosses can make mistakes and even if they are wrong they have to be considered right as always? Ironically, the certificate though with an error was mandatory for one to sit  for the highest examination i.e., Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE) in order to join civil service. Whatever may be, many of the graduates who received the certificates may not have even noticed the same. I for one doubt that if the bosses are made to compete in the BCSE they wouldn't even manage to get through let alone topping the exam with such carelessness on their part. But I am certain for one thing that if  any graduate who attended NGOP 2008 happen to read this post, they will flip their files and have a glance whether their certificates also bear the same error. 

Did I do the justice?

From 16^th till 21^st December I attended the class all alone for at-least two modules of the six. Professors for these four modules told me they will continue from January once the University commences after the recess. Somehow I could convince one the professor teaching GIS module by reasoning that other thirty four class mates would be at lost. They would have tough time grasping the paper being so technical in nature when they read on their own later. Professor somehow challenged me to conduct the classes for the rest of them later while she will continue teaching me till the University closes for holidays to which I disagreed. I disagreed not because I am scared of doing the presentation but because I am afraid that I may not be able to convince majority of the local classmates who are from Telugu background and the whole presentation will simply become a mockery. She finally consented to discontinue the classes for last two periods. 

Deserted Classroom. Desks and chairs accompanying
the lone student in the class

Yet, the professor teaching the Urbanization and Regional Planning Module continued conducting the class till the end for the lone student. Two more units were covered accounting to 60% of the total syllabus coverage. This makes me to start questioning myself whether I have done the justice by attending the classes all alone. Of course Professor himself asked me to attend the classes till the end of the academic calender. What will rest of the class mates think later? Won't they blame me? No, they would not dare to. Nevertheless, none of them have the right to blame even if they want to since they are not supposed to leave for vacation days ahead of the commencement of the holidays. Or the final question that arises in my mind is, did the professor do the justice on his part by conducting the class for a lone student? Will he be repeating the same thing to the rest of the students after vacation? The answer as far as I am concerned is, yes he too did the justice. When will he be in the position to cover up the syllabus if he has to conduct classes only when students' attendance is 100% as there is not a single period that 100% students attendance is there with an exceptional case during examination times.  

A failed Plan

Golden Temple, Mysore

 I and Mr. Tshewang, my roommate didn't bother to book the train ticket to go home for winter vacation. This is because we had a plan to visit the renowned Buddhist as well as a tourist site at Byllakuppe, Mysore during  Christmas and  Pongal Holidays. But, the plan will remain a mere plan. It became a mere fiasco since we had to cancel the trip since we couldn't avail train tickets. We tried to avail connecting train tickets to various stations to reach the destination yet we failed.   We tried with bus services as well via Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad but to our dismay return tickets were not available which contributed the most for the cancellation. If we have to visit this site it will be possible towards the end of February 2012 only as per available tickets. 

Mysore Palace
Image courtesy: Google

Mr. Tshewang started regretting  for our failure to book the tickets well in advance. For him he says it shall remain the dream unfulfilled. I am no exception with the regrets though I visited the place in February this year. I regret for I didn't visit Tipu Sultan's (Mysore) Palace which I longed to visit since P.U days. I could have visited the Palace had the friend who accompanied my trip consented.  To over come the regrets we console ourselves with few other plans, i.e to visit nearby places within twenty days break. We are optimistic that the plans again won't turn out to be a mere fiasco. 

A fish lesson

In the olden days there was a boarding school, which took in the little boys and girls, whose families couldn't support them, and where there was much misery. Misery is in a manner of speaking...want, starvation or whatever name that can be given to hunger, but which can't muffle suffering or fill the stomach. 

The meals, in the huge freezing dining hall, were a penance and a game of make believe. Only the head of the school- the Principal-at the head of the table, ate his fill.

He said that he did it because he was big, strong and serious that the little ones because they were little, didn't need to eat as much. Lies. Excuses.

Once, at lunch, they put on the boarders' plate a tiny little fish in the company of a single ladle of rice.

Instead of planting his hungry fork into the food, one of the orphans drew his mouth close to the plate and began a low conversation, as if he was praying. The other children found that odd and, from the head of the table, the principal wanted to know the reason for that extravagance.

"I'm talking to the fish, sir", explained the little boy. "As my father, who was fisherman, died at at sea, I am asking him if he ever met him."

"And what was his answer?" asked the Principal, amused, between two forkfuls. "He replied that he doesn't remember because he is very little, but may be the big fish, which is on the Principal's plate, can tell me something about him". 

They say that, from that moment, on the children of the boarding school received better rations. Just see what a little fish can do.

A. Torrado

Story  Courtesy: sg@storiesforeveryone.com

A lone student in the class

The University is yet to close for Christmas and Pongal Holidays but most of the classmates have left for holidays, days ahead of the commencement of the real holidays. My Bhutanese mates who attend the classes regularly left for vacation by the second week of the month. Angeline, another regular mate left on 12^th. Local friends followed them. Some of them never attended even a single class after the last semester exam. Though some are within the university campus, they hardly make their presence in the class. To me they appear like a visiting professor visiting just once or twice in a month’s time to give lectures. Narasimha Swamy, the lone local class mate who attends the class regularly and gives me company in the class in the absence of my Bhutanese friends and the other one from Jharkhand left two days back. He left because he has National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on 18^th December.

With Swamy's departure I am the lone student attending the class and will be continuing till 23^rd December. This is because Professors wanted to conduct the classes as per the academic calendar. Today Prof Anuja asked me whether to continue the class with me all alone attending the class in which I replied I am comfortable with her decision. She mentioned that smaller the size of the class, more attention can be given to the students by Professors. She further added that it's more or less like a tuition class where the teacher and the student can sit face to face and discuss unlike in the other class where the strengths are more. She indirectly conveyed me that classes will continue till the vacation starts officially. Nevertheless, I would love to attend the classes as long as Professors conduct since my sole purpose of coming to the University is to learn and broaden my knowledge sphere regarding the discipline. Otherwise I would be failing in my responsibility as a citizen. Above all I have nothing to do back in my room than facebooking. So I guess it’s all the better to attend the class and learn something at least and take advantage of not going home for holidays.

Teaching Allowance

Teaching profession isn't the choice for many of the youths in Bhutan despite the fact that most of the schools are in dire need of teachers. The teaching allowances introduced for the teaching professionals by the government has least served as an encouragement to most of the graduates to opt this profession as their career. This is because there is disparity in the allowances paid to the teachers. There is discrimination right at the entrance to the teaching profession. It's actually not the teaching allowances rather it's the seniority allowance. The teachers who are in the higher rungs already have higher pay scale based on their seniority and on top of that the allowances paid is also higher. On the other hand, the fresh teachers (between0-5years of service) are paid the lowest allowance.

The irony is that the fresh teachers are given the maximum responsibilities in schools like house masters/mistresses, club coordinators and so on. And while coming to the work load the senior teachers never take extra teaching work loads because they are paid higher allowance. In any case the senior teachers are not to be blamed as they weren't the one who decided the allowance. It would be better if the so called teaching allowance is paid in equal percentage to all the teachers irrespective of their years of service. Still then, those senior teachers would be earning higher allowance as their basic pay itself is higher. Or if not it has to be termed as the seniority allowance for teachers instead of simply Teaching Allowance. 

Birth Anniversary of my Niece

My younger brother's daughter turns six years old 

Dear Tashi Choden,

Six years down the memory your arrival into our family not only brought smiles and happiness to your loving parents but to all your grandparents, uncles and rest of the relatives. I remember you were just three days old when I visited your mom's place for your baby shower and welcomed you to our family. You were charming princess and still  your  legacy of being the one in the family continues.

I love watching you come off age and proving yourself as grown-up. I still remember you crying and wishing me via phone to have safest journey and successful study prior to my departure for studies in July 2010. This made me to wonder if I were really of age to even clean my nose let alone doing great things like you at a very tender age of barely four plus years. Its extraordinary. The other thing is you have the curiosity to learn and experiment the environment although you sometimes appear to be naughty too. You insisted on joining your schooling though you were not of age as per the government's enrollment policy and at six you are already done with pre-primary education.I see a bright future in you as you have the zeal and the enthusiasm to learn which is the essence of being successful. With this note,I wish you many many happy returns of the day. may you come of age be a successful lady and make all of us proud of your success. May you live many many more years. So sorry dear for I couldn't make up to your birthday. Kindly forgive me for my failure. 

Exam fever

Students life is one that I will miss when I am done with my studies on one hand and on the other I will be relieved from the stress and the tensions during examination time. Despite the fact that I have written examinations umpteen times in my entire educational period, like any other appearing exams I too get stressed just days prior to examination time. During examination time I worry whether I will be in the position to keep up the expectations of my peers and teachers. These worries motivates me to put in extra effort in studies but at the eleventh hour every topic seems equally important and anxiety distracts the concentration. Rather than concentrating on what they are studying, most students land up flipping the pages one after the other. In reality nothing gets inside their head. (Remember I am not an exception to this). I am also one kind who prepares only at an eleventh hour. During my recent examination within an hour's time I flipped through all the five units but the outcome was, nothing was retained in my head. It was simply blank.  

Because of stress and pressure exerted by exams students spend several sleepless nights till their exams are over. They even tend to lose their appetite thereby affecting their health conditions. I know last minute is not the best way to study and good and enough sleep is required yet because of stress I can neither study nor sleep properly. I must say its difficult to get rid of it as it has become my habit. Lastly, I would like to urge fellow writing exams not to panic like me rather take enough rest during exams as you will definitely reach your destination if you have the will. Stress simply wastes your precious time. 

My embracement of Boarding School life

From pre-primary till primary education I studied as day-scholar student. The school from where I did my primary schooling is within ten minutes walk from my home.  After passing out from Thrimshing Community Primary 

Thrimshing Com.Pry School ( Estd 1993)

School as its first batch of students we were placed to then Wamrong Lower Secondary School in 1999 which was upgraded to MSS, the following year in 2000 (Wamrong MSS is currently upgraded to Tashitse HSS). It was in March 1999 that I embraced the boarding students life for the first time. Initially, boarding life was not that easy.I started missing my parents and my brothers back at home and I even missed the meals my mom prepared. That was when I learnt how much my parents and brothers meant to me as I was so much so attached to my dear parents and my two lovely brothers who are more or less my best friends. But then  I was not alone who started missing parents and faced difficulty, others from my village were also experiencing the same.Even parents back at home were concerned about their children and they used to visit the school during weekends on a rotational basis in order not to let their children feel homesick.

Tashitse HSS ( Wamrong)
courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bhutancanada/5707146181/

To add to the already difficult situation to adjust, there was acute shortage of water. We used to go on Saturdays to a place called Kharphu which is more than an hours' journey for washing. Occasionally we used  to lick our plates thoroughly after meals simply because as I mentioned there was dearth of water. I remember once we were served breakfast cum lunch prepared from the harvested rain water and salt, vegetables, rice and other ingredients were all added together and then cooked. I owe Wamrong a lot as from there I learnt how precious water is. I also remember bunking home on one weekend from school only to get punishment to fetch a square meter pile of firewood along with other friends. The punishment was however not for bunking from hostel since warden didn't notice but I was absent during evening study hour on Sunday.

Nevertheless, the boarding life was so much so fun as we got to interact with friends from different hometowns.  From Wamrong, there was no turning back. I was into boarding schools through PU till I did my graduation. One memory that is still afresh in my mind is how nineteen of us (classmates 9&10) used to live together in a single room though it was packed. We used to share whatever edibles we had. If it was too minute to be divided among us, the one who possessed used to ask who all wants to have without disclosing it and it used to be equally divided and then shared among those who wanted to have be it food items or whatever may be. At one time in absence of Mr. Lhatu, our class mate, we (18 of us) had half of his pounded maize (tengma) and on his box we kept whatever things we had along with a tag that this and this item is from so and so. After a week he noticed and inquired who had stolen his tengma, where all of us said all of us know the culprit but we will not disclose him.  I guess he doesn't know even today that all 18 of us were involved. 


Though it was difficult to adjust life in the beginning I was accustomed to the boarding student's lifestyle. Today I miss it so much so that given one wish in life I would love to be back to my boarding school life. But its just a weird thought of mine.  

Secrecy Hurts more in Life

Lhun-grub is the second of the three sons born to his parents and hails from a humble yet happy family in one of the villages in the east which remained cut off from modern amenities until recently. Being the only son enrolled in school amongst the children after his younger brother dropped school to become lay-monk, he worked hard and made his parents and brothers proud of him by excelling in studies. He got employed in autonomous agencies before prior to his attainment of silver jubilee. Yet, even after employment he wasn’t prepared to lead a family life unlike most of his countrymen which made his dad, with whom he spends his time like close friends to start asking him about his future. He kept on responding his curious dad’s query that day will come but it’s too early to lead a family of his own.

Having served his agency for a year and half he availed scholarship to upgrade his qualification and left home for studies in foreign soil.  Away from home in the midst of crowded street, burning urban heat island  and against all odds he put his best to keep up the expectations. The initial days in foreign land wasn't easy as he expected. Though, there were other Bhutanese friends,   Lhun-grub started missing everything back in Bhutan. He kept in touch through phone calls with his parents and brothers to save himself from homesickness. 

His parents and brothers too kept in touch with him though expensive to make ISD calls. He hardly completed his first semester course when one fine day he got call from his mom. Unlike the prior calls she made, this call was a unique, a unique one because   Lhun-grub couldn't believe his ears when his mom told that he should be marrying a lady of her choice. He reasoned  that it was too early for him to marry as he is yet to complete his course which has indeed just begun. On the other hand, his mom was adamant with her choice. 

Soon   Lhun-grub  was back home for short winter break. He was in cloud nine to be with parents and relatives having missed them so much. The same time Wangmo, the choice of his parents along with her parents also arrived.  This was indeed the very first time they met in person despite the fact that they had conversation through phone calls. The parents of both of them had discussion well in advance and they had a plan to get   Lhun-grub  and Wangmo engaged. They were relatives too and were of the opinion that blood is thicker than the water. Wangmo was however younger to him by almost a decade and obviously junior in terms of educational qualification.

Lhun-grub and Wangmo tried their best to explain the differences they had to the parents but parents were never convinced. They were adamant with their decision. Since both of them couldn't hurt their parents they were finally engaged to each other before  Lhun-grub   left back to his University. 


The irony is Wangmo was already into relationship with a guy named Yoeser but she failed to confess the truth. May be she was scared that parents may get hurt if she told the truth.  She even didn't share with him. After few months she somehow jokingly told  to her to-be that she has boy friend  which he failed to understand. Surprisingly, Yoeser happened to be the mutual friend to both of them in the social network 'Facebook'. During one leisure time   Lhun-grub   and Yoeser happen to chat. Yoeser assumed  Lhun-grub  was her cousin brother instead and disclosed his love affair with Wangmo since months back. He requested him not to share with her parents and siblings of course as both of them love each other and are committed to lead their lives together. It appeared to   Lhun-grub   like a blow out of the blue. He could not believe at all yet he didn't tell the truth to Yoeser either. 


After the heart piercing news from Yoeser,   Lhun-grub   called Wangmo and inquired her if what he heard from Yoeser was true. Initially, she denied but she told him that they were into relations. She asked him his forgiveness as she couldn't muster the courage to speak the truth earlier as truths sometimes are bitter sweet. Lhun-grub  was hurt but he not only forgave her but he even asked her to go with Yoeser as she is head over heels in love with him. He reasoned that he cannot let her lead life with him if she is not happy. He would be rather glad to see her leading a happy life ahead with Yoeser.  On the other hand, she has not even shared the facts with Yoeser about her engagement with Lhun-grub 


She is also in dilemma whether to follow the decision made by parents which she accepted earlier or to go with her choice. She is glad that  Lhun-grub   at-least understands her but she is worried too that if Yoeser knew the fact he would be more hurt and it remains secret to him even today. She is also sure that both their parents would get hurt as well if she chooses her own choice. The only thing she can do now is simply regret that it would have been all the better had she confessed the truth prior to her engagement as so many getting hurt in the process would have been saved. 

(Note: The story is a fictional one. Resemblance to any one is regretted)