BBS made it appear pathetic

Last week BBS tried to cover Bhutan's unemployment and its teething effects. It has the message that in the wake of modernization and increased development activities, human filial bond is weakening. But the crux of the matter is when one is stuck with unemployment, even his/her relatives and friends shun him/her. That might be true to some extent.

Now, coming to the persons who appeared on the screen, two Sangay Phuntsho both of whom are from a village called Wamling in Zhemgang Dzongkhag, one Sangay Phuntsho is portrayed as having no one to put up with in Thimphu and staying with his friend, another Sangay Phuntsho, who is only recently employed.

BBS has overlooked the fact that they are from the same village. And especially Wamling is a small village where everyone knows everyone and everyone is related to everyone – it means the two are more than just friends.

They are from Zhemgang, which means Khengkha is their mother tongue, but it seems they converse with each other in Dzongkha on the national television camera. I understand there is nothing wrong in speaking the national language, but even what they were saying seems to have been scripted by someone else. But I thought they gave out a nice performance acting it out.

BBS quotes Sangay Phuntsho as saying he has no one to support him and that without his friend, he has nowhere to go. His elder brother has been paying for his fees in Sonam Kuenphen HSS, in Bumthang and makes every effort to get his brother a job and constantly sends him money. BBS made it appear pathetic and viewers took home the impression that Sangay Phuntsho has no one to support him.

And finally, even I choose friends over relatives because this way I get to do what I would like to do. Staying with brothers or relatives means discipline and listening to advice from the elders. Whether it is said in good faith or bad, everyone has aversion to advice - all the more good reasons to choose to stay with a friend.

But the bottom line is this: BBS needs such pathetic stories to ‘delight’ the viewers. And it is surprising why this shy and quiet youth who even hesitates to speak to people chooses the national television as a medium to express his frustration. It looked quite bizarre anyways and maybe BBS is trying to give these two friends some sort of training on acting.

Kudos to BBS! And we wish them good luck.

When they are ready

The Ministry of Education discovered 890 'underage' children admitted in schools across the country in 2019. Thus, the ministry in May 2019 issued a notification revoking the admission for these children. Majority were in urban centres. Desperate, parents and the affected schools requested the government to intervene. They also requested the government to consider lowering the enrolment age to five years. Currently, in Bhutan a child can legally go to school only when s(he) is six years old. And that policy was strictly followed a few years ago to the extent that some schools refused to admit children even if they were short of a few weeks. So, parents, mostly in urban areas, resorted to faking their children's ages. Many parents were guilty of adding years onto their children's actual ages. However, most parents, we are told, managed to correct their 'mistakes' later. Faking a child's age was rampant...

The Vanishing Currency of a Bhutanese Village

Growing up in rural Bhutan, the richest people in the village often had very little cash. They were known as chukpo , 'the ones with cattle'. And no one asked how much money a person had in the bank. No one or only a countable few had bank accounts, anyway. Wealth was measured in fields, cattle, grains, and the ability to carry a family through the seasons. Cash existed, but it played only a small role. Most exchanges happened through barter. Rice for chillies, soya beans for Sichuan peppers, cheese for eggs. I still remember that a ball of homemade cheese was worth two fresh eggs. Nobody needed a calculator because people simply knew. The most remarkable part of the system was the exchange of labour. During sowing and planting seasons, families needed extra hands, yet labour was rarely paid in cash. If I spent three days helping on your farm, you spent three days helping on mine in return. No contract was needed to be signed. No money changed hands. Wealthier households so...

Community of Bhutanese Bloggers Conceived

And finally it happened. I must say that it was by far the most attended Bloggers Meet. In the past we had bloggers agree to attend and cancel at the very last minute. But on June 24, 2015 – almost 100% of bloggers, who confirmed came. I would like to thank everyone for keeping his/her words, especially those who had to come all the way from Wangdue or Paro. Thank you! 35 Bhutanese bloggers met in Thimphu. We were honored to have the presence of senior bloggers like Aue Yeshi Dorji and Dasho Sangay Khandu. The meeting assumed more significance because of their presence. Equally, we were happy to have many young bloggers in whom we see so much enthusiasm and potential. On top of many things that transpired during the Meet, one of the most significant outcomes was the unanimous decision reached to form a formal group of bloggers, a platform aimed at encouraging and inspiring more bloggers around the country. The members decided that we will call it Community of Bhutanese Blogger...

Ngawang Phuntsho

Search This Blog