Sunday, April 22, 2012

I am No More Brokpa


Like many of my contemporaries from Shingkhar, I grew up being called as Brokpa. Roughly translating it to English, it means nomad, yak herder or highlander. True to that name tag, we lived in highland and depended on yaks for our livelihood. We loved those animals and we cherished our moments with them. But there was something, that I still couldn't agree with when people referred to me as Brokpa. I simply hated it.

I used to hate it even when people called me 'Brokpa' with lots of love and affection. I disagreed and defended my stand. It may sound one and the same thing but to anyone who called me "Brokpa' I told them that 'all brokpas are highlanders but not all the highlanders are 'Brokpas'. But people still insisted that all yak herders are 'Brokpas'

I hated it more, when the caller was none other than my uncle. My uncle used to be a teacher, but in the field of nicknaming his students, he must have surely outdone many Rimpoches’. In fact it was my very own uncle who tagged me and my peers with that name. Since he was my (our) teacher, protesting against him was not a prospect, but internally, I always questioned him and told him that he (was) is more 'Brokpa' than all of us combined.

Now that my dad has sold off all the yaks, I can finally say that I am not brokpa anymore. But sadly with this, I now feel an aching sense of loss. It is a loss beyond my description. It is my exotic brokpa entity that I am now losing.

4 comments:

  1. Brokpa wrote a good article on Brokpa....thumbs up

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aiee...sad that your father had to let go off his priced possession. I thought he would continue holding unto it as reported in the media. The forces of change is to be blamed solely. But on the serious note it is a serious loss to you and your identity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For my dad, It must have been the hardest decision of his life. But then there was really no option left for him other then to let it go with the forces of change. with age his frail body has become even more weak. His hearing capacity has plummeted.

      But I am surprised by the will power of my dad. with the money he earned form the sale, He wants to buy a power tiller and chain saw. He still wants to continue his life young and strong.

      Delete

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