Mass Cleaning Campaign

Out of many health activities in the school, mass cleaning campaign is one of the important activities in the school. On 28^th April, Darla school conducted a mass cleaning campaign. We called off the afternoon class, and students and teachers gathered in the assembly ground. The campaign begun with area distribution from classes IV to V. And the theme of the campaign was made loud and clear to the students. The theme was, “Clean Darla, Clean Bhutan. Clean Bhutan, Clean Earth.” The students and teachers went to the last point of the area singing the theme and requesting parents to come out and clean. The health club members also had various massages written and pasted on their back and front part of the body.

The mass cleaning campaign covered the town and villages of Darla. Many classes of students and teachers went as far as three kilometers from the school to clean and create awareness. We covered Darla bazaar, BPPL, Police gate, RNR, and Darla Lhakhang.

The presence of the public in the cleaning campaign was requested in the teachers-parents meeting, and for that, the health committee also sent letters to bazaar thsogpa, BPPL,and the Darla Gup. Except for a few shopkeepers for a few refreshments, a few people from Bazaar, no public came forward to clean on that day. Our main aim was to create awareness among the public. But we feel that we have created while we went out singing our theme loud. The presence of few public didn’t deter as we have huge numbers of students. Not only did our cleaning well but also have lots of funs. The cleaning campaign was a successful one as we collected almost 50 sacks of waste.  When we gather back in the school, a bottle of litchi juice was given to quench thirst from the scorching heat of the day. Below are some photos of the day.

Alcohol and Drinking in Bhutan

A group drinks to celebrate Rimdro together

Alcohol is one of the most used and a misused drugs known to man. It is a social issue. The habit of drinking had wrapped its arms around our society and is slowly strangling society. It has disastrous effects on health, career and one’s family life.

One reason why alcohol is misused is that it is accepted in society. People drink to be sociable. Many restaurants and shops offer alcohol on their menus. Alcohol is usually included in celebrations or family and social gatherings. For example, we cannot do away with alcohol items during Rimdros.

Drinking is picked up at an early age just for the sake of fun or fashion. It is usually shown by parents. Children copy their parents, elders and try the drinks secretly. By and by the casual drinkers become chain drinkers. It becomes a habit that dies hard. The drinker thinks that it has become necessary for him. He argues that drinking eases his tension and helps him concentrate his mind on problems of serious nature. His mistaken belief costs him money as well as health. Drinking, they say, causes cancer. It is injurious to health. But the hardened drinker listens to no advice or warning. He can give up this evil provided he builds up his willpower. He takes offense if you advise him.

One of the risks of alcohol abuse is health problems. The leading cause of death is cirrhosis of the liver.  Not only that alcohol also causes damage to the brain, heart, kidneys, and digestive system. Cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and stomach becomes a threat as well. The well known south Indian actor Kalabhavan Mani dies from alcohol recently. Mani was 45 years old, and he knew he has liver cirrhosis. Instead of making it his priority not to consume alcohol, he forces himself to drink. He was not a child to be forced to do something he does not want to do.

Lately, scientists have been saying that a little bit of alcohol with dinner is not only okay but it is also good for you. This is true in moderation.  They say that if you drink a small amount of alcohol it will help you sleep. Also if you drink a moderate amount every day it can help your health in the long run. A moderate amount is considered to be 1 drink for women daily and 2 drinks for men daily. This can help bring your HDL level up, which helps protect your heart against disease that causes heart attacks. Also a moderate amount of alcohol every day can lower your risk of developing diabetes by increasing your insulin sensitivity. It can also raise ‘good cholesterol’ levels.

If you take advantage of that and drink in excess there are effects on the health. It calms you down and slows down some organs in your body. Alcohol, therefore, has short-term effects on your body. If you are addicted to alcohol or drink a lot of alcohol for a long period of time you will shorten your life span by about 12 years, and get a lot of serious side effects. 

Alcoholism can definitely take a toll and causes them in their workplace, and even lose their career. The ‘hangovers’ sleep late and wake up late, and once they are in their workplace, they only hang back. The works are stalled as they malingered.

As a result of alcohol abuse, children and other family members are being mistreated. Alcoholics are causing spousal abuse, and in some cases, even death. There are many women in RENEW, who are badly beaten by their husbands. Families are being destroyed and children are living a life full of suffering. Alcohol totally consumes them; all their thoughts and actions are somehow associated with the drug. Personal relationships can be torn apart. The consequences of alcohol misuse are serious in many cases; it has an effect on self, towards their family and friends, and children maltreatment. Many rapes in Bhutan are related to alcoholism.

Alcohol is the most accessible in all places. Easy access to alcohol is a key reason why alcohol abuse and alcoholism are such a common problems in Bhutan. Alcohol abuse means drinking more alcohol than is socially, psychologically, or physically healthy. In Bhutan, alcoholism is associated with a kind of "manhood. We have passion for spurious liquor is in line with all those 3rd rate characters who are shown in the movies and roam in the street; who pride themselves at consuming such so-called liquor and going around. We admire our life, and enjoyed drinks. But it would be a foolish death to die from alcohol.

Cardamom

Many people are planting cardamom these days. I too planted some lean cardamom plants last year, and these plants have remained as they were. The leaves are drying up now. They have turned brownish. What is my Elanchi up to now? When many are being profited from the spell of cardamom, my plants didnt have an energy to drink a drop of rain from the sky to keep themselves alive.

But coming to the serious point, people are planting lots of saplings these days. Because there were stories of how a family earned lakhs from two or three boras (sacks) of cardamom. We envy their hard work, when somebody has done something good then we try to copy. Some people never take risk of starting a new venture. It’s only things done by others, and then people like me follow. I have planted three saplings in my garden for a test. I hope it grows well.

Just next to our hydro power, cardamom business could be a second-highest revenue generator in the country. We know our water is drying up year by year, and constructing a power station is quite dear for the country, it looks unwelcoming and bleak. But one hopeful thing that we look to is our gift of nature; the soil. Bhutan has the nicest soil for cardamom cultivation. These plants grow in-between 300-700mts above sea level. If every plant people plant is to grow, then every household would become so independent and rich. What everyone needs is working hard. Everything needs hard works to be a successful one.

A Bad Side of a Good Relationship

Google Guru

The Irony of Bhutan–India Relations: A Layman's Observation The recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to China has provoked fear and unease among Southeast Asian countries. There seems to be a kind of tug-of-war playing out between the giants of Asia. Smaller countries like Bhutan are left with little choice but to follow the tune of the bigger trumpets. What follows is my layman's observation of our relationships—and frankly, it's a troubling one.

The Irony That Refuses to Go Away

Bhutan–India relations are deeply embedded. They were implanted and cemented when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Bhutan in the 1960s. At that time, the relationship was state-to-state—warm, formal, and administratively strong. But here's the irony: while ties at the government level remain cordial, the people-to-people relationship has often been bitter. Bhutan today finds itself stagnant, caught in limbo about this relationship. On one hand, China cordially welcomes us, offering opportunities to tie new knots of friendship. On the other hand, we continue to cling to our old "good neighbor," India. We are stuck in an indeterminate state: should we move toward a new world of change, or hold on to the old road of depravities and treacherousness? I use the word treachery deliberately. Do you think a good friend would loot, burgle, abduct, kidnap, and open fire on a friend? And yet, we still hang on—unsure of what to do about such dreadful activities directed at our ordinary people. We resist the irresistible. We writhe. We tolerate. And that, in a nutshell, is the irony of Bhutan–India relations.

Let me offer some evidence of this embittered state of affairs. In the year 2000, a Bhutanese bus traveling on the Phuntsholing–Samdrup Jongkhar route was gunned down by unknown Assamese militants, killing several innocent Bhutanese passengers. Bus services on that route had to be halted completely for more than a decade. Even today, poor and disturbed Bhutanese passengers are forced to rely on Indian transport along this route. Between 2011 and 2014, there were rampant kidnappings of Bhutanese citizens in Gelephu. To date, about ten abduction cases have been reported. Victims' families have had to pay millions of ngultrum as ransom. Some victims were tortured. Some were brutally killed. In 2014, many Bhutanese private cars were robbed on the Alipurduar–Lamozingkha road by local goondas. We have heard of cars being smashed up and destroyed in bordering areas. Many of our citizens have been beaten up by hooligans. So I ask again: does a good friend do that? It's a question that will haunt every Bhutanese for many generations to come.  

And then comes the next question: would the Chinese do something similar to this? As far as my limited knowledge goes, the Chinese have some of the strictest rules to control hooligans. I have heard that even for the slightest mistake or a small act of corruption, you are either released—or hanged. That sounds like a country where peace prevails. A place where such bad activities would not be tolerated. I am not claiming China is perfect. But I am asking: why do we tolerate from one friend what we would never accept from another?

School Rimdro

A two-day Darla school Rimdo was on 19-20th of March. It was presided over by His Eminence Yangpel Lopen. Some snapshots of our school rimdro:

Receiving the Lama

Chefs: Ready to cook

Peeling off potatoes

Rimdro invocation

Driving away evil spirits

Sermon to our students

Mask dance to scared away evil spirits in the school

Wang to the public of Darla and nearby communities