A New Year Note

Thank you 2012 for all that you unveiled for me- it was a mixture of, surprises-both pleasant and awful, excitements, merriment, love, care, support, acquaintances and a lot more. 

All of us have a common goal. We are all looking for happiness, consciously or not. No one would like to be unhappy, even for the shortest moment. But unfortunately, we are often immersed into suffering.

Therefore, in the quest of happiness, may we not grow only older but wiser also; may we not merely become wealthy, but contented as well; and may we not just become more attractive, rather may we remind ourselves to remain healthy.

May 2013 be a year filled with Happiness, Prosperity, Opportunities and Marvelous Outcomes.  

Salvaging the Have Nots

Even as the people are looking for newer and fancier gadgets, there are other lot of people who have not equaled the same fate. There are people who go without food, clothes and shelter across the globe.

Narrowing down to the condition in Bhutan, our Monarchs have played a very vital role in alleviating poverty by way of granting different forms of Kidu and therefore, we can proudly say that the poverty in Bhutan is not as severe as the ones in the Third World Countries, befitting the title that Bhutan is tagged with- the country of Gross National Happiness.

Having said that, we cannot declare that poverty does not prevail in Bhutan. Poverty still exists because most of the poverty-stricken people dwell in the rural pockets of the country as they were either oblivious about the Kidu System or they did not know how to derive the benefit of the Kidu that our benevolent Monarchs have been tirelessly granting till date. 

Therefore, His Majesty the Fifth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Khaesar Namgyel Wangchuck professionalized the Welfare System and focused on ‘Taking Kidu to the People’, keeping in mind that the most vulnerable and the deserving ones would not be able to come to the Capital to avail Kidu.

For that very purpose, His Majesty opened Regional Office of His Majesty's Kidu Support Centre whereby Zimpon Wogms and Their Royal Highness were appointed as His Majesty's Representatives in the Regional Offices. In order to take Kidu to the threshold of the people, His Majesty has now appointed Kidu Officers in all the Dzongkhags in order to profile on the various Kidu disciplines.

Road, electricity, technology and other modern amenities may make a community more comfortable and less arduous. But it would benefit only the people who can reap its benefits. Whereas, the poverty-stricken people will not be benefited as they do not have the capacity and the know-how to capitalize on the developmental activities. If those kinds of people are not rescued with proper care, it will take ages to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty.

Thus, His Majesty's Kidu comes in handy to evacuate the poverty-stricken people to a realm of happiness, graduating them to a level, psychologically and economically at par with their fellow rural dwellers.

Who are the Real Dashos?

While we may have a lot of nice bosses, I am sure that there are equally good or even more number of bosses who are inflated by the ego of the so called title of Dasho, which is used to actually butter up those who just have Patangs and colored Kabneys but are not actually Dashos.

Dasho is in fact a prestigious title that only His Majesty does confer (with a red scarf and a sword) to outstanding leaders and is similar to the knighthood conferred by the Queen of England. 

Few of our bosses are so used to it that they demand themselves to be called Dashos and the subordinates on the other hand also do not bother to give it a second thought despite heated debates on the issue broadcast at times on the national television. 

A lieutenant is called Dasho, an MP is called Dasho, a Rabjam is called Dasho, a Dzongda is called Dasho and while travelling to the remote pockets of the nation, even civil servants are also addressed as Dashos.

It is because, we are obsessed by the 'top-down' kind of bureaucracy that exists in Bhutan. If we do not address them as Dashos, we will hurt their sentiments and therefore, not get our work done or, will be blacklisted.

So, what do we do? Address everyone as Dashos in order to shield ourselves from the consequence that would result from not addressing them as Dashos? Or, value the honor that His Majesty confers?