Roadtrip around Bhutan (part 1) - Stumbling across a Tsechu in Samdrup Jongkhar!

At 7:30am I was woken up by a lieutenant from the Royal Bhutan Army banging on my door and yelling for me to get moving. 

“Natasha! You’d better not still be asleep! Wake up! We have to leave right now!” 

Sonam had kindly offered to give me a lift down from Dewathang (where the SJI launch had been held) to the main town of Samdrup Jongkhar. Unfortunately, I'd slept through my alarm. I looked at my unpacked luggage sprawled across the room. My head was throbbing . My throat was parched. The night before we'd celebrated the end of the SJI launch by dancing around a campfire and drinking multiple glasses of ara (Bhutanese rice wine aged in a monastery for 3 years, 3 months and 3 weeks). . It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. In hindsight…. Not so much. 

I pulled together my belongings, threw my stuff in my bag and dragged myself to the car. The hour long trip back down to Samdrup Jongkhar over unpaved roads, while Sonam blasted earsplitting Hindi pop music, did nothing to ease my throbbing headache. 

I checked into a hotel in the main town of Samdrup Jongkhar which cost a whopping $3 a night. I was so excited to have a mattress (after 5 days of sleeping on A cold floor) that I threw my bags down on the CONCRETE floor and jumped on the hard mouldy mattress in excitement. I later opened up my brand new Macbook to find a handsome crack staring back at me. Throwing my bag on the floor had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Again  in hindsight… not so much. 

Water. I needed water. I wandered outside of my hotel to find all the stores  closed. Then, hungover and severely sleep deprived, I literally stumbled into the Samdrup Jongkhar Tsechu. Tsechus are an annual religious festival held over 3 days in each dzongkhag (district) and involve elaborate costumes and thrilling performances. They are attended by practically every member of the community and everyone dresses in their brightest and most elegant kira or gho. 

I think it’s amazing that, apart from small donations made to the monks,  Tsechu’s are not a  commercial venture. The performances are for community bonding and religious celebration purposes .  This is particularly true in isolated areas such as Samdrup Jongkhar where camera wielding tourists are nowhere to be found. They are performed by locals for locals. Apart from myself, there were no other foreigners in sight. 


The second surprise of the day happened as I was walking home from the Tsechu.  During the SJI launch, a young girl, named Ngawang (or “Tiny” as she called herself) had given me a scarf as a gift and asked for my address in Sydney so that she could write to me. The scarf was beautifully woven with blue, orange, purple and green threats.  That day, as I had walked home from the Tsechu I had been thinking how incredibly nice it had been for her to give me the scarf, how I felt like I hadn’t shown enough gratitude and how I desperately wished I could thank her one more time. Low and behold, thirty seconds later I saw Tiny on her way to the Tsechu! She was ecstatic to see that I was wearing the scarf and I thanked her repeatedly.
 Definitely one of those 'Bhutan moments'  that make me think there is definitely something special going on in the land of the thunder dragon!

The Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative - just a dream or GNH in action?

A perfect society…… self sufficient, zero waste, holistic education and 100% organic.


 An impossible dream? Not according to the organizers of the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative (SJI). The SJI is a pilot project organised by the Kyhentse Foundation, which aims at transforming Samdrup Jongkhar into a sustainable society based on the principles of gross national happiness. SJI focuses on implementing effective waste management systems, pesticide-free farming, food self sufficiency and effective education programs. The project is the vision of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche who believes that the people of Bhutan must be proactive in this new era of democracy rather than relying on the government to bring about social change.


"Bhutan is a democracy now. So far things have gone well. But we citizens now have to shoulder responsibility without someone else having to tell us. It is a matter of fulfilling our responsibilities without the prodding of a cowherd”

The launch
On the 18th of December local farmers, business owners and students of Samdrup Jongkhar converged at the Chyoki Gyatsho Institute in Dewathang for the launch of SJI. The launch was held over five days and aimed at introducing these ideas to the locals of Samdrup Jongkhar through  discussion groups, presentations and practical trainings. Presenters at the conference included Dr. Vandana Shiva (ecofeminist, environmental activist and all round powerhouse )  and Bunker Roy (founder of Barefoot College). Even Bhutan’s Prime Minister showed his support by attending the second day of the launch. The organizers lived and breathed GNH. Meals were all prepared using local ingredients and served using zero waste utensils. What the organisers hope is that after seeing the best practices from around the world, the locals of SJ will take up the challenge of implementing them in Samdrup Jongkhar and preven

The skeptics
With such ambitious goals,  SJI has inevitably garnered its fair share of skeptics. Doubts arise over how a community can possibly coordinate a society that is 100% organic and self-sufficient. And then there are issues of individual choice. Will minimising imports and promoting local products affect what is available for consumers? Should farmers have the right to choose between chemical and organic farming?


The initiative is an audacious move and I think there will be people willing to label it as a failure regardless of what happens in Samdrup Jongkhar over the next five to ten years. But even if the initiative achieves a quarter of the ambitious vision of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, I think the skepticism is unfounded because only positive results can come from the attempt.If GNH is about promoting an equitable and more sustainable society then the SJI takes Bhutan a step beyond all the talks and conferences about GNH by transforming the ideas of GNH into practical action.


And fears that no practical results would come from SJI were quickly dispelled during the launch.


Bunker Roy committed to:
- Installing a water harvesting tank at Choki Gyatsho Institute and helping to install one in local schools who are interested
- Bringing 6 women from Samdrup Jongkhar to his Barefoot College in India to train them in installing and running solar panels.

Vandana Shiva has promised
- that her organization will oversea the transition to organic farming in Samdrup Jongkhar
- A group of farmers from Samdrup Jongkhar will be trained in organic farming methods at Dr. Shiva’s Navdanya Biodiversity Conservtion farm in March 2011.

But by far the most promising indication of the future success of the launch was the response of the locals whose immediate commitments included:


- supporting local dairy farmers and minimizing waste by completely abandoning the use of packaged milk powder and replacing it with fresh local milk.
- Segregating waste and disposing of it safely
- Increasing self-reliance and minimizing imports through food production.


SJI is one of the first big steps towards fostering a culture of democratic involvement in Bhutan. It will be fascinating to see how SJI plays out over the next five to ten years and I will be keeping a very keen eye on Samdrup Jongkhar!

Gross National Happiness

Many travellers liken the experience of going to Bhutan to going back in time. With people walking around the city in their kiras and ghos, traditional style buildings and the relatively recent introduction of the internet and television - it's easy to understand how they come to this conclusion. But in other ways Bhutan seems to be far ahead of the rest of the world - for example, the government's admirable commitment to achieving Gross National Happiness (GNH).


The idea of GNH was proposed by the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and is the basis of policy formation in Bhutan. Any policy that is put forward must be measured against the four pillars of GNH: 

• sustainable development;
• preservation and promotion of cultural values;
• conservation of the environment;
•  and good governance.

What is put forward in policy doesn't necessarily work perfectly in practice. But the fact that the goal of "happiness" rather than "wealth" is given so much attention puts Bhutan one ahead of the rest of the world. 


 Never was this more evident than during the recent global financial crisis, which completely changed the world's ideas about capitalism and provoked us to question our dependence on material wealth as a source of happiness. It was in this climate that the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley, was asked to give the opening address at the 2010 World Leaders Forum. I was watching a replay of this on BBS last night.  Thinley proposed "happiness" as the 9th Millenium Development Goal to which the audience responded with rapturous applause. 


Not only is the Prime Minister an amazing orator, the speech also gives a fantastic introduction to the Kingdom of Bhutan and the farsighted philosophies that guide their public policy. Definitely worth a listen!


Some of the highlights: 
On GNH: 

“We are the only country so far that promotes happiness through deliberate public policy and action.”

“It is a goal that stands as a separate value while representing as well, the sum total outcome of the other eight. Its relevance goes beyond the poor and developing member states to bind all of humanity, rich and poor, to a timeless common vision.”

Commenting on the pursuit of military superiority: 

 “It is possible for us to realize that it is not security but insecurity we create by the spread of arms and the expansion of armies.”

On the transition to democracy: 

“The biggest challenge my country is faced with is how do you create democrats among a people who never wanted democracy in the first place.We’re faced with how to develop a democratic culture among the people so that the power they have can be exercised responsibly and effectively, so that even the most popular leaders—though they may have come through the electoral process—do not manifest tendencies and succeed in becoming authoritarian."

 On materialism: 

"It does not demand much imagination intelligence, to understand that the endless pursuit of material growth in a world with limited natural resources, within a delicately balanced ecology is just not sustainable - that it is dangerous and stupid." 

"As people rise above the threats of basic survival, what will our collective endeavour be as a progressive society? Must we continue to believe that human life is to be spent labouring for higher income so as to be able to consume more at the cost of relationships, peace and ecological stability? Are the causes of depression, suicide, community disintegration, and rising crime to be accepted as inevitable? Could we not find a way to steer ourselves from the self consuming fire of greed that is fuelled by the media and paid for by industry and commerce which thrive on reckless consumerism"

"One cannot imagine, even as China and India aspire to compete in consumption with the USA, what would become of earth if every global citizen acquired the same voracious capacity"

I wonder what the delegates from India and China made of this comment? 

Welcome to the 'Land of the Thunder Dragon

Relaxing in the business class lounge!

From steamy Bangkok to the crisp cool air of the Himalayas ... right now I'm making myself at home in my new apartment in Thimphu, Bhutan! I was lucky enough to get upgraded to business class on my flight from Bangkok to Paro after I was originally checked into the wrong flight. I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the scenery from my comfy leather business class chair as the plane weaved in and out of the mountains of Paro.

Welcome to Bhutan!

The drive from the airport to Thimpu takes about 40 minutes but I completely lost track of time as I was caught up in absorbing everything around me. Unlike most countries, where the drive from the airport to your destination reveals everything that the tourist brochures don’t, Bhutan has yet to disappoint. Beauty is everywhere. Everything from the rickety trucks that traverse the dangerous roads, to the petrol stations, to the gates at immigration are adorned with colourful and elaborate traditional Bhutanese designs.

I was met at my apartment by Phuntsho Wangmo, who is the Head of Operations at The Bhutan Observer. She is a remarkable woman who’s passionate about the future of Bhutan and the Bhutanese media. Not only is Madame Phuntsho the Head of Operations at The Bhutan Observer, she’s also involved in a pilot project creating a society completely based on the principles of Gross National Happiness (GNH).   

Rabten Apartments - my new home!

Madame Phuntsho explained that the project would be trialed in a village in Eastern Bhutan. The project aims to bring jobs back to the village as there is currently a crisis of graduates moving away from rural areas after they finish college. It also would focus on revolutionizing education in alignment with the principles of GNH and the spiritual fulfillment of the people.  Meanwhile, the intention is for the village to become self sufficient with all food being grown organically. 

Before you dismiss the project as being completely unrealistic, be aware that Phuntsho herself is quick to acknowledge the difficult reality of implementing the program and its likelihood of failure. While her goals may seem naive and idealistic, she recognizes the harsh reality of the situation but is committed to doing her best to make it succeed. If the project DOES successful it will be fantastic for the country so I sincerely hope that the project paves the way for similar ventures in the future!

Kuzuzangpola!

This blog will follow my adventures as I travel from my hometown of Sydney (a bustling cosmopolitan city considered to be one of the world’s economic powerhouses)  to the Kingdom of Bhutan (a tiny mountainous country nestled in the Himalayas, with fewer than a million people and where ‘Gross National Happiness’ is measured in place of gross domestic product).

“Why?” you might ask, would I leave my comfortable life in Sydney to travel to a country that hardly anyone seems to have ever heard of? Many of my friends asked me the same question and rumours spread rapidly regarding the true reason for my departure. The more outrageous of these included that I had received a job tutoring the children of the royal family while another friend congratulated me for my arranged marriage in China. The newsletter at my work announced that I would be travelling to an ‘Aladdinesque’ country in the Middle East - and I can’t even begin to count how many times I was asked which country Bhutan is in.

The real story is far less glamorous  - but just as exciting! For the next 3 months I will be working as an intern at The Bhutan Observer, one of the country’s six national newspapers. The internship was organised and supported by the media department at Macquarie University and will be counted as one subject towards my final degree.

It is an exciting and crucial time in the development of the Bhutanese media. In 2006 Bhutan began the peaceful transition from a monarchical rule to a parliamentary democracy. The media, which had previously been completely under government control, was now free. The call was put out for the establishment of an independent newspaper and The Bhutan Observer  responded with a noble vision to act as the “independent voice” of the Bhutanese people. Since then the independent media has grown slowly and steadily and been instrumental in developing democratic debate.

But, with growth inevitably comes challenge, and at this crucial point in time the Bhutanese media industry is being tested on a range of issues including ownership, financial sustainability, journalistic ethics and quality of content. It is during this crucial period of development that important decisions will be made about privacy, freedom of the press, censorship and political influence. The results of these decisions will form the backbone of the Bhutanese media for many years to come.

The difficulty of dealing with these problems is exacerbated in Bhutan where there is no tradition of free media and where the population lacks a culture of interacting with media. So while it is essential that the media maintain a strong independent voice to ensure political transparency, the importance of the media is continually being overlooked by the public and by politicians. While The Bhutan Observer has largely maintained its original vision it is struggling against the inevitable pressures of commercialisation.

I will use this blog to record my experiences living in Bhutan and working at the Bhutan Observer.