Payment is NOT Enough

The salary I get by the end of the month is finely calculated and then finely split—like a poor man's magic trick. There are times when my meager salary cannot make a single day stay in the account. It's good, I suppose, that it doesn't occupy much space in the bank. By the end of the month, the credit would amount to Nu. 10,000 or more, leaving me still in debt. I hardly get Nu. 13,000. Let me show you where it all disappears.

How My Money Splits in a Month:

1. House rent: Nu. 2,500

2. TV bill: Nu. 300 (for the privilege of watching ads and old movies)

3. Electric bill: Nu. 100+ (depending on how many lights I forget to switch off)

4. Car petrol: Nu. 1,500 or more, depending on "emergency" (translation: visiting family)

5. School collection: Nu. 500, sometimes more than 1,000 (the mystery fund)

6. Miscellaneous donations (religious purposes): Nu. 300 (for the soul)

7. Visiting sick people: Nu. 300 or more (for the conscience)

8. Visiting relatives: Nu. 300 or more (for the guilt)

9. Veggies, rice, and general fooding: Nu. 3,000 (for staying alive, annoyingly necessary)

10. For a child: Nu. 200 (the cheapest part of this list, thankfully)

Total: Nu. 10,000

The salary I actually get now is Nu. 13,314—after a heavy loan deduction. The meager amount is not really enough. Expenditure escalates beyond what I receive sometimes. We don't have any money left for holidaying or family trips. A vacation, in this economy, is a dream that requires its own fundraiser.

This is a little bill of a rough calculation incurred in this month and is prepared by my wife.

And this donation comes frequently.

I really feel that teachers and doctors and hospital staff must be paid handsomely. Because services like teaching are, as someone wisely put it, "sitting penniless on a beach job"—except there is no beach, no sun, and definitely no umbrella drink. No TA/DA, no training, no outside tour, no nothing. Only a dry and meager monthly salary that evaporates before the month does.

I hardly know how to fill out a TA/DA form. Sometimes I fail to even say what TA/DA stands for. (Travel Allowance / Dearness Allowance, apparently. I had to look it up. Twice.)

So here's to another month of calculated suffering and a bank account that echoes.

Darling, Be Daring

I wrote this poem dedicating to my new blog titled: ‘Darling, Be daring.’ My previous title was ‘a wise voice.’

On your way, when everything is dark,

When long nights confuse you,

And when you are frightened-

Be daring, darling.

There lies a hidden hope of tomorrow.

When words are a storm

That could break your ribs

And leave you numb-

Be daring, darling.

Let them go.

When life is getting you down
with one little unfulfilled thought

That could packed up everything-

Be daring, darling.

There are so many options in life.

To keep standing firm

And to keep marching on

Through these twists and turns-

Be daring, darling.

Live on a path of hope.

When you cry out everything you have felt,
Hoping that someone will pick it up-
But the truth is what I say:

Be daring, darling.

Hope that one day, somebody keeps your wise voice.

PemaGatshel Throme

Of late, there have been lots of hullabaloos about the Dzongkhag Thromde in Pemagatshel. And when I say hullabaloos, I mean Facebook has turned into a battlefield. The issue is radical, and people have suddenly discovered rights they didn't know they had. Pemagatshel is the only Dzongkhag left without any thromde—neither Yenlag nor Dzongkhag. Yes, zero. Nada. We are the proud owners of nothing.

On social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can read so many hurling abuses and creative comments left by the literate (and very opinionated) people of Pemagatshel. It's like a festival, but with more typing and less food.

One Citizen Speaks

Lucky Semsel wrote in the Facebook group called Pemagatshepa:

"If you look at the present Pemagatshel Dzong area, you won't see any major developments. Things have not changed for decades in terms of development. Now, the dzong is under construction in Denchi, and the Dzongkhag area will also eventually shift to the new location. However, if Denchi is not identified as the Dzongkhag town, everything will be the same again. No developments will take place there. On the contrary, Nganglam is bound to prosper as a big business hub whether it is identified as Dzongkhag town or not. Should there be rainfall where there is already abundant water? Or should the rain fall in the desert?"

Wise words. Or maybe just frustrated words. Either way, Lucky touched a nerve.

The Great Poll War

The most popular and thorough discussion revolves around a poll posted by Sangay Choki. It has now crossed more than 500 comments—which, for a small Dzongkhag, is basically a national referendum. Most people are voting for Denchi.

Poll: Thromde in Pemagatshel
Which one do you prefer as Thromde in Pemagatshel?

· Nganglam is more appropriate
· Denchi is more appropriate

And likewise, there are many opinions and views about the Thromde. Most of them are dissatisfied. Some are just spicy.

My Humble (But Long) Opinion

I truly believe that Gatshelpas have not been taken fairly. We have been deliberately abandoned, like a forgotten umbrella at a bus stop. There was only Dasho Zanglay Drukpa folding his hands and saying that a Thromde should be in Denchi. NC Jigme Rinzin was not supporting either place. What is that? And that woman—whoever she was—didn't even exist there. So much for representation.

I personally prefer Dzongkhag Thromde in Denchi. And here are my reasons—because ten is a nice round number:

1. The Dzong is so near. You can almost throw a stone at it. Not that you should.
2. Denchi has eight jacketing Gewogs. That's a lot of jackets. And people.
3. It was already planned by the DPT government. Where is the logic if the plan changes every time a new government is formed? Consistency, anyone?
4. Denchi is safer than bordering places. No uninvited guests sneaking in at night.
5. Nganglam is far-flung from the Dzong. If the Dzong were established there, people from eight gewogs would need packed lunch just to reach it.
6. Nganglam will develop inevitably as it's a border area. It doesn't need our pity. Or our thromde.
7. Nganglam will be a regional town, not a Dzongkhag thromde. Let's not confuse the two.
8. Nganglam was not even in Pemagatshel five years ago. Latecomers shouldn't jump the queue.
9. Denchi has two big rivers nearby. People could catch fish to feed their lives—true story. Also, to develop a town, a river is necessary. Look at any good city in the world without a big river nearby. I'll wait.
10. Pemagatshel has no town then. Zero. Let that sink in.

The fact is, we wouldn't have any hard feelings in our mind if it weren't for ONE person. Yes, ONE. This happened because of ONE leader when Bhutan first had a transition in the government system. He came out of nowhere, declaring he was from Pemagatshel. Where was the connection—west and east? Who knows. But he wooed and melted the hearts of women. He easily won.

If he were in power now, Gatshelpas would have been more fortunate. We would have got what everyone else got. And here's the twist: if he had not contested first from Pemagatshel, we might have been even more fortunate. Irony, thy name is politics.

Now, half sunshine is all that remains. He couldn't just leave what he had created, abandoning Gatshelpas in this situation. So I say: You are our messiah. Please come back. We are flawed. We admit it.

I personally have very high regard for this person—as a leader, as a developer, as an inspirer. He is my role model. Everyone liked him. Even my grandmother. But now, the thinking of the government has changed. And everything has been sidelined. And this, my friends, is politics.

A Quote to Exit

I will leave with a quote from Kamala Das's An Introduction:

"I don't know politics but I know the names
Of those in power, and can repeat them like
Days of week, or names of months, beginning with..."

Let's just say I know the names. And I know where I want my thromde.



Note: The above views are personal and don't intend to hurt anyone directly or indirectly. Unless you are against Denchi. Then maybe a little.

Rain of Bliss

After much deprivation,

Rain falls—
A shower to clean the earth.
Everyone is happy and merry.
Everyone shows their teeth.
They come out to receive the first fall;
To get awash is their fondness.

Everywhere, as far as I can see, there is rejoicing
After the long, sweltering drought.
Air gusted and sandy,
Plants wilted, flowers still in buds,
Animals and birds wandered away.
Dejected, pathetic people lived a calamitous life!

Now, in the rain, everyone seems exulted.
The rainfalls
Like cheerful tears from the eyes.

Leaves dance to the dripping of the rain.
Countable animals venture into the meadows to drench.
Dancing clouds shroud the valleys.
The dusty earth sprinkles wet.
Some say it's the "holy grail."

Well, the rain mops and bathes.

The place has rejuvenated.