Bloggers Meet

It was in July 2011 when we held the first Bloggers Meet of Bhutan in Thimphu. As ever, with thanks to Sogyel Tobgyel, the founder of Blogyul-Blogging Bhutan, who initiated the Meet, and Dorji Wangchuk, the then Director of Royal Media Office, who supported it.

More than 16 members were present in the Meet – mostly well acclaimed writers, filmmakers, journalists and bloggers. Often I had seen them on TV and read their stories in newspapers. Some I had followed on social media networking sites and also enjoyed their blogs. But never did I meet them in person, except few.

I was very new to blogging then; also I had just started my living in Thimphu. So I felt very awkward to be in the meet amongst those members, nervous too. To confess here, I hardly utter any words during the gathering.    

However, after attending the Meet, I realized that blogging is not only limited to activities of digital buttons and screens - but way beyond that. What a great idea to meet other people who also maintain social media journals! It is simply wonderful thing to spend a small time in person chatting with our virtual friends who you have read and who have read about you for several years.

I have kept friendship with some of the bloggers there – wonderful souls, with great character – we otherwise never would have met. Today, at times, we swapped stories and exchanged advice. And it’s always enriching experience for me to hear different viewpoints, see and learn things, and experience the world through their eyes.

Several Meets were conducted in Thimphu since then, and I’m amongst the two who has attended all. Other one is Sogyel. We have our second Meet at Chew Restaurant in August 2013, third Meet in my office’s cafeteria in September 2013.

In each Meet, we always came across new bloggers. Always, it’s such a great treat to meet them and discover their blogs and follow instantaneously. And then, we chat as if we’ve been friends forever. Quite wondrously, today, my blog friends are among my closest friends.

On July 2, once again we met at Sinchula Cuisine in Thimphu. In this Bloggers Meet, we were just six, all male bloggers. It’s pretty sad. We can blame it on the meet’s short notice. But I was so glad and as always took part in it. Because there are, at least, few who could initiate and organize bloggers meet for us when we remained busy.

This Meet seemed like catching up with old friends. And you know what? Like minds make for a great conversation. We spent hours gabbing about our writing, blog, family, career, love and aspiration. So much change happened in all of us, and it is wonderful thing to discover, together.  

Most importantly, this meet brought forth a concern related to those bloggers, mostly fresh and young, who hesitate to join us. For the good, all of us have agreed to work on towards involving them in the activities related to blogging in the future.

Hopefully, our paths cross soon!!!   

Photos: 1st and 2nd by Blogyul-Blogging Bhutan; 3rd by Nawang P; 4th by Kuenzang Thinley; 5th by Passang Tshering

Letter from Dordenma Buddha

Dear Thimphu people,

I’ve thought long on where to begin this chit. For this is the first time I’m ever doing so, that too for a painful reason. By the way, I’m pretty sure that you all know about me. I’m Buddha Dordenma of Kuensel Phodrang.

You know it better - very well - I was birthed here to commemorate the centennial of the Bhutanese monarchy and to bestow blessings, peace and happiness in the world. However, I daresay, you people have regrettably malformed Kuensel Phodrang or in your own term “Buddha Point” into a sinful place.   

So to begin, after the dusk enfolds Thimphu valley, the road below Buddha Point rises up eerily. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night, I see about 20 stalls emerging at roadside. These stalls, sparely lit, sell a lot of stuff - wine, whisky, beer, cigarette, tobacco, doma. Also, momo, thukpa and puri.

Surprisingly, the stall owners are very enterprising. Because the stalls have so many facilities like bonfire, chairs, disco lights and music blaring from car’s stereo. Moreover, it has got enough rituals to keep you up from midnight to early morning.         

As I stand 169 feet tall, high up here, I’ve a clear view of all the activities down there. One after another, cars, both big and small, jerk to abrupt stop at this illegal market of Buddha Point. Almost instantly, hundreds of drunken post-party hoppers flock here. Indeed, I am quite surprised as I had expected the Buddhist devotees to come and pray here, not drunkards at odd hours. I meant no disrespect here.

Most visitors are dispirited youth, aimless and adrift. Adorned with give-no-damn receive-no-damn attitude, you have no faith in me, even in yourself too. Your prayer beads are those cigarette tucked in your fingers and your mantras those wine-instigated non-veg words. This makes me feel like crying for humanity.

Amidst the crowd, every time, I see a handful of old men, seemingly rich, fondling around with a dozen of strikingly attractive young girls, as young as 15, in sleazy dresses. As usual, you start flinging from one embrace to another, and brush your cheeks one another’s. It’s in English that everything happens here.

But for me, to tell you rather honestly and frustratingly, you are a bunch of pathetic people, pseudo modern Bhutanese who are lost in transition. Sorry though for I used crude terms.

It shocked me when I find there isn’t a single security personnel. This market is of its own, on its own – no laws, no authority, and no regulations. You do anything here. You talk dirty, foul, and fart loud shamelessly. You trade tobacco and drugs. At the same time, you have to smoke grass, inhale liquids and fill your tummy with countless bottles of alcohol.

You are so much cruel to me. Because of you, my mind doesn’t quiet, but grow restless. That’s why I don’t get enough time for meditation to pray for all the sentient beings and bestow peace and happiness around the world. 

A group of angry and grudge-filled young men picks up fights and starts exchanging punches and then breaking one another’s cars. And there, those victims heave with sobs and howl and scream seeking justice from me. Actually I have given you everything needed to build a beautiful life, if you choose wisely. Remember, dear sentient beings, you have got only one life, you ought to do what’s right.

Then, up and down the road, couples make desperate love - your bodies mud-stained, bushes crushed, and condoms litter everywhere. Oh, I have to stay here blushing. Sometimes, it is too much that I’ve to bring down the lightning and rain rumbling low to chase you away.    

I prophecy so much grave incidents are going to happen at this place sooner. However, these misfortunes can be prevented if all the relevant agencies of Thimphu take up immediate measures. Thus, I decree all the concerned agencies (BAFRA, MoEA, RBP, and MoHCA) to react to this issue immediately.

There is still more to say, but so little time. For I need to take a month-long meditation and to look after the welfare other sentient beings around the world.  

(Dordenma Buddha)

Kuensel Phodrang, Thimphu

Some pictures of the stalls at Buddha Point below:

Have a wonderful day!

Thimphu has just opened for clear sky after a rainy week. It’s a beautiful day here! I hope you all are enjoying the bright monsoon day as much as I am here. So, to treat you, I bring to you, once again, pictures of a handful of flowers that I took recently from my office garden. Have a wonderful day!   

The photography lesson

I don’t know exactly since when I’ve nurtured this passion. Photography. To tell you, I just love taking pictures of almost everything. One clarification here though; I’m not a certified photographer. But hey, should one be certified to take pictures?   

I don’t know.

Initially, I began taking pictures of nature. Snow-capped mountain, cerulean skies, the sunset, rain, prayer flags, leaves, trees, and flowers - so much more. Perhaps all the beginners do start shooting nature. It could be, at least in my case.

I found divinity and beauty in nature, and felt feelings, warmth and hope. So I intended to capture and relive these things on my lens as briefly as possible.

Sometimes I would look at my own pictures and like anyone of you, I marvel at it. And to my own amazement, I stand in disbelief. Because some of my pictures seem unreal to me; it’s as though I had made it up.

However, photography and writing really complement each other. The digital lens does write stories, photographs do tell stories – sometimes better than my handful of words. So incapable of writing forward, for my blog, I look at my pictures and do I derive inspiration, get stories.

Quite wondrously, it is through my digital lens that I started to see the world around me differently. And ultimately I became a nature lover. Most importantly, it helped me to learn to find beauty and pleasure in the simple things. It changed my life’s outlook, for better.

Someone rightly stated about the photography and our life,

The greatest of inspiration, isn’t it? 

I can add here a few lines, but my own lines. You can, in life, fork out your problems like the way you crop out the unwanted parts of images. And if you want to make your life more attractive, learn to apply effects to images of your life.  Whew, it’s that simple!

As I’m still learning to take good pictures, so do I still learning to understand the life’s essence. 

Note: Second picture downloaded from google

Thimphu all set for Modi’s visit

I went around Thimphu City this evening for a casual walk. And wow, I am hugely impressed with the new looks of the City. The Street and Town look strikingly beautiful and dazzling.

Thimphu sets all ready welcoming Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, who will be arriving in Bhutan tomorrow. The highway and the Street all dressed in the flags and posters of both the prime ministers flaring on the poles and buildings.

Everything - in and around the City - looks perfectly organized and clean. Flowers well watered, and all blooming. All waste and trash disappeared. One feels as if you were in the City of Tokyo and Singapore.

The security personnel are everywhere. I hope the Indian PM’s visit would be a successful one and the Indo-Bhutan would last forever, ever stronger.  

The shopping mecca

Whenever I travel here in Bangkok, I do this again and again. Shopping. Quite a lot. Actually, I’m not a shopaholic, maniac. But once I’m here, in the shopping malls of Bangkok, I become a different person. As I shop like crazy.

Quite surprisingly, this capital city has quite a huge number of popular shopping malls, centres and complexes with over thousands stores. Very convenient and attractive, they provide all kinds of shopping opportunities, plenty of entertainments and artwork.  

The amazing thing about the malls here is that they have almost everything you could possibly want. From fashionable garments to footwear, home decorations to foods, jewelries to electronics, craft items to entertainment (cinemas, karaoke, 4D, games, bowling alley).

Like you or any visitors, I also spend most of my free time running from one shopping centre to another, exploring new items, trying on different schemes and of course buying. Only once you are in here, ah, how you wish that you were a rich man.

Interestingly, here, you can bargain like hell on almost everything and you would be just shell-shocked at the rock bottom prices they offer you.

Moreover, the city provides very convenient transportation services and delicious street foods. I just love travelling by the skytrain and tok tok, always new experience for me.

 First picture courtesy: googlesearch

Meet up with a fellow-blogger in Thailand

Yesterday evening, I met up with blogger Dumcho Dorji here in Salaya, Thailand. As you all know, he currently studies at Mohidol University and blogs about his life’s experience in Thailand and Bhutan. We knew each other through our blogs; in fact, very well. But we never met before in person.

However despite his busy schedule, Dumcho found a time for me. He took me around his beautiful college campus for a walk. And he did treat me with dinner - some juice and foods - on the street. 

It's quite surprising and nice to have met a Bhutanese blogger in a foreign soil. More so happy that one could get to sit together over the dinner and talk about our life, love and aspirations, as bloggers and writers. 

I am ever so thankful to Dumcho; it is one moment that I can always cherish in my life.        

Thai situation is improving

When I landed here in Thailand last Saturday, the authority of the capital was cleaning and clearing the litters of the protests at the downtown Bangkok. I was quite nervous of the political unrest in the country. I was even afraid to wear my red shirt. Moreover, the Thailand Stock Exchange has been falling everyday. The whole situation of the country was worrying.

However, as I stay here longer, I slowly understand the situation, more clearly. And I am happy, enjoying my stay here, trust me. Though the curfew begins from 10 pm to 5 am, everything runs as normal - businesses, public services, transportation and airlines. The movement in the country is not restricted as portrayed in the media.

The situation has become alright now. The locals and foreign travelers enjoy all freedom to walk around, do shopping and sightseeing. I observed that protests were well organized; it engaged only the protest groups and their members in the designated places.

As the Thai military junta Chief received royal endorsement as Chief of the National Council for Peace and Order, most Thai people are hopeful that the unrest could be solved. Moreover, they are showing support to military deployed to enforce martial law and maintain peace.

All the community leaders agreed to comply with order of the Chief to remove all signs of red shirts from public places. The leaders and members of different protest groups have been summoned and put under trials.  

The people of Thailand are wishing sincerely that the political unrest be settled soon. If so happened then the national election is going to happen very soon, possibly within next four months.