Remembering Primary school days

A Facebook friend from where I come from  shared the latest pictures of the primary school that I attended in late nineties. Just seeing it brought me back all the good (and bad memories) that I had during seven years of my early and initial school life. Though it has changed and evolved with new structures over the time, I still feel it the same, the memories suddenly pops in. It was at this school that has all the beginnings of my life- education and life as a whole.

I was put into boarder life from class II, aged 7 and was beginning of the start of real experiences and characters that often stays with you; you get to pick up a lot of habits most of which are to do with the survival instincts for having to deal everything with your self, decide for yourself starting from as simple as wearing ghos yourself and lacing your shoes to managing money for yourself. I don't remember all the details of boarder life, but memories of good and some real bad and tough ones still stays with you or are triggered and rings the bell when you see or something related to it occurs. It sometimes make me sad to rewind those times; but it also gives me that extra cushion of hope and the strength to get on with the life. I never thought I would one day put these into words but, it actually feels good writing this which is being experienced by people like me, people of my generation specially from remote parts of the country. We all had this similar kinda of experience in schools. I consider the people of my generation the luckiest and one of the last standing ones as we got to experience not only that older and typical rural culture and traditions before the modern amenities came and extinct it all; but also the latest and modern amenities after  road and electricity came and these technological advances in the form of modern gadgets and so on.

My parents were (are) simple farmers sustaining through subsistence farming but they never let me feel it was something of a disadvantage or an obstruction that would block me from getting the modern education; as the first child to be enrolled to modern school from the family, I had their full support and perhaps because if it, out of sheer love they put me to boarder life to be able to learn to stand on yourself. Also the distance between my house and school was bit long ( took more than hour to reach by foot). Everyday I had to walk more than two hours (to and fro) which is hard for the young kids.

Boarder life was a tough, it is tough for every one. The most vivid memory is about always being hungry. The food served at the school was never sufficient, I would always go hungry. I don't know why? Despite the second shares and bonus beaten maize and the puffed soya beans that my mom sent to supplement; I was always yearning for more and would go hungry most of the time. That's not to say that the school didn't provide enough. I thank and am really grateful for the school mess system - school feeding program arranged and provided by the government, the World Food Programme (WFP). Were it not the FREE systems I wonder where I would be right now? I wonder where anyone from those remote village such as ours would be? The school feeding programme included tinned fish from Japan and Norway amongst many other items. It's silly and even embarrassing to remember incidents where by some of the fellow friends would fall into those big empty pots of the school while rushing in to get second share during meal times. 

Boarder life also taught us to live through and survive through thick and thin. Sleeping on the plastic Indian carpet which was a centimeter thick and blanket woven from the wool by my mother and using lamp made from half Bottle Rum filled with kerosene to study ( afterwards lantern came) and revise at night was the real highlight. Also often getting lashed up by the so-called captains if one was late even by a second on their call. Captains of the primary school were really powerful those days. I don't know if the situation is same in today's boarder school? And we had so many captains I remember. Apart from usual school, respective house and class captains, we had prayer captain to conduct and organise evening prayers and coordinate annual school rimdos; then we had firewood captain who would measure the amount of firewood class II and above were required to collect every Saturday. If you are short of the mark set between two poles, you had to go back and get the remaining. Then we had the Games captain who had his own power specially during the morning Physical Training (PT). The captain would stay with the belt on the door(the hostel was a large common room with just one door) and If you were late even by second at the ground for physical exercises, you would get lashes there as well. 

I wasn't mischievous like others and not too bad in studies as well; but still, I remember getting lot of lashes from the captains in that six years of boarder life. That was the longest duration and period that I have of the memories that had somehow shaped my life. The above  narrations are but the facts and not in any way criticism to the system that were in place those times. In fact I am proud to have been able to experience such a thing in my life; some of the valuable lessons of life has been learnt and picked up from the these experiences in that school. 

How was your primary school days like?

The Expectations

July 13^th 2013 was another historic day for Bhutan and Bhutanese people. The day was when Bhutan underwent the second parliamentary elections. Surprisingly and even shockingly for some, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had a comfortable win with 32 seats against Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) with just 15 seats for the national Assembly. The people had spoken their voice, made choice and entrusted the new government. Democracy maybe just five years old in Bhutan, yet it seems Bhutanese people have understood what politics really is. And this only means that people can be never deceived or fooled.

There were so many stories, both good and bad particularly on the eve of the poll day, so many allegations, accusations and lies; and as an observer, I think these are only indications of politics becoming dirty. I am certain that these will only get worse with the time. Let’s wait and see any way.

With the verdict out, with the choice made aloud by the people, it is time to think and act as one. It is high time that people take into account the larger interest instead of petty party issues. Yet seeing the increase in number of complaints lodged every day, the heat of the politics seems to be strong still at the lowest levels. Therefore the new government’s first priority should be to cool-off the raze of fire that has emotionally burned so many people’s lives and bridge the divided sections of society into harmonious one although the time is the best healer.

As a recent graduate and job seeker myself, yes my first and foremost expectation is to get employed. And I am sure it’s not just me, but thousands of others like me who shares the same sentiments.  We are least concerned about rupee crisis, economic situation of the country or whether helicopters and power tillers can be reached. Right now what is our main worry is whether we will get a decent job. May be then we will know all others like what rupee crisis or deteriorating economic situation is. We do know that Unemployment problem is not an easy task yet it is also not impossible and as pledged, we would like see it implemented as pledged. Both parties during the campaign have promised 100% employment and I wish to see that it was not just the lips service to fill their vote tank.

 The above was written after the election result. Now that the atmosphere is normalized; the parliament session already began; and the annual budget proposed; let’s wait and see.

Thank You and Adieu for Now

Coinciding with Zhabdrung Kuchoe (20th April) the first parliamentary elected government dissolved. What a coincidence! Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal was a great saint who is the very father of unified Bhutan, whose death was announced only after 25 years.

Five years back, on 24^th march 2008, the first parliamentary election was held in Bhutan. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) robbed off a landslide victory with 45 seats leaving just the two seats for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as an opposition. It was a record in the history of the democracy with the smallest opposition. Yet the opposition wasn't that weak when it came to delivering its mandate as an opposition, voicing for the voiceless.

Today as we flashback five years of Bhutan’s test with so called democracy, it has been pretty exciting! I feel Bhutanese people have learnt so much from five year experience. It is perhaps the best time to ask our self questions like: Where do we stand as a nation?  Did we root a strong foundation for the Democracy?  Did we make the right choice by giving 45 seats to the DPT? Could it have been better?

Well, personally I feel the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) has done an impressive job as the first ever elected government, although there some very important and grave mistakes along the way which some sections of the society disapproved and condemned so strongly. And for all the good works they have done, it deserves applause, an appreciation after all it is the very product of our own choice and hence it becomes necessary to accept this fact and be thankful for all the good precedence they have set.

More than rejoicing and celebrating the success or regretting and brooding over the river that is already under the bridge, I feel it is the right time to look ahead, learn from the mistakes (if any) and ensure our self that such mistakes are not repeated and filter the goods from bad.  It is in fact a very perfect moment to do our own ratings. It is the collective responsibility of everyone as a responsible citizen who loves our country dearly.

With this I would like to extend my deepest appreciation and congratulations to the first ever elected government and the opposition. No matter what good or bad you have done, it’s all past now, the future is right in front of us to accept the challenge. Time will tell everything, we just have to wait and watch!

How Dirty the Politics Can Be?

With all the liberty and Pride
As if the earth and sky are under his hand
As if the surroundings are all by his side
As if he has all the rights under him
He walks the streets with head held high
Alleviates the pain and heals the wounded
With Reverberating voice and  little sigh
A roaring rains of rekindled hopes instills the crowd


The hero comes with such wit and wag
Everyone around is thrilled and awed
By his charisma and the efficacious promise tag
A second thought is far from their cerebrum

Successful now; a chair he get of his own
He forgets the smiles and the hope he imparted
As some people change with chair, so is he
He becomes greedy and self-centered instead

As the hand of clock clicks near
He suddenly wakes from his slumber
Get into the playing filed of blame game
And into the jungles of lame excuses
He is hardly wrong or ashamed

Like the oxen that looks back to how much is plowed
He rewinds every bit of change to his credit
For another term, he demands or even beg
And now power, perks and purse is the sole weapon
In luring to his another sophisticated chair
A chair, that will comfort only him self
And rot the floor that supports and suffer.