Phuntsholing in Winter

Winter is not so winter in a place called Phuntsholing. It remains one of the busiest place and is the commercials thrives during this time of the year.  People from highland move down towards lowland south in winter. Southern places like Phuntsholing, Gelephu, Samdrupjongkha, Samtse multiply the population, and during summer it is vice versa; the damp heat of the southern belt pushes most people upwards.

Phuntsholing gets the highest number of people during winter. People from all over Bhutan come here for numerous reasons. They come to bask in the warm winter sun. Most of them come for trades. They come here to sell oranges, potatoes, etc. They come here to do the shopping for school children. They come here for a visit. They come here to attend a religious ceremony which is held every year. Phuntsholing henceforth becomes crowded, dusty, and dangerous at times. A man got badly beaten up last time in the nighr for no reason.

Religious ceremony held by his holiness Namkhay Ningpo Rinpochea draws a huge number of people from all over the world; there are people from India (Sikkim), Nepal, and others.

Everything is good in Phuntsholing, except for money and staying place. Every household gets a number of guests; children, parents, relatives, friends, connected friends, and relatives. The house where I am staying has ten guests and there is a time, the number rises to twenty. So what a guest to attend! It looks like a Lochey (Religious ceremony in-home). The most critical time to be in this type of house and guests is sleeping and eating time. The meals are not prepared by one cook, but a number of cooks. Kgs and Kgs of rice are boiled in three big rice cookers. And during sleeping time, corpses lay on the floor; some even without mattresses and blankets. Such a hesitating home to be in. Everyone behaves the best to impress the host. And my cousin, our host is good. He doesn’t change. He remains the same throughout; simple and straightforward.

Now when I talk about change, I always think of change in a little weird way. People change. A few people change a great deal. One day there was a loudmouth non-performer who impressed bigger bosses with his lip services. He was a good friend, the same grade, same kind of standard. But when he got boss, the world turn upside down. Besides being boss and changing his attitude, he changed his attitude. He forgot his friend. He never talked. He never helped. He was useless to his friend. What is that change?

 I tell people, especially my students and when I have to say on some occasions that they mustn’t change. You can change, your idea must change, your living standard must change, and your attitude will change. But you will never change your heart. I tell them to be good. Good is the basis of all. Do good, be good and good things will come back to you. And this is how a host must be.