Slight Change in Thongdrel

As Desired by Meme Lama (also referred to as Dasho Shingkhar Lam) Slight changes have been made in the Thongdrel. There is an inclusion of first Shingkhar Lam, Tsezang Thaye Drakpa and exclusion of Shingkhar Lam Kunzang Wangchuk. Besides those changes, the other visible and notable changes are inclusion of some trees which are suppose to  symbolize prosperity and harmony.

The most sublime changes included are inclusion of Yak on the one side and a cow and a calf on the other. For me this is one of the most thoughtful idea. Shingkhar has long been a home for those animals. In fact they were once the back bone of Shingkhar's survival. Yak rearing has gone with the winds of time, but how happy that generation to come in Shingkhar will be reminded about those animals in a most pious way.

With this I would like to pray to Longchenpa himself that this Thongdrel Projest see its success. May the sun of happiness shine forever and may the lineage of Shingkhar Lama prevail till eternity. 

Lineage of Shingkhar Lama

1-Longchen Rabjam

2-Jamyang Dragpa Oedzer

3-Kuenkhen Dawa

4-Tsezang Thaye Drakpa (1st Shingkhar Lama)

5-Lama Jabodma

6-Kunga Wangpo alias Pema Kuendrak

7-Phuntso Jungney

8-Namgyal Dorji

9-Yeshi Wangpo

10-Tenzin Namgyal alias Dechen

11-Jigme Lhamo

12-Kencho Wangdue

13- Jangchub Dorji

14-Konchog Gyaltsen

15-Choney Jamtso

16-Kunzang Wangchuk 

17-Ngodup Dorji

Up Coming Thongdrel of Longchenpa in Shingkhar

༈ གངས་རི་ཐོད་དཀར་རིན་ཆེན་སྙིང་པོའི་མགོན། །

ཡོན་ཏན་ཀུན་བྱུང་དགའ་བའི་སྐྱེད་ཚལ་དུ། །

སྙིགས་མའི་དོན་གཟིགས་སྦས་པའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་པ། །

ཀློང་ཆེན་རབ་འབྱམས་ཞབས་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།།

I have picked up this picture from the facebook page of Shingkharpas. I am deeply moved by the initiatives taken by my brother who is a Bhutanese astrologer in Pangrizampa. I hope to see him succeed in his endeavor. I hope the blessings of Longchenpa will continue to bring the peace and wellbeing in Shingkhar (in particular) and Bhutan and  the World (in general)

My brother, Soman Rinchen, Bhutnese Astrologer

I would like to convey my sincerest and deepest Tashi Delek to Sonam. I would also like my readers everywhere in the world to join me in wishing him a  great success. 

Vote for Conservation

Please Vote For "Access to Habitat could Threaten Ludlow's  Swallowtail"

Samten Yeshi hails from Somrang Village. So to say, he is a pure Bumthap breed. He was a monk  before he took up career in journalism. He works for Kuensel corporation which is the leading news paper in Bhutan. 

I am pleased to know that he is competing with other journalists from around the world for "Environmental Media Award, 2012" on conservation reporting.  

I would like to request all my readers to visit the link his  and vote for his article titled "Access to habitat could threaten Ludlow’s swallowtail".  Please Vote for the article and help me encourage this young man into more conservation reporting. 

Here is what he has written and reported:

Protecting and conserving Ludlow’s Bhutan swallowtail (Bhutanitis ludlowi) butterfly is not a challenge as of now but it could be in future Bumdeling wildlife sanctuary officials say.

“If the roads come closer to the habitats then illegal entry into the habitat area and illegal trade might happen if proper strategies are not taken,” park manager Pangkey Drukpa in Bumdeling wildlife sanctuary said.

According to him there is a plan to build a road from Bumdeling to Tobrang where the butterflies are found to be living.

This would provide access to the habitat and travelers could hop into the habitat area for any purpose at anytime. “The road alignment is yet to be done so we can also get involved to protect the habitat from being disturbed,” the park manager said.

He said that there are some pockets in the habitat areas where the butterflies are more concentrated so new roads should be aligned away from those pockets.

“Road construction might not effect the Bhutanitis ludlowi’s habitat unless their host trees are disturbed,” Sonam Wangdi from wildlife conservation division said.

Tobrang and areas north of Tobrang to the international boundary, Tarphel, Pangkhar, Longkhar, Dramar and Barigang under the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary have been identified as prime habitat for the rare and endemic butterfly, a species which is restricted to this part of the region.

According to Sonam Wangdi the areas are given ‘increased protection’ status and entry is restricted from any route for foreigners including Bhutanese researchers except with prior permission and in accordance with the provisions of the Forest and Nature Conservation Act 1995.

“We are also lucky that the immigration act also prohibits route permits in these areas already,” Sonam Wangdi said.

Meanwhile, the study on the life cycle of this insect which is yet to be out for the first time in the world is carried out by the forest officials of WCD, Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for conservation and environment and Bumdeling wildlife sanctuary.

Since August last year the research team were able to document from its adult stage and is currently at the larva stage. “The larva is currently at its sixth stage and we hope this is the last stage of larva to enter the pupa stage,” Sonam Wangdi said.

According to Sonam Wangdi, who is one of the team members who first recorded the evidence of a mating pair of Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail, the butterflies mate in around second week of August and lays the eggs towards the end of August.

The first stage of larva was recorded by mid September, which is currently at its sixth stage.

Larva grows bigger at every stage into a big caterpillar before entering the stage of pupa which would than turn into an adult.

The period of these stages are being observed so that the full life cycle can be documented and revealed.

Please Vote For "Access to Habitat could Threaten Ludlow's  Swallowtail"

By Samten Yeshi

Dasho Tshering Dorji Clarifies

Dasho Tshering Dorji was my teacher in Sherubtse College. I have had the privilege of knowing him since his first days in Kanglung. He joined the college as new teacher in 2003. Since then I have known him more as a friend and neighbor than as a teacher. He is more of a person who speaks more through silence. He contested for the seat of National Council from Haa and went on to become the National Council member representing Haa in 2008 election. 

Coming back to the main point, It took me aback when a very popular blogger Passang PaSsu Tshering brought out this article on his blog. It has a reference to what has transpired between a person named Haap wangchuk and Dasho on a facebook page called Haap Dhoros. 

Here is Dasho Tshering Dorji's version of the story. I think he has now spoken with his words too.

"Thank You Passang PaSsu Tshering! for trying to (un)popularize my response on your blog, although I still do not know with what intention you have chosen to post this particular post in your blog. As you mentioned I have been commenting and sharing my views on many other issues beyond such petty non-issue on our social group sites such as Haaps and Haap Dhoros but it baffles me to find that you found this issue to be worthy of posting in your blog. Anyway, I pray that you may fulfill whatever you intent to achieve by doing so.

Nevertheless, I also wish to make few corrections to your carefully edited version, which has taken the point out of context and blown it out of proportion to mislead readers for reason beyond my understanding. But readers must not be deprived from seeing the whole point.

First, Haap Wangchuk posted his comment on 7th May 2012 and there were couple of likes and a comment by a member of Haap Dhoros (which has been mysteriously withdrawn). My response was posted only on 16th May. This means that my comment was not posted immediately before anyone could reply as you have stated in your blog.

Second, with due respect to you and the question that you have posed as to what is “publicly criticizing and ill-information" about the comment made by Haap Wangchuk. I have posted to you as follows:

Passang Passu Tshering, with due respect first of all may i ask you to always make a comment based on fully understanding the context properly. This is something you may not understand since Wangchuk has made similar comment earlier in different post, which he has mysteriously removed but still I have tried to give my response as dutifully as possible.

This is how I have responded to his comment that has been removed mysteriously.

(Hi Wangchuk, the decision to not involve elected leaders in the assessment of the earthquake damage has emerged from the lessons learnt in the past experience of similar incident in the east….Learning from such unfortunate incidences, the Dzongda has been entrusted with the assessment of the damage on commonly understood parameters. However, in the process of carrying out the assessment, it is possible to have human error crept in resulting in huge disappointment among the people… But we tried to intervene wherever possible and bring it to the notice of dzongda and some genuine cases had been considered as well…Having said this, it does not mean that work done by assessment team is 100% perfect but there is only so much that one can do to improve it.)

Not willing to accept my explanation, he made another comment, which has been removed again. To which my dutiful response was as follows.

(Well, it does not mean that Human error are excusable. If you have solid evidence to prove your words, the door of ACC is open to all. That is why we have enacted law and created institutions so that poor and innocent people's genuine case...s are not ignored in the name of old saying as you have mentioned. However, it is left to the wisdom of the people themselves to pursue the matter further if they are not satisfied. As a representative, I have tried whatever means within my limited power bearing in mind the general picture of the whole issue. But please be assured that unfair and corrupt means can not be excused as human error. there are means and ways to address it. If you have a case to prove it with solid evidence then please go ahead rather than lament over it. If you need my help in this regard, I will do whatever I can).

Deliberately leaving out the details, you have wasted no time in posting only selected comments in your blog to try and make me look scary and threatening. If you are genuinely concerned about Wangchuk, you could have convinced him to take the help that i was offering to solve his grievances. Instead you also further provoked him to make further comment on me.

( ….As a leader you can correct me but you cant charge or warn me. We are not qualified like you but we are not child so we too know what to write n what not)

Even to that I wrote,

(Wangchuk, I think there is a lot of mis-communication and misunderstanding in whatever it is that we are trying to convey. Then there is other who is trying to fuel it further for reason beyond my comprehension. I am sure all of these will go away if we talk in person whenever we cross our path in near future. I hope you will continue to send your comments but more responsibly.

By now embolden by your comment, he does not emit a word even now.

Third, when you barged in the conversation out of blue, I have taken time to explain to you that this is also related to earthquake events at Haa on which you and I very well had protracted exchanges. Making you recall the similar exchanges we have had on another social site (Haaps). During which, I tried to update you with the reality on what the authorities were trying to do after the event contrary to what you think was happening. After that you even stopped commenting further so I was bit taken aback to find a comment from you from nowhere so suddenly after a long time in our social site. But making a headline out of this issue on your blog, which you do not even know well on what could be happening between Wangchuk and me, appears very spiteful and suspicious of your intent.

Anyway, I said that I was happy to listen to your views and comments as long as it is based on fact and reality so that we do no discredit the good things and practices but at the same time leave no room for complacency. I urged you to read the comments that he posted once more carefully in the light of what transpired between Wangchuk and I.

Despite my effort to explain the situation, you went ahead and sensationalize the whole issue by conveniently leaving out the details but copy and pasting only the comments you found suitable to convey what a scary and threatening person I am to the rest of the world. I am not worried so much about how I might appear to them since I know best who I am. But I am more worried about the way in which you have tried to assemble the information to deceive your readers. Don’t you have a responsibility to your readers?

Last but not the least, it is very intriguing to know that you found my response to Wangchuk scary but you did not find merit in me trying to educate him on the responsibility to make responsible comment even when he called me gutless and accused me publicly of not doing anything on complaints of victims of earthquake and pressuring me to intervene in the local government affairs.

He could not have created that page for anybody else, since the creation of the page in the social site (Haap Dhoros) was immediately followed after my exchanges with him in other posting and I don’t know if the other two elected member are even member of this social site.

So between the following scenarios:

A) An elected member explicitly stating the existing provision of penal code of Bhutan pertaining to defamation and Libel without actually distorting it or blowing it out of proportion

B) A voter trying to personally accusing me of doing nothing and coercing me to go beyond the rule of law and not accepting my offering of help to personally look into his grievances.

C) And then Passang PaSsu Tshering, who is also from Haa jumping in between to dramatize and fuel the whole issue by making it a headline on his blog. Imagine if all the reporting both formal and informal operate with such malicious intent, then it is a greatest abuse of the trust of the viewers who has been following you and will greatly corrupt the freedom of expression.

So, Passang PaSsu Tshering, as an apparently sensible and concerned citizen that you seem to be- You tell me who is scarier and more threatening? An MP who is trying to do his job in a politically correct manner, a frustrated voter who has made up his mind not to listen and a presumptuous blogger who shoots his thoughts from his imagination just by sitting in front of the computer and feeding partial information to his viewer to mislead them in certain way.

I hope you will dare not pick and choose comments even from this posting and sensationalize the issue. But again this is not a threat or to make me sound scary. As great blogger as you are, it is a responsibility that you owe and must uphold to your readers."

Be my100th Follower on my blog!

Be my follower and be the 100th wonderful person on my blog. 

I have a award for this! Hurry up ! 

Of Late.

I have heard about a turmoil among Haap Dhoros on Facebook. I guess it was about someone 'shooting mouth'  and other one not being able to accommodate with it. I don't know who is right and who is more right, but I think both are  equally right in their own terms. All I wish is that Haap settle their own storm in the cup before it slips above the brim. I think there is no need for middle man here!  

And yesterday, on Facebook again, I had to stop my discussion on becoming a vegetarian, when a guy named Donkey started making fun about the discussion. I wanted to discuss more about veg and he wanted to divert my attention by discussing about sex and pork. So before any middle man could come between us, I quietly removed him from my list and we were done. 

My dad wanted me to become teacher in my life. Fortunately or unfortunately, I couldn't become one. In fact I ended up becoming someone I was not made for; a Customs Officer!. Not being able to see his son live his dream must have pained his heart. But of late, I have got this strange feeling. 'I wanted to become a teacher in my life'. -As if to say that I want to live my father's dream.

It sounds strange because there are many people who are dying not to become one. My wife, who is a teacher, says that, people regard teacher no less than a donkey. Therefore, she doesn't fancy me becoming one. But I feel my urge to become one so intense. 

I have nearly put up a decade in Customs already. Now I wish I could become teacher someday and spend my another decade there. If possible, I also wish to become.....uummmm.....aheeemmmmm.. dasho after that! wait, Did I say Dasho? If not I would want to retire peacefully to become a monk. I wish to work for the benefit of innocent sentient beings who, according to Buddhist philosophy, say, they were once my parents, my siblings, my kids and my friends

Hey folks, I have exam tomorrow. So I better stop day dreaming and get going with my studies. Wish me lots of luck.

Have a nice day!

Strange Feelings

Of late, I have been busy both with my books and Facebook. Books, because I have exams to write starting 19th May and Facebook, because I am a very social person. I know many will join me when I say that 'exam days are never a pleasing moments.' I dislike the very idea from the core. Therefore, I often ask myself as to whether these things called 'exams' are really that necessary in ones life?

But the reality is real! Exams are like salt that adds taste to our life. Without exams, today it wouldn't have been possible for me to say that I have B.Com honors degree from Kanglung. I am not blowing my own triumphant but it was through exams that I could proclaim as an RCSC select graduate.

It is indeed through exams that I got my job. I am already making a humble living!  But the exam thing is yet to stop in my life. Like a greedy person in pursuit of knowledge, I am still drenching and slogging with books!. Some say, Economics is not a subject for average Tom and Dick, but here I am, trying to bite more than what I can actually chew.

In a years time from now, I would be finally done with my Masters programme. I would be saying good bye to the University that groomed me intellectually and would be rejoining my friends and family once again. These things gives me enough reason to smile and be happy about.

But there are other things that I worry about. I worry about my next transfer! Of late, I came to the knowledge that my Department even conducts exams to decide our next transfer place. I was told that the exams were conducted to ensure that the only brainy and browny gets a chance to serve in head office!. This is surely a work of genius mind and as a loyal service man, I cannot question the credibility of such a creative procedure. So long it is workable, i think its cool idea.

Random Ramblings

Picture courtesy: Facebook

Apparently, I was mad when University declared our initial exam dates. As per the schedule, we are suppose to have exams every day starting from 18th May till 24th May!. This meant, we have less time for our last-minute preparation.  It  enraged 'last minute-freaks'. But that thing was not to last. Students started protesting by visiting Controllers office and without much fuss, the exams dates are being rescheduled. Now we will be having exams every alternative days starting 19th May. 

Thanks to rescheduled exam dates, I am now able to blog about how busy I have been those few days. Obviously I was exceedingly busy with my exam preparation. I slept with my books and got up in mess. I drank coffee like addict and peed like horse. Under stressful hours, I often shouted like lunatic. I watched 'Friends' and laughed like mad.  

Besides, I have also an interesting story about a friend who wouldn't mind putting his pillow under his butt but wouldn't allow others to do the same. As a Bhutanese, I am of the opinion that pillow (or hang) is strictly for head and mattress (dhen) for butt, but he still wants to stay tall with is his unreasonable logic. To get at him I asked him a very logic less question in return; -"Do you use your underwear as cap?"

We are four friends who share a flat. By virtue of living next to the toilet, I often end up being the miserable most of the time. In our recent past, it was about someone peeing from the door. But of late its been about someone not using water while shitting! I have to shut the door because I have Buddha's picture hung in my room. 

I enjoy facebooking and the the reasons are innumerable. Apart from meeting friends and strangers alike, I like the idea of facebooking because it gives me lot of courage and guts. Through facebook, I can chat nonstop with anyone. I can even yell at my MP!, vent out my frustrations and get consoled.....and many more....But mind you I am a very faithful husband and dedicated father. Honestly, I salute the creators of facebook. I wish I could write exam on facebooking as well!

By the way, I have exams starting 19th May. So wish me lots of luck. If I again top my class, then expect a treat from me.

Good night folks.

For My Mother on Mothers' day

My Mother then and now

Hi Mom, 

There are not many words with which I can thank you enough. But on this special occasion of Worlds mother day, I would like to thank you for all the tears you have shed, all the pleasures you have forgone and all the pains you have overcome in bringing me thus far. Mom, you are sincerely and wholeheartedly endeared. You are loved from the core of my heart. 

It is visible that the age has taken away the luminosity off your visage, but you are still my shining star. Your innocent toothless smiles have always done the magic of brightening up my mundane life. Thank you millions  for being my loving mother.

Mom, you are rare. 

Mom, I love you more

and Mom, I can die for you.

Happy Mothers day to all the mothers in the world. 

She Wants to Become Miss Bhutan!

Sonam Dechen Thinley

'I failed to win the fashion contest in my school but I believe I can become Miss Bhutan some day'. -says my second daughter. She wasn't happy for the fact that someone in plain track suit won the contest.

The way she consoled herself made me wordless. I have known her to be only a crying machine and nagging freak. But in three years time, she have changed by many folds. 

Happy Teachers Day!

Picture courtesy: Google

I wish all my Teachers a very very happy Teacher's day.

May god bless you with good health and Happiness.

With this, I would like to remember all my teachers', Both living and dead for all the goodness they have done in transforming me. From a rough village lad, I have truly come a long way in my life. Credit goes to all my teachers. In celebrating my happy life; -everyday, I celebrate the love and kindness of my teachers. You are all remembered from the bottom of my heart! Thank you all millions.

May god bless all Teachers.

Long live Teachers.

Why May Day is Our Day

I don’t know why, but when I first stepped into my manhood, getting married was the last thing on my mind. But on a very fateful day, on 1st May 2005, irony was to happen. The last thing on my mind became the first thing to happen in my life. -I got married to my dearest wife. 

We did not exchange rings nor did we say ‘I do’ to each other. No Lamas, no astrologers, no parties, no gifts but our wedding was unique and romantic in our own sense. In our magical moment, spurred by the spontaneity and over flow of powerful feelings, we tied our knots never to be untied. Together we cheerfully made our lifelong commitments, - to be together, till eternity! 

Since then, we have been together through all thick and thin. We had good times and few bad times. But we always emerged and prevailed. So far, our life has been anything but a match made for ourselves. 

Today marks our 7th anniversary. It also means that we have crossed that ‘itching seven years’. It brings me lot of joy to reflect and recollect our bygone days. Except few ‘itchy incidents’, I am less hesitant in submitting that we had lion’s share of good times together. We may not have prospered materialistically, but the way we raised 3 little angels in 7 years time has been the subject of envy for many people.


Well, folks Wish us good luck and happier days.