Skip to main content

Smoking Incense Nonsense

When I am bogged down with so much work and I have no time at all to write anything, new ideas enter my head and refuse to go away. But only sometimes, I make it a point to jot them down. When you are busy, you receive many calls from people you know and you don’t know. And when you are lonely, you get no calls. When you have time and want to write something so much, your inspiration fails you, your words fail you and you find ideas slipping away from you. 


Initially I found solace in folktales and later fiction followed – writing short stories excused me having to be politically and factually correct in my statements. Then social issues caught me. Non-fiction is something I still am uncomfortable with. May be I don’t like facts. Are all facts are stranger than fictions? But the blogging allows us to be short and precise and personal. It gives us freedom of not writing at all, say for months.

Lol…I have said basically nothing here. I know. It feels good to talk useless sometimes. Talk junks. Anyone can choose to be nonsensical.

People are still smoking here. We are supposed to be a smoke-free country by now, remember? We have made enough headlines by now.  Health Minister has clearly stated that the government’s position was that no one is allowed either to sell or buy tobacco products, but people have the right to smoke. 

Now as someone has remarked, some form of barter system must be taking place here. Or where does smoke come from? We don’t mistake incense emission from Lhakhangs and temples with cigarette smoke, at least.

Comments

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...

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...