Freedom in Exile by H.H The Dalai Lama of Tibet

"Freedom in Exile" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is by far the most touching autobiography ever written. The love and affection he have for his fellow beings are inspirational and are heart warming. Its a story written from the heart with full of emotion and feelings. Its a story of a compassionate Buddhist leader who was over powered by foreign aggression and then subsequently forced him into exile from his peaceful country, often referred to as Shambala (I know there aren't many people who haven't read this book)

One thing that makes this book truly beautiful is its spontaneity, humility and humor. Flipping through the pages, it made me laugh and smile. It made me think that H.H is as much amusing as he is holy and venerable. Flipping more pages, it made me even cry. It made my heart go out for all our Tibetan brothers and sisters who are living under the harshest possible condition in their own homeland. The kind of torture, bloodshed, execution, and imprisonments described in the book are nightmarish and are deeply disturbing. It also arouses a great sense of sympathy to those who are living as refugees around the world with constant pains and pangs of being separated from their loved ones and their beloved homeland. 

More then the story of a H.H, its also a story of how the rest of the world failed to protect innocent Tibet from the clutches of Communist's greed. Its a sad story of how Democracies around the world was silenced by the might of misinterpreted socialism in China under the dictatorship of chairman Mao. When Tibet saw no one with capacity and willingness to rescue its poor self, it was "power from the barrel of a gun" that did the rest in Tibet! The book also gives us an insight as to how Tibet has since then become a place of horror, cut off from the rest of the world and completely dark. 

The book gives us a brief historical account of how Tibet and China coexisted as a neighbor for eons. It also sheds light on those disappearing yet sacred tradition and culture of Tibet. The way H.H describes about the "magic and mystery" in Tibet is hilarious. The kind of patience H.H has shown towards reconciling with  China are true reflection of unmistakable Bodhisattva. 

The book also gives us an insight to the the most regrettable affair of the world. It elucidates about the greatest blunder of a greatest personality in the history. Its how Jawharlal Nehru, the then prime Minister of India, who underestimated the the kind of threat new China posed for recovering and already weakened India (under the British colonial rule) The idealist Nehru was rumored to have died heart broken, when he finally realized that China stabbed him from behind. It has a reference to 1962 war in which India suffered bitterly. "hindi-chini bhai bhai" from thence became Hindi-Chini Bye bye. Sino-India relations remained cold ever since, creating further distrust and instability in Asian region.

Besides those horrifying stories, H.H also narrates a story of his own family. Through his expression, we can clearly understand the amount of love, faith and trust he have towards his family members; -especially towards his  mother, brothers and sisters.The way he bullied his late brother Lobzang Samten is way too memorable and would bring both tears and mirth in any readers. 

Although H.H extended his sincere appreciation and gratitude towards every host country for treating all the Tibetan people with love and care, H.H have also put forth where some Tibetans have also gross injustice in some of the neighboring countries. Particularly in Nepal and in Bhutan. This has a reference to how Tibetan rebel forces were ambushed by Nepali forces in Musang and how some 21 Tibetans "were thrown into jails" of  Bhutan "without proper trials" due to some political problems. 

And the most important part of the book is H.H's five-point peace plan. The most important point in the plan is H.H's intention to transform Tibet into a Zone of Peace. This according to him is only possible if China demilitarized the entire Tibetan plateau. 

Finally H.H ends his story with following words:

"I would therefore like to conclude this book with a personal note of thanks to all friends of Tibet, The concern and support which you have expressed for the plight of the Tibetans has touched us all greatly and continues to give us courage to struggle for freedom and justice, not through the use of arms, but with the powerful weapon of truth and determination. I know that I speak on behalf of all of them when I thank you and ask you not to forget Tibet at this critical time of our country's history.

We, too, hope to contribute to the development of a more peaceful, more humane and more beautiful world. A future free Tibet will seek to help all those in need, to protect nature and to promote peace. I believe that our Tibetan ability to combine spiritual qualities with realistic and practical attitude will enable to make special contribution, in however modest a way. 

Finally I would like to share with my readers a short prayer which gives me great inspiration and determination:

For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, to bide
To dispel the misery of the world. "

It was little past midnight, when I finally finished reading the book. The sky outside was clear and air was much cooler. As I stood gazing at the moon and the stars thinking about the fellow Tibetans around the world, I saw a shooting star. A bright one that lasted the longest. It was then I made my wish. I wished for Free Tibet  and Long life for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

How Green Are My Thumbs

Its dead winter here in Ahmadabad. And as I said earlier, the weather has fairly turned cold. I have to now use blankets, wear jackets and muffle my neck to keep myself warm. But one thing that surprises me most is that we have more chirping birds this time than we had them in spring and summer combined. 

Winter time for students like me also mean that we have exam to write. These are some the most anxious moments of my life and I honestly hate them. Call it last minute or final minute, it demands a lot of preparation and perspiration. But thanks to the power of Indian democracy, we were able to convince the university officials to finally postpone our exams by a month. And for now I can relax a bit and indulge myself into my amateur hobbies. -Photography and gardening.

Today for the benefit of my regular readers, I even took picture of the plants that I have planted in my room. I am testing the greenness of my thumbs! As you can see, I have planted many plants already. Among them is my money plant which is over a year old but still adamantly refusing to grow. I  have done all the possible thing to heighten its growth. I replaced the red and infertile sandy soil with black and humus rich soil. I watered them and tended its roots. But sadly after a week of my constant care and attention, I saw its three precious leaves turned golden yellow! It was disheartening but I dint give up. As you can see, I have now placed it in a very special pot, the rice cooker!

Some More Pictures

Squirrel

We call it Tor Tor La.
In my locality this tiny animal is
often known for its restlessness.
And  as a child myself; 

You know what?
 My dearest father 

once nick named me

as Tor Tor La,

Perhaps for being 

restless 

I gave them enough water to drink
And in turn they gave me this pose for my photography.
Thank you dear birds.

Sun is setting.
And the Birds taking final rest of the day on the tree.

One type of crow found abundantly in Gujarat.
They are very naughty.
They are even known to steal things which they cannot eat.
Like Pen from one of my friend while she was studying.

My Try at Photography

Another bird in my neighborhood, whose name I know not. 

Male Peacocks shed their colorful tail in Winter.

Clicking Randomly

I don't know the name,
 I mean the Biological name of this bird?
Any ways, my friend Sonam suggested
 it to be named as "William Shakespeare"
So I name the: William Shakespeare

Master Shefu.... From Kongfu Panda.
Honestly this guy surprised me. 

I presume this is female Pigeon.

And I presume this is male Pigeon.
He was even trying to dominate
 the lone squirrel who, I presume
came looking for some grain

This is my first shot of my elusive neighbor.
Is this a Rat Snake?
and
Is it venomous?
If not i want to try catching 
its tail next time....Lol

My another neighbor who nearly bit me
while I playing with her puppies.
and I nearly beat her in return!
Now that  her puppies have grown big,
we get along very well.
 she looks camera shy with me now.

Can a Customs Guy Have an Inspiring Story ?

In my life, I have watched good number of movies. I have equally read good number of books too. There are some movies and books that I didn't like. But however there are many books and movies that touched my heart.  They made a lasting difference in my life and hence I liked them more. All of them had an inspiring stories in them. 

For now lets deal with Movies here. For example, a movie called a "Freedom writers diaries" told me a heart warming story. Its about how a lone lady sacrifices everything in her life (even her marriage) for the cause of her destitute and poor students. Find out more about this movie here. Like wise "3 Idiots" is a classic move of its own kind. Read about this movie here. 

I must have probably watched those movies over hundred times already. But still, each time I watched them, I tend to get new meaning and inspiration all over again. In a normal situation, the former is a movie about how a teacher can inspire and latter is a movie that is suppose to inspire teachers!  To me, those movies also tell a lot about profession, career and life. It tells us at length about giving the best and leaving the rest and in the process making a story, unique in its kind. To summarize, they are all nothing but a stories of ordinary people who were little extraordinary than others! 

I do not intend to say that I am an extraordinary person. Not in anyway!  As has been fittingly put up by Erin Gruwell, The Author or Freedom writers diaries; -'Every person have their own stories to tell'. So do I. I do have my story! But I sometime wonder whether I can also have a space to tell my story to the world someday.

Now that I have already spent seven years in Customs, I do feel I have a lot of stories to tell too! I would't say they are all inspiring or pleasing. But nevertheless, if a movie be made or a book be written about a Customs Officer, then how would it appear?  How would people react to it? Can a Customs guy at all have an inspiring story to tell? These were the first questions that came to my mind. 

To be continued after my exams....................................(i.e after 3rd December 2012)

The Living Art Called Bonsai

Today morning, I had the privilege of visiting a small yet beautiful botanical garden. It was a very brief visit though. Its a Bonsai garden maintained by Mr. Nagendra, alias father of one of my Friend here in Ahmadabad. I have seen such  dwarfed plants before but I never really knew more about its origin and its importance.

Thanks to Mr. Nagendra, I finally got some clue as to what this Bonsai thing is all about. He told me that Bonsai is a living art. In Japanese, They call it "Bonsai" which is equivalent to Chinese term 'Penzai'. A "bon" he told me is like a pot or a tray typically used in bonsai culture and "sai" is Plant or a planting in it. Therefore in English, the word bonsai is often used as an Umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots. He also told me about the differences between the bonsai and dwarfing. But for now lets not go into detail.

Me with Mr Nagendra in his Botanical garden

This art actually originated in China and then later on flourished in Japan. This form of art has become so popular in Japan that today when a family look for a bride, the first thing they ask is whether a bride knows  something about bonsai! (well find it out if you are in Japan now) He told me that, its similar to Indian family looking for a bride who knows to cook and dance etc. 

I took this picture when i was in Malaysia in 2009

Well, with people like Mr. Nagendra, it appears to me that now the bonsai art has even reached to the Indian subcontinent too. The way he cared to talk about the art was truly inspiring. Through it I was also able to see his passion and love for the art. I think he have come a long way. But after seeing so many plants which still requires lot of treading and managing, I also think that, he have a long way to go too. I wish him all the best.

I took some pictures. Have a look. But I am sorry for not being able to write more about those plants. If in coming days, Mr. Nagendra, educates me more on those trees, well then I promise to come up with a separate and more elaborate post on it. But for now enjoy the pictures.

Walking Smiling

Sleep...study... Study.....sleep.... I don't know which one I did more but that was how I spent my entire 19/11/2012. Towards evening, although little hungry and exhausted, I was in a mood for a very long walk. Perhaps a long and lonely walk that would take me to a place where hot and tazza samosas along with sweet jelibes are sold with sauce and peeper in abundance...Lol 

By the way, going for a walk has always enchanted me. It still does. A walk, especially in the evening hours enthralls my soul and elates my mind to a mystic level of experiences. A walk has always made my soul feel lighter. It was often during my evening walks that I felt the serenity and radiance of this beautiful life, -the true essence of our existence. It is for these reasons that I consider a walk-hour as the most spellbinding and magical moments which every soul should undertake every day. To me personally, walking alone has enabled me to be more thoughtful, more contemplative and more focused in my life. It always gave me the much needed energy and strength to cope up with my mundanely existence. 

But today evening, when I came out for my walk, those things were not in the remotest corner of my mind. Not even the recitation of baza guru! I had this strange thing in my mind that I even lack a word to express it. Let me put it this way. Well, I wanted to smile and try to make others do the same. Yes. Although over smiling risks being deceitful, I wanted to smile to any stranger I meet on my way. Through this I wanted to find out the kind of magic I think I have in smiling. Strange! Right? 

Few minutes into my walk, I crossed the Hanuman mandhir. There I saw a young lady. I presumed she was returning home from her prayers. As she looked towards me, I used all my might and guts to smile at her. Man! that was difficult but nevertheless, she smiled back at me. With that, my smiling mission began. 

Little further down, as I crossed the street where many homeless dwelled, I saw two young men who were complementing my watch. I thanked them and gave them my biggest and perhaps the brightest smile. After that, till I reached the famous samosa shop, I smiled at every soul that I saw on my way. At one point of time, I even smiled at a serious lady who was driving wolfswagon. She was surely not a league of my own to be smiled at. However to my pleasing sight, I saw her reciprocating my smile. Another point, a lady drove her scooter right up to my foot, but I dint move an inch. Rather I smiled at her and stood like a rock. She looked nervous but I gave her a reason to smile. Then I saw a furious man shouting on top of his voice over his phone. Surely, he didn't look pleased, but as he looked towards me, I gave him a faint smile. He continued shouting but he at least smiled for a second on seeing me smile. 

With that walk I thought to myself that smiling indeed has a magic. I also thought to my self that, its truly when you smile that the world smiles. I reached home happy and with lots of smile.

So smile friends and feel the magic of it. 

Coffee Time Post

I have just finished tending to my money plant in my room. Its been a year already, but my plant still refuses to grow.  You see, I have tried so many things that could heighten the growth of my plant. Firstly I stopped using that saline-tap water and started spraying treated water. I even manured it with banana peels and melon covers! But so far it hasn't done any good to my ever-ready-to-wilt plant. So yesterday I went out and met our flower gardener. He gave me another plant whose name neither of us knew. Nevertheless, it looks good, green and fresh. I hope it doesn't remain dwarf like my money plant.

After that, it checked my Facebook status. There I just saw two things that caught my attention. The first one that I saw was that, some twenty eight people liked my picture. (me with my wife). We took that picture on our way to Bumthang last December (2011). For my wife, it was her maiden trip to my village after we got married in 2005. By the way, I had to do lot of photo editing on my face to match my beautiful wife.!

"Another man kidnapped, wife injured" was the second thing that caught my attention. That topic honestly made me go wordless. I was saddened to my core when a taxi driver went missing few weeks ago. But at the same time, I was jubilant beyond my words to hear about his safe return. His family negotiated with the  kidnappers and paid a ransom as demanded. He was indeed rescued by his own family! and this is a big story for our security system.

Our people are being terrorized and traumatized on our own land and our leaders are busy arguing with each other on the subject of "patriotism". They are so busy fighting a war of words with each other that they are forgetting the real enemy doing harm to its ordinary citizens. Till date we have not even heard a single word being said by our leaders on this issue!

We also do not know whether it is right thing for a government to allow citizens to deal with those people who are forcefully intruding into our safety and security Common people are mostly left at their own mercy in times of desperation. To borrow a phrase  from my friend Passu, People are forced to give monkey an apple because monkeys have now overpowered our security system? And those monkeys will no doubt come back again and again looking for more apples.

Our homes are supposed to be the most safest place for us. Now that another man is being abducted forcefully right from his door step at gun point, there seem to be no safe place at all for our fellas who are especially living in the south. For how long are we going to let our fellas pay ransom for those Monkeys?

By the way do we even have a clue of who these people are? Why is our Government, Police, Army and Media so so dead on this issue? If we at all have a patriots, who have so far busked with patag and perks, then we have a situation here. Time is calling for a practical patriots! 

Saturday Noon Thoughts

Finally, the most awaited Diwali festival is over. But still I could hear occasional blasts in a distant horizon. Mountains of fire crackers and explosives have been used already. I don't know whether its right thing to pollute environment in the name of celebration, but I have seen some of the worst environment pollution case on the night of the festival. There were black smoke everywhere. Those smoke then reduced the visibility. The smell of burnt match and explosives were so intense that I had to shut my door and window to to avoid suffocation and cough. 

Anyways, now the nights have become calmer and noon, a warmer. The cool winter of Ahmadabad is once again in the air. Tibetan jacket and sweater sellers are here once again. With high spending Gujarati folks, I think they are doing good business. I have been there once looking for momo, but had to come back empty belly. (who said sweater sellers sell momo?) I also Couldn't meet Aja Tashi Tshomo, from whom I bought a sweater a year ago and to whom I promised to get some Bhutanese currency notes. I Hope to find her in my next visit and hand over the notes.

Besides these business, I was mostly in my room wanting to cover up everything for my up coming exams. I wanted everything in my syllabus to be on my finger tips! But unfortunately, I saw myself settling with my Facebook and blog for most of the time. They have been my best hangout place!  Although there weren't any interesting stuffs, I often spent hours gazing over it. 

ohh by the way, I had a very interesting chat with one of my friend who said, was undergoing a deep depression because of this thing called "love". After a good amount of analysis, I however came to know that they did not have a good, solid and credible reason other than their phone for their break up. So told told my friend to relinquish his phone to me and that never and ever use phone when he falls in love next time.

By the way, I tried my best to reunite them, but all my attempts proved futile. As my last consolation, I told him to read good books and find a companion in them. I also told him that books will never abandon and make us feel depressed. My friend, who at that moment was fully charged with emotion told me that "its painful falling in love". He also told me about a monk hood that lingered in his mind! 

I told him to forget  about his past and start a new beginning all over. I also told him that no reason on this earth (love included) is a reason enough to drag us to depression. I told him to come out from his infatuation state of mind and be a man. I also told him about number of frogs that we have to cross to finally find our deserving golden fish in the pond. But he said this: "I will never fish again in my life"......Few hours into our conversation, we then closed our session on a gaiety note. We would both become monk after our retirement and go for meditation.  I hope he is doing fine now.

Coming back to Diwali shopping, I still did not get the book that I especially ordered as a part of Diwali shopping. Homeshop18.com said, I will  have to wait for another 2 more days. Few of the light bulbs that I bought for the festival have already stopped functioning and I decided not to buy any more of such stuffs in future.

Till then, have a nice day folks. Life is beautiful. Enjoy when you are alive. Be happy and be who you are.

Poem By Dr. Sonam Kinga

རྒྱལ་པོའི་བཙུནས་མོ་ཁབ་ཏུ་བཞེས་རྒྱུར་གསུངས་བའི་དགའ་བའི་གླུ་ཅུང་།།

པདྨའི་སྦས་ཡུལ་དཔལ་ལྡན་སྨན་ལྗོངས་འདིར།།

ཆོས་རྒྱལ་གེ་སར་བྱང་སེམས་མཚན་བཟང་ཀྱིས།།

ལྕགས་མོ་ཡོས་ལོ་ཟླ་བ་རྒྱད་པའི་ནང་།།

རྒྱལ་བཙུན་བཀྲིས་མངའ་གསོལ་མཛད་རྒྱུར་གསུངས།།

དེ་ཡང་ལྷ་མི་སྲིད་སྡེ་ཚོགས་ཁང་ནང་།།

གཡུ་འབྲུག་སྔོན་མོས་བཏེགས་པའི་གསེར་ཁྲི་སྟེང་།།

ལྷའི་ལུང་བསྟན་འབངས་ཀྱི་བསོད་ནམས་ལས།།

རྒྱལ་བཙུན་བྱོན་པ་རྗེ་བཙུན་པད་མའོ།།

དེ་བཞིན་མི་དབང་རྒྱལ་པོས་བཀའ་བསྩལ་ཚེ།།

རྗེ་བཙུན་མཚན་ལྡན་པད་མེའི་ཟེའུ་འབྲུ་ཉིད།།

རྒྱལ་པོའི་བཙུན་མོར་བྱོན་པ་ལེགས་སོ་ཞེས།།

གཅེས་པའི་འབངས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་ཚབ་རྣམ་ནས་ཞུ།།

གཏམ་སྙན་གསེར་སྒྲ་ཚོགས་ཁང་ནང་ནས་བསྒྲགས།།

བྲག་ཆ་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་ཐམས་ཅན་གང་བར་འགྱུར།།

དགའ་སྤྲོའི་ཉི་མ་འབངས་ཀྱི་སྙིང་ནས་ཤར།།

འོད་ཟེར་གླིང་ཀའི་ཕོ་བྲང་ནང་དུ་འཕྲོས།།

ལེགས་སོ་ལེགས་སོ་མི་དབང་རྒྱལ་པོ་ལ།།

ལེགས་སོ་ལེགས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བཙུན་རྗེ་བཙུན་མ།།

པདྨའི་གེ་སར་འབངས་ཀྱི་ཡབ་ཡུམ་གཉིས།།

སྐུ་ཚེ་བརྟན་ཤོག་འཕྲིན་ལས་དར་རྒྱས་ཤོག།

བརྒྱུད་འཛིན་བསྟན་འཛིན་མྱུར་དུ་འཁྲུངས་པར་ཤོག།

བསྟན་སྦྱིན་འབངས་རྣམ་སྐྱོང་ཕྱིར་བྱོན་པ་ལེགས།།

ལུགས་གཉིས་འཁོར་ལོ་བསྒྱུར་བ་བྱོན་པར་ཤོག།

འཁོར་ལོས་ལྷོ་ལྗོངས་རང་དབང་བཙན་པར་ཤོག།

རྩོམ་པ་པོ་་་་་་་དྲགོས་བསོད་ནམ་ཀུན་དགའ།།རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་ཚོགསྡེ།།
 
My Personal Note to Dasho

Dasho, 

I would like to let you know that by now I must have already read your poem over hundred times. It is so so beautiful. Therefore I thought such a sublime piece deserves to be read by as many readers as possible. So I took my own initiative of typing it in Dzongkha and accordingly had it posted on my blog.

I hope dasho's poem will bring immense delight to many readers. May dasho accumulate good merit through it.

Thanking you 

Peldhen Sonam Nima.

Random Pictures From the Diwali Night

Can you see Buddha in the light?

Lord Ganesh in my room

Cracking fire, not my piece of cake
At last got one right! 

Light invoking triple gem

Peacock Rangoolie

Diwali Once Again

Well friends, its Diwali here in India and I am on a very long break. But with my external exams soon to follow after the breaks, I am not in a position to plan anything grand. However my books, blog and Facebook are keeping me engaged most of the time. Other than number of hits on my blog, I also wish that Google have services to also record the number of hours I spend on my blog!  

Recently with the help of my brother, (Tenzin, also known as clever) I was able to connect my Facebook and Twitter account directly to my blog. I think, this has greatly enabled my blog to find some more readers. So thank you brother for your kind service. Not only that, I have also sent my personal request to some of my regular readers to join my blog too. 

I don't know how we met on social network, but Gyatso from Sikkim is one such person to whom I have  also extended my invitation. She wrote to me about how she spent her entire day reading my blog. And towards evening, these were the comments I got from her on my Facebook wall: 

"after reading your blog, i can just say that..........you arr not only witty but wise too, not only a son but a legacy, not only a dad but a father too, not only a husband but a companion too, not only a friend but a gift in disguise.......so remain the same forever, proud to have u in my friend list....... shall treasure our friendship......yeah your writings are flawless n the words well executed  to be more precise its original and well explained ........one reading is not enough..........keep up ...and continue writing"

I know Gyatso is being very kind and generous with her words. But nevertheless, I accepted her words with utmost humility. I took her words as the Diwali gift from her. With so many inherent flaws and weaknesses, I know I am a man far from Gyatsho's description, but with this gift from her, I now have a reason to believe that I can at least endeavor to become a good human being. 

By the way, yesterday, I was out for a while to have my hair cut. I wanted an army hair cut, but the barber said I wont look good with army hair cut in Diwali. So I had to settle for a normal trimming. I was told that Diwali is a shopping season and that was exactly what I saw. People were in shopping frenzy!

'Not buying anything in Diwali, I thought would tantamount to 'being (un) Indian on Indian soil' just like not being a 'Roman in Rome', so to show my deepest respect to the Indian culture, I ordered a book via homeshop.com and also bought some fire crackers and some colour lights for my room. I decorated the picture of Buddha in my room and it honestly it looks great and feels great! I also bought some candles and sweets too. On Diwali night (i.e on 13th Nov, 2012) I wanted to light the candles and pray for the world peace. 

I think Diwali is a Hindu festival that can be celebrated by people all over the world. It is a triumph of good  and colour over evil and dullness. So I wish all my readers a very happy Diwali. May the sun of happiness shine forever in this world.

More Than a Birthday

 Long Live My Beloved King

11th November in Bhutan is very auspicious day. Its a day that merits public celebration. Its a day that is permanently 'tattooed' in the hearts of every citizens, because it was on this day, some fifty seven years ago that the legend was born. This legend later went on to transform the lives of ordinary people. Brought in more unity and harmony, uplifted under privileged through his divine inspiration and selfless deeds. and even risked his own life for the cause people's peace. He is Jigme Singye Wangchuk, Our beloved King whom we all revere and love from the bottom of our heart. 

We could never thank him in words for all the goodness he has done for us. For us, he is a flawless leader whose deeds can never be glorified in words. His deeds simply amazed onlookers! Therefore his kindness and benevolence can only be felt in the bottom of our hearts. 

On his joyous birthday, I would like the thank kuncho sum for blessing us with a leader who consideres us, not only as his subject but also as a family member. May kuncho sum continue to bless our beloved King and may he live long and happy. May he also continue to guide us in all our future endeavors. 

Long live, our father, Long live our beloved King.

The Sights, Sounds and Souls of Shingkhar

Wish Fulfilling Statue of Buddha in Shingkhar.
Also known as Yeedam for locals
and the Choeku for general Buddhists.
Three such statues were build by Trulku Chokden Gembo,
who was the reincarnation of Terton Dorji Lingpa.
The statue of Longku is housed in Sumthrang Monastery.
and the statue of Trulku is housed in Ura Lhankhang.

Statue of Guru Rimpoche.
 According to Late Daba Rimpoche,
there are not many Statues of Guru  like this in the world 

Wish fulfilling Statue of Guru Rimpoche in Shingkhar 
(Guru Nangsey Zilnon)

Most unique statue of
Kuenkhen Longchen  Rabjam in the wold,
The Founding Father of Shingkhar
and the most revered Nyinmapa master

speaking statue of Jigme Lingpa in Shingkhar,
The foremost desciple of Kuenkhen

Goenpo Mani Nakpo,
The male Guardian of Shingkhar 

Zaa, also known as Meme Ragula,

One of the main  protector of Shingkhar
and Dharma

Lhamo, The female Guardian of  Shingkhar

Yakcham, Also Known as Chooejong.
The horns are believed to be the treasures discovered
By Longchenpa himslef.

Tsendhar, that represents all the protective
 god and goddess of Shingkhar

The current Shingkahr Lam performing Tordhok

Renovated Shingkhar Lhakhang

The monks (gomchens) of Shingkhar dratsang.

Guns in Bhutan.

The recent shooting incident in Lungtenphu, is a very tragic one. A son has killed his father! According to different media sources, it has been reported that the investigations are under process. What ever may be the findings, one thing for sure is that, we cannot undo what has been done already. He and his family will have to continue living without their father for the rest of their lives.

With this incident, many people have also raised their concern over the need for Bhutanese people to keep guns at home for  varied reasons. There is no denying that ours is a relatively a peaceful country. But this does not mean that we can take our security for granted. The way people go missing in the south and the way people get stabbed by an unidentified people in the neighborhood in itself indicate a changing level of security threat that our country is facing.

While the need for the Bhutanese people to own guns remains debatable, lets not forget that guns can either 'make you' or can 'break you'. Guns are guns!  If proper care is not rendered, these are weapons capable of creating catastrophic havoc. But on the other hand, if we know the real essence of guns, then we need not pull its trigger all the time to secure ourselves. But so long people are not trained to handle arms, they will never know the 'real essence' of  gun. 

Therefore, in the light of recent event, there is a genuine need for policy intervention to control or disarm people. It is important that we create enough awareness among gun owning folks about the benefits and consequences of having arms at home. On the other side, procedure to acquire an import license should be made very stringent. But before we do any such things, creating safety in our society is of utmost importance. 

Police department has done a lot here. Colonel Thinley Drukla said "that the procedure to acquire an import license has been made very stringent as compared to the past and depending on the very need of the arms after authenticating the case, we issue the concerned person an import license provided that he/she provides a air ticket that he/she is going to the said place to purchase the arms"

But still lot more can be done. As an issuing authority, Firstly, Police department should have a clearer guidelines with regard to issue of import licence. Secondly, They should do away with the issuing of gun import licenses based on air tickets. Because, today thousands of Bhutanese travel by air. Supposing that each individual import a gun on their return, then we can very well imagine the number of gun holders in our country. Thirdly, They should issue import licences to only those people who have undergone basic arms handling training and are thus certified arms handlers.

Tibet's PM Dr. Lobsang Sangay

I came across this clip on youtube while I was trying to over come my insomnia. It looks fairly old though. After listening to Dr. Lobzang for more than  47 minutes, I came to know that he is a man of real substance. I found the clip very informative and educative. I think this clip will be of immense help for historians, political analysts and for those scholars who are studying Tibet, India, China and the Southeast Asia. 

I hope someday the Peoples Republic of China will listen to this Peace loving man and start profiting for the cause of Chinese and Tibetan people. 

Now You Can Leave Me Your Comments

I just scribble anything that comes to my mind on blog. Most of the time this is purely done out my pleasure and my love for writing.. Many a times, I do not even mind whether something I write on my blog even gets read by some people somewhere!.  Like many other bloggers, I am also not so used to getting (loads) of comments and feedback(s) as well.

But of late, I have been interacting with some of my regular readers and most of them told me that they enjoy reading my blog. I don't know whether they are being nice to me, but most of them also told me to 'keep up my writing habit'. Some of them told me that they cannot leave their comments.

So today I would like to share some simple tips with my readers which will enable them to leave their comments on any other blogs. (but if it doesn't work, I will not be responsible..LOL)

1.  When you have finished reading the post, you will see a comment box just below the post.
2. Choose the profile with which you want to leave the comment from the drop box. Use which ever profile you fell comfortable and convenient.
3. Of all the profiles available, I would recommend anyone to use the anonymous profile, as it is easier to leave comment with that profile.
4. When I say 'use anonymous' it does not mean that anyone can be reckless here. Please be anonymous  but be sensible. 
5. Type your comment in the comment box and then click the 'publish' button.
6. Your comment will be immediately published as I am not moderating any comments at the moment.
7. If you are a regular reader than, you can join my site by clicking the ' join this site' button and be among the group of wonderful people.

Well, I will continue writing but I would like to once again remind all my readers that I am not a 'writer' in any sense. I am rather a very very immature and amateur scribbling buddy. So please forgive me for all the errors.

No Refrigerator for a Man From GNH Land

GNH Man

Some thing very funny, rather unexpected and strange happened yesterday. As I said earlier, this year we are seven Bhutanese civil servants here in Gujarat University pursuing our masters in different disciplines. We all live in a Government building occupying three flats. Although, we were denied our minimum necessities for more than a month (in our initial days) after an email or two from my side to the concern people in RCSC, the University finally provided us everything in a matter of one week (except the window curtains, that took them more than a year) That everything included a bed, a table, a chair and a mattress for each individual and a fan in all the rooms plus the running water in our toilet and kitchen. Besides those necessities, each flat is also given a refrigerator and and a toaster too. 

But yesterday, two people, -a male and a female who work in the 'study abroad program office' came to our place and told one of our friend to give the refrigerator which was issued to his room to two Japanese students who have recently joined a University for an exchange program. Initially, those guys wanted us to tell our friend about it but when we declined, they chose to come themselves. It was obvious that they were mistreating our friend. By doing that, they made us, (-the Bhutanese Students) feel less important than those Japanese people. It was a clear case of discrimination! If Freezer is necessity for Japanese then we are no different humans here!

I thought our friend would be enraged by the news. I also thought that he would not consent to such a senseless order from the dean. But to my surprise, our friend displayed all the qualities of a man from GNH land! Without a word, he told them to take the refrigerator and he even came out to help them remove the freezer form his room after calmly removing all his perishable items. By the way, this friend of ours has already been to three different place in span of three years and again the lady told him to shift to the other place strictly on coming Sunday (04/11/2012)

While we were busy moving the freezer, the lady from the office broke these news that saddened us to the core. She complained about our friend for not picking up the calls. She also told us that the dean has in fact ordered them to break the door of our friend and get the freezer from his room. (madam Ne Bola Kye Tala Tor Kye Lee-aww) And this 'tala' thing is not something new here. They have used this tactics to humiliate us in different occasions. One such 'tala'  techniques they uses against us was last July, when we were on our summer break. They locked our room with additional lock and thus prevented us from getting into our room on our return. It's long story though and for now lets not go into detail. (Look at the picture)

This was how we found our door on our return to the University

I immediately told the lady to mind her language. I told her that it is non of her business to tell us everything that are being discussed between her and her boss. I told her to upheld the good images of her boss and not to tarnish her image before us. When my friend told her that he would come to office next day and talk personally to the dean himself, the lady freaked out. She panicked and she went wordless. 

For now I am just waiting for my friend to take up the matter with the dean, so that I could tell her  everything I heard from the loose mouthed subordinate of hers. By the way, we also had one Gujarati guy who went wordless after seeing how our friend was treated by 'study abroad  program office'