Skip to main content

Bhutanese are big showoff

Bhutanese are by and large a big showoff. Yes, you heard me right, a big showoff! And if you watch some Bhutanese movies or visit some bars, you would believe me. But yes we show off all the time - starting from what we have to what we know to how much power we possess and what not. Before someone visits a school, students are to paint the walls, clean the drains, whitewash the fences, and cut the green grasses. Just to please and impress the guest? Are school walls, fences and drains built for the guest?
I understand it is important to stay clean, but why don't we do it for ourselves? Why do we need a minister to visit a school to be served better food? Only if the minister visits schools every day! But what is interesting is, I was thoroughly shocked when our computer lab was full of new and working computers when Vice Chancellor of RUB visited the college a few years ago. Are we not showing off  what is not there? A few days later these working computers were removed.

And lastly, if you listen to people talking on the streets, you will clearly understand who is related to which minister or which powerful Dasho or a famous doctor or who knows which actors and who read which books. Bars are best place for that!

Comments

  1. lotey omNovember 21, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    rightly said pen..hehe i hope we ourselves are not one among those. labsa kidding :) u seen, realized and spoke the truth :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 21, 2009 at 11:38 AM

    no one shows the amount of loan they have in the banks....

    tshering
    bhutanliterature.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ngawang PhuntshoNovember 21, 2009 at 12:43 PM

    Hey Lotey, maybe we all are no exception, but the point is to be away as much. And that's a big challenge.

    Quite true Aue Tshering, nobody exhibits how much he owes to a bank or someone!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

So what do you think?

Popular Posts

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...
2 comments
Read more...

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...
2 comments
Read more...

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...
16 comments
Read more...