Chorten in Darla MSS - A Tribute to His Majesty

The Chorten That Ate Our Salaries: A Spiritual Adventure in Deductions

The significance of a Chorten (known internationally as a stupa, or "that dome-shaped thing you see everywhere in Bhutan") is said to be abundant. Apparently, it not only takes one closer to heaven—handy for those of us worried about the climb—but also protects one from any kind of evils. Evils like bad grades, lost chalk, and perhaps unexpected budget meetings.

The idea of this chorten construction came to us as a surprise. A big, holy, wallet-emptying surprise. In the beginning, everyone thought constructing this kind of small monument is a very easy and effortless kind of work. You know, like making a sandcastle. Or baking a cake. How hard could it be, right?

Oh, sweet summer children of Darla.

When the construction began, it turned out to be a huge work and incurred lots of money. Because of course it did. So, the coordinators—bless their spiritual but financially terrifying hearts—counted on every one of us staff. We were told, very gently, that Nu. 1000 (One thousand, yes, you read that right) will be deducted every month. For two months. Then we had "collected." .

Not only that, every student in the school was requested to donate any amount for the chorten. "Any amount" in school language means "bring something, preferably not just good wishes." They also sent many letters of contribution to many localities and people—because why limit the financial pain to just one campus?

So, when the budget presentation was done in one of the meetings, the budget had amounted to almost 2 lakhs. Two. Lakhs. That's a lot of Nu. 1000 deductions. And the contribution and donation didn't stop coming. There were contributions of both cash and kind. "Kind" included firewood, rice, and the silent tears of teachers.

Now, I really appreciated the man behind this chorten. He is a thorough spiritual person. His name is Mr. Ugyen Wangdi—and no, he is not accepting donations at this time. He really worked hard to complete the chorten so that the school could consecrate it on 11th November, coinciding with HM, the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. We dedicate this chorten for his long and peaceful life—and also, let's be honest, to remind ourselves that nothing spiritual comes cheap.

And truly, miraculously, and against all budget forecasts, it was completed on 11th November. Here is the picture story of the chorten. Please enjoy the photos. Your Nu. 1000 is in there somewhere. Look closely.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Chorten

Foundation work

Busy

Busy like Bees

Carring Nangzu of the Chroten

Ready to Paint

Consecration

Dedicated to 60th Birth Anniversary of 4th king

Tsatsa for the chorten

Some Nangzus - see lots of cats eyes

Old things

And without students the Chorten wouldnt have been completed

Darla School Celebrates the 60th Birth Anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo

Prayers for the long live of the kings

Chipdrel ceremony in the morning with the public of Darla

Making the right thing

Various songs and dances are performed, and this one is by class six - dancing for the long life of the king

Our students feeling proud to be Bhutanese

Class nine dancing

This Chorten is consecrated today and is dedicated to HM, the Fourth King

Singing of Zhabten and Listening to the King's speech aired in the school sound box

Our Public dancing

Class eight furling the flag so high

Consecration Going on

Lighting butter lamp for HM 60th birth anniversary

My felicitations to the Fourth king of Bhutan

Tribute to the Fourth Druk Gyalpo on His 60th Birth Anniversary – 11th November

I offer my deepest felicitations to the Fourth King of Bhutan on the auspicious occasion of his 60th birth anniversary. Through his untiring efforts, unwavering resolution, far-sighted vision, and principled leadership, His Majesty has blessed the people of Bhutan with a magnificent boon and vouchsafed lasting happiness.

My fervent prayers go out to this saintly King, who sowed the seeds of peace and progress, labored tirelessly to spread the light of wisdom and compassion, and whose legacy we now joyfully inherit.

I salute our most Merciful, most Compassionate King. All praise be to the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.

Now that His Majesty has entrusted us with the blessings of responsible citizenship and shown us the path of true service, we too walk in his footsteps to serve our fellow men and our nation. We re-dedicate ourselves to the service of Tsa wa Sum—the King, Country, and People.

Let us commemorate and share the joys of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo’s birth anniversary. And let us reflect with gratitude on the noble deeds of our revered monarch.

Special Dedication Week to our Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck

This week is celebrated as Special Dedication Week to His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo on His 60th birth anniversary in Bhutan. Every day—for a whole week—we have different messages and programs. That's right, seven full days of non-stop royal appreciation. My calendar is full, and my heart is fuller. We light butter lamps for the king—arranged on a small altar in front of the assembly ground. The smell of burning butter fills the morning air. We sing Zhabten, a special prayer for long life. Many student speakers have spoken about the Fourth King during morning assembly. There have also been quiz questions based on the king's life. (I scored three out of ten. Don't tell anyone.)

We solemnize this week to our living legacy. We express and show our gratitude, honor, homage, accolade, commendation, felicitation, wishes, pledges, gratefulness, thankfulness, appreciation, and greetings. We pay tribute, and we pray for his happy and long life. To honor the occasion, I recounted a short fact about the Fourth Druk Gyalpo during one of my weekly duties as Teacher on Duty. The students listen earnestly. I call that a win.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck was born at Dechencholing Palace, Thimphu, on 11 November 1955, to the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck and Her Majesty Queen Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck. That makes him a Scorpio. But more importantly, a king.

The mantle of leadership—when Bhutan was at a crossroads both domestically and internationally—fell on him on June 2, 1974, when he became the king of Bhutan at the age of 18. While most 18-year-olds are worrying about exams and pimples, he was worrying about a nation. Talk about pressure.

He married four queens: Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck, Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, and Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck—all daughters of Yab Ugyen Dorji and Yum Thuji Zam. One wedding is stressful. Four? That's either bravery or very good planning.

He brought many landmark developments: the construction of the Chukha Hydropower Project, road networks (so we no longer had to ride yaks to the hospital), decentralization of administrations, opening to tourism (hello, foreign dollars), and membership in many organizations like WHO, UNESCO, the World Bank, IMF, and SAARC. He also established RIM in Bhutan and the Gewog Yargay Tshochung. In short, he kept us busy—in a good way.

During his reign, he firmly established our status as an independent, sovereign nation. No small feat when you're sandwiched between two giants. He also expanded diplomatic relations with many foreign countries. His Majesty's foreign policy deepened Bhutan's relations with many nations, especially India. Bhutan also received many high-level foreign visitors, including various Prime Ministers of India; Yasser Arafat; Prince Naruhito of Japan; King Birendra of Nepal; Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh; I.K. Gujral; and Prince Charles of Wales, to name a few. Our guesthouse must have been very busy.

The country overcame the militancy of the southern rebels in the 1990s. His Majesty led the "Operation Flush Out" team against ULFA, KLO, and NDFB militants. The well-armed militants from Assam and Bengal had illegally entered the jungles of southern Bhutan and camped in some 30 locations while carrying out attacks back in Assam and Bengal. Our King personally headed the military operation and flushed them out in three days. Three days. That's faster than I can clean my living room. He turned a potential security threat into a history lesson.

The Fourth Druk Gyalpo also drafted the Constitution of Bhutan with his people, providing the legal framework for a democratic political system for Bhutan. The drafting of the Constitution is an exemplary stride toward democracy. In many countries, changes in the system of government were brought externally through revolution and public strife—usually involving angry mobs and flying furniture. However, the Bhutanese are fortunate since the change came as a gift to the people of Bhutan from the Throne. The Constitution was offered to the people at a time when the country enjoyed unparalleled peace and stability, with total harmony and unshakable fidelity between the King and the people. Show me another country that got democracy as a present. I'll wait.

 

The Fourth King abdicated the throne for the people in 2006 in favor of his son, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He stepped down so his son could step up. 

A larger-than-life figure, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck is a national hero of different historic dimensions and aspects of national status and life. His Majesty the Fourth King is the creator of GNH (Gross National Happiness) and the Father of the Nation. He literally invented happiness as a policy. 

I also recited a short oath to our king, which I wrote very recently:

Our joy ring, we sing

Long may our land be bright

With freedom's holy light

Great God, our king.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck

United, peace and spring of development brought

Thank you.

Long live our beloved king.

May His Majesty enjoy many years of happiness, and may the flag of Pelden Drukpa continue to flutter high under the reign of his son, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Long live the Fourth Druk Gyalpo! Palden Drukpa Gyelo!

Not only me, but our students also read so many beautiful messages and tributes to our king. One of these messages is written below. It was read out by Mr. Dawa Thsering of Class V B. I wrote this piece for him. (Yes, I helped. But he delivered it like a champ.)

My King: The Jewel of Our Country

My king, my country's king. He is helpful to all the people. He worries about his country—probably more than I worry about my phone battery. He makes good decisions to help people when any problem comes.

I am glad to have a smart and brave king. He guides our small nation with great love and affection. He is guiding us to the realms of modernity without sacrificing our great traditions. He is our guardian. (And he doesn't even charge rent.)

My king is like my parent. He is very popular everywhere. He has built many schools and hospitals, roads, electricity, and so much more for his people. Basically, everything except a machine that grades papers. But we forgive him.

I have my poem here for you, Your Majesty.

You are the bud of love

And country's king

You are so special

You are the king of many great hearts

And jewel of our country.

And with that, we bow, we smile, and we light one more butter lamp. Long live the kings—all of them.

His Majesty Visits

On October 17, 2015, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited Darla Gewog. It was a historic moment—never before had a king set foot in Darla. The audience took place at the Rinchentse Helipad, and for the people there, it was nothing short of unforgettable.

His Majesty had originally planned to visit our school. But due to a busy schedule, the King and His entourage arrived very late in the evening. Instead of hosting Him at the school, we were asked to go down to Rinchentse. So we walked in a line for nearly three kilometers before being picked up by buses along the way. Our school, unfortunately, missed the Royal visit—despite a week of splendid and pompous preparations. We had polished everything. The floors were shining. The students were rehearsed.

But anyway, we were still extremely lucky to have an audience with His Majesty at Rinchentse, alongside the public of Darla and neighboring villages. Thousands of people had gathered on the ground. Some had reportedly arrived as early as 5 a.m.—which, in Bhutanese time, is basically the middle of the night. The audience was graced by His Majesty's presence at 5 p.m. He gave a royal speech, expressing how happy He was to be with the people. He also spoke about being good citizens and taking care of children—sons and daughters alike. No pressure, parents.

His Majesty also served tokha to the people, and everyone received a booklet containing a Coronation coin. (Yes, a coin. Not spendable. But far more valuable.) The event also featured dances performed by the public of Darla and students of Darla Middle Secondary School. And to keep the mood light, Bhutanese comedians Gyem Tshering and Gyam Dorji cracked joke after joke—witty, loud, and thoroughly enjoyable. There was much mirth and joy. People laughed until their stomachs hurt.

As the crowd dispersed, everyone walked away smiling—clutching a beautiful portrait of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen. Some probably framed theirs the very next day. So yes, the King didn't visit our school. But for one evening, Darla became the center of the universe. And we were there.