Proliferation of penis

Bhutanese culture is outrageously notorious and immoral. From night hunting to "everywhere seen" phallus and the Buddhist folklore, I can assure you that our culture is bizarrely weird. Interesting thing is that we don't feel or notice these larger-than-life penises. We are immune to it. Ha-ha! If you don't believe me, view the photographs below:  

An enormous wooden penis guarding the Guru's ney & warding off evil spirits.

Penile telescope:

Ornately embellished ball-ends slapped on walls. Holding them gives you a trifle embarrassment but brings you good luck and prosperity.

Stone cladding. Dispensing a healthy sprinkling of jizz. Long live, my friend! 

This is one reason why Bhutan is unique. We're weird and have been propagating this "crazy wisdom", but we are HAPPY.

Photos: Hiromi, Haruko, Rabi

National Youth Policy launched

The much awaited National Youth Policy has been launched by HRH Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuk today in Thimphu. About 12 students, 20 out-of-school youth (drayang girls, disabled, monks, youth volunteers, and job seekers), ministers, MPs, stakeholders (YDF, NCWC, RBP, media personnel, Tarayna Foundation, BNCA, MoH, BAOWE) and representatives from the donor agencies attended the launch.

Some of the goals of the Policy are:

1.       Provide youth with proper educational and training opportunities

2.       Health and development needs of young people are met

3.       Reinforce the youth volunteerism

4.       Develop skills and leadership qualities among the youth

5.      Encourage the involvement of govt. and NGOs, co-operatives and non-formal groups of young people; ensure all youth-related programmes are integrated and coordinated

The Department of Youth and Sports under MoE will take the lead role in monitoring and evaluating, and putting the structure to the Policy. The policy will enhance a good overview of all the agencies and non-formal youth groups in streamlining activities and services being catered to youth. As the Policy empowers young people with all the necessary supports, youth are also expected to take their roles and responsibilities.

However, the National Youth Action Plan which is to be developed every after three years “to provide a practical statement on the implementation of the Policy reflecting its priorities and strategic themes” is yet not developed. The consultative meeting with all the youth-related agencies after the launch unanimously decided come up with realistic and dynamic mechanisms for the Action Plan.

National Youth Policy will be launched tomorrow

The Dept. of Youth and Sports, MoE will launch the National Youth Policy tomorrow at Taj Tashi Hotel in Thimphu. 

The policy will address a range of youth issues: risk and protective factors; promotes effective program services; supports logical pathways to success; and recognizes that children and youth grow up in families and communities that empower them. 

Youth issues and problems like unemployment, substance abuse, media influence and social behavior can now be looked at in a more coordinated manner. Until now different agencies have been working in their own ways often leading to duplication of activities and inefficient utilization of limited resources. It is hopeful that the National Youth Policy will help to streamline the programmes and activities of all the concerned agencies working for young people so that the youth can derive the maximum benefit from them. 

The policy shall not only look into all aspects of youth problems but also help youth to realize their full potential so that they grow up in a safe and enabling environment to become more productive and responsible citizens. 

Bhutan lose again

Inexperienced Bhutan conceded second consecutive defeat in the SAFF Championship India after India thrashed Bhutan 5-0 last Monday night.  In the first match of Group A, Sri Lanka defeated Bhutan 3-0. This put Bhutan's dreams to qualify for the semi-finals out of reach as Bhutan will play next match against the favorites Afghanistan in the third and final round of the group stage.

A lone striker in front, Bhutan played strategically defensive with a young under-19 amateur squad against India. Captain Norbu Dhendup and the Yeedzin FC left back Pema Rinzin kept the defense wall tight causing frequent head scratching troubles to the India’s forwards Sunil Chettri, Abranches and Miranda. India couldn’t penetrate Bhutan’s well-organized aggressive defense for the first 30 minutes. We were beaten by a couple of goals in the first half and the hope of coming back was presumably high. Goalie Mon Bdr. Bhattarai was phenomenal, making numerous magnificent saves. The commentator marked him a “brave young man”.

However, Bhutan at all didn’t threaten their opponents. In the solid 90 minutes, Bhutan couldn’t hit a single attempt on the target. The only corner in the second half was a waste as the Singaporean referee whistled for an India player for foul. 

The lone striker was easily outnumbered by the India defenders. There was low level of confidence level due to lack of exposure. Bhutan made numerous un-concentrated long range passes and easily losing the possession to the opponents. Bhutan hardly kept the ball possession.

Bhutan showed convincing confidence and skills for the first 15 minutes of the second half. But after the third goal in the last quarter of the match, Bhutan were intimidated and worn out. Bhutan would have conceded about four more goals had India not misfired and wasted some perfect chances.

But the result was fair and as expected to the Bhutan’s Japanese coach and Bhutanese football fans. The commentator announced, “With the small population and poor sports infrastructure, Bhutan is growing in stature. Such exposure does the boost.”

With the talents we have seen in the young Bhutanese squad, we expect the BOC to come up with many sports infrastructure and resources in Bhutan. The only half-baked Changlimithang stadium and deserted football field of Changjiji are never answering Bhutan’s athletes and sportsmen's hunger and thirst for the sports.

Bhutan's first 11 lineup: Mon Bdr Bhattrai, Sangay Khandu (Yeshi Samdrup, 61st), Nawang Dendup, Sonam Tenzin (Karma Tshering, 71st), Nim Sangay, Pema Rinchen, Thinley Dorji, Man Bahadur Gurung, Tshering Dorji, Chencho Gyeltshen (Tshering Dendup, 88th), Jigme Tshering Dorjee. 

Group A: Bhutan, India, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal. 

Bhutan are ranked 198 and are the lowest ranked team in the competition.

Long tale of the longest lunch

Gedu HSS staff never cook lunch during their school festival and any other school events. About 69 school staff bring their own packed lunches (rice, curries and edzey) from their homes. The picture below shows  about 69 different varieties of foods displayed during the School Sports Day 2011 lunchtime. It's very interesting to say that you cannot even reach half way this lunch table. Your plate is full after the fifth hot-case. And if the school continues this unique trend, one day they will surely win  the Guinness Wold Record.

You all are my Heroes!

Dear Sheetal, Tandin, Tshering, Pema and Wangda,

Last evening at 6:30 when Dawa came live on BBS TV, I shivered uncontrollably. I was nervous and horrified. After a few minutes I even started sweating. I felt as if I was experiencing a horrifying massacre. I don’t know why. Perhaps, I’ve never met people living with HIV/AIDS in the past or I was having the phobia of the disease.

But as Dawa went on introducing each one of you who have braved and took all the risks to declare your status, I started feeling pleasant and normal. I was seeing any other five normal people on the BBS studio. You are no different from us. You are good looking, strong, happy and self-reliant. Unlike what myths or misconceptions had, some of you are even more successful, ambitious and enterprising than those without HIV/AIDS.

You know what? After watching the first two segments, this heavy phobia in me (certainly due to lack of information) has been swept away. I felt instant relief and was ecstatic as if I had suddenly recovered from high fever. I came to know certain things from you all: HIV/AIDS is also like any other diseases (TB, hypertension, blood pressure, diabetes); an AIDS patient can live a healthy life with better medical treatments; HIV cannot spread through handshakes and hugs; a baby can born uninfected from a HIV positive mother.

More importantly, your mere presence on the national TV and sharing of your experiences has immensely benefited all the people living with HIV/AIDS and other fellow citizens like me. It has demystified the hoodoo spell (that has placed on us ever since the first detected case of HIV in Bhutan) that HIV/AIDS patients bring misfortunes to his/her family, society and office.

Our government along with the donor agencies worked extensively to stop HIV/AIDS. Awareness programmes through media, leaflets, magazines and textbooks have been in place. But your glorious presence on the TV did more than what our government could do in the last decade with millions of dollars.

As a proud Bhutanese citizen, I applaud for your audacity and noble job you have done yesterday. You took all the risks to come out  in the open public from your hiding place to educate us and to fight against the stigma and social discrimination. You did all this not only for yourselves but also for other friends living with HIV/AIDS, their families, co-workers and friends.

I know, for sure, from now onwards you will never be stigmatized and discriminated. You have genuine supports from the highest of religious body, royal family, government, NGOs and our society.

I salute you. You all are my heroes!

Yours well wisher,

Riku Dhan Subba

Photo: BBS

On my signature

My signature is crap and sloppy as hell. It’s very tiny and looks like scribble on the wall by kid. Its shape is even more terrible and it, surely, will disgust you. Nor, it really represents my full name.

If the signature was a snapshot of our personality, then I am the man with stinking attitude and demented character. Look at my signature below, feel disgusted and call me, careless, moron or asshole or kutta, anything you like. I will tolerate this time, at least for my crap signature. 

                                                 Pic: Not only terrible, inconsistent too

The funny thing is that I’ve neat handwriting-perhaps-the best handwriting you would ever see. My school or college mates used to call it ‘computer handwriting’ and ‘calligraphy in the old manuscripts’.

But here is what weird you would see. After I took civil service job, I’ve been signing lots of stuff for work. My signature has significantly evolved over time. Sad, it has further deteriorated and become even more inconsistent. I loathe it so much as I do to those bogus politicians. 

I never got the impression my signature was a big deal until last month. You’d be surprised to hear this. The teller of Bank of Bhutan stopped the transaction and looked at me suspiciously. She compared the signature I signed on the withdrawal form to the original signature card of my account. My signature didn’t match. I had to produce my ID. 

Many times I attempted to redevelop my signature. But I admit that a person like me can never write a good signature. I lack vision and creativity in developing a good signature. 

However, according to the experts, my signature has all the good traits to reveal. They are below:

1. My smaller size signature indicates that I’ve less desire.

2. My signature which is completely different from the usual writing shows that I’m introvert and do not desire to disclose everything about me.

3.  My filthy signature tells that I love to keep things in private and desire to keep my true identity unknown.

4. A straight line under my signature reveals that I’m a self-reliant and believe in following rules and traditions.

5. The three dots at the end of my signature reveal that I’m very ambitious.

“I wish I were rich”

There was a wave of excitement and happiness all over the country. Our beloved King was to wed the Royal Bride Jetsun in October 13. Streets, roads, buildings and chortens were all adorned in sparking lights and all Bhutanese citizens were in a wild festive mood. But amongst this, one Patients Guest House at JDWNRH was dreadfully cold and didn’t react to the most anticipating national festivity. This welfare hostel is a home for about 33 homeless people, kidney failure patients who are undergoing dialyses and for the destitute and dying. 

                                          Pic: Patients in front of the welfare hostel

They live in a catastrophic condition that they agonizingly spend each day without good foods, good clothes and good medical treatments. Some feed on the forlorn hope, a hope for the miraculous intervention to occur to them that can change their life. Others are giving up their hope of life altogether and waiting miserably for the unquestioned future. Death. Their families, relatives and friends are also equally burdened and depressed. In the past, many Dashos, Lyonpos and MPs promised them hope but forgot them when they went back. 

Not quite a handful of days before the Royal Wedding, Lhamo Drukpa, the talented and charismatic national film artist, along with Tashi Namgay (Founder of Bhutan Kidney Association) visited the Patients Guest House. She wanted the patients to feel that they are loved, happy and more importantly to uplift their spirits to make them able to join in the celebration of Royal Wedding. 

                                       Pic: Lhamo Drukpa (4th from the left) with the patients

She stayed in very close touch with the patients giving them tender loving care. As an affectionate friend, she consoled them and shared their plights. As a caring sister, she hugged and nursed their wounds. And as a loving mother, she cried with them and fed hopes and aspirations upon them. This went on for a considerable length of time. Meanwhile, she also delighted the patients with her magical voice. She, then, donated groceries (rice, eggs, biscuits, noodles, milk and soaps) and winter blankets to all the patients. 

                                       Pic: Lhamo Drukpa (2nd from left) distributing gorceries

Her inspiration, humility and grace remarkably spread all over the house. Surprise and happiness on their faces, all the patients emerged joyfully out of their beds in a worshipful gratitude for her. The otherwise depressed patients remarkably resurrected in confidence, bliss and abundance.

So, during the Royal Wedding, all the patients excitedly crammed in front of the TV and watched the marriage ceremony proceedings. They graciously snacked on the biscuits and noodles brought to them by Lhamo Drukpa as they glued to the TV. They were as excited and jubilant as any other Bhutanese citizen and were praying for the long life of the Royal Couple.

I just imagine how proud our beloved King and Queen would be to hear about the good work she did to the 33 patients for the Royal Wedding.

Today, Lhamo Drukpa visits the Patient Guests House at least once a month with groceries. During the winter, she donates blankets and garments. Also, she organizes religious talks for the patients in a regular interval. Very recently, she invited Chung Rimpoche, the founder of Ati Foundation when the patients received preaching and blessings. 

                                           Pic: Chung Rimpoche at the guests house

She also looks after about 30 monks in a dratshang in Lhuentse. Other time, you would see her with the homeless senior citizens in the Thimphu Street, talking to them and buying meals and clothes for them. “I wish I were rich,” she would smile altruistically each time we meet.

She often travels to Vellore in India as most Bhutanese patients referred there for further medical treatments are in pathetic conditions. Though the RGOB covers the travels, surgery and medication expenses, there are many hidden costs associated that are not covered by the government. For example, blood. A unit of blood costs Rs 5,500. There are some patients who need about 5 units of blood everyday. Also, there are many patients who have to extend their stay in Vellore due to medical complications and unmatched blood groups of the donors. This leads to major financial problems and depression to the patients and to their families.

As a friend, co-worker and fan, I thoroughly appreciate the sincere, selfless and dedicated works done by Lhamo Drukpa. May she live long!

Today, Lhamo Drukpa is a board member to the Motion Pictures Association of Bhutan. She is one of the most committed members of the Bhutan Kidney Association.