Tuesday, August 16, 2016

My Babies

Pema Tashi and Pema Nidup....brothers!!

Am i the one here?

A smile that would cost million dollars

Nipping the nipple


You are so precious and sweet,
you have come into our lives
You are a gift of life
you added new meanings
To the wonder and mystery of life.
The giver of joy
The world's sweetest miracle,
Baby boy, is you.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Bhutanese Films and Theaters



Bhutanese people take pride in three names - religion, culture, and traditional, and these are all associated. These also often come to the rescue of our identity and nationalism to the outside world, or when any intellectual debate happens outside.

Being a proud real Bhutanese, I wanted my youth to absorb as much of Bhutanese in them, but as they would have it, only a few of the youth now shows interest in religion, culture and tradition.

However, I, myself being a subservient son of Bhutan have its own perils. When I was a thirteen-year-old kid, I watched GasaLamay Singye with my friends. It was Bhutan’s first movie. To be or not, it was not about religion, culture, or tradition, but human bonds- a love triangle. There were little quarrels and fights, dishoom-dishoom and songs. The movie moved some of us to be like heroes and it entered inside our juvenile brains. It was no traditional-cultural film, I remember.

Today, when I look back at those days, a sense of nostalgia takes over. I can reflect on the flicks of that movie. It was in fact, the emerging of movie-making in the country. I am not a Bhutanese movie buff now. I watched GasaLamay Singye as there was no TV at those times. Now, I am the type of ‘Woods;’ just like many of us - Hollywood and Bollywood. I have watched about seven Bhutanese movies so far. And I find Bhutanese movies a little un-Bhutanese, a little tactless, amateurish, sluggish, and predictable. All copycat. Bollywood from Hollywood, Hollywood from Bollywood, and other ‘woods’ and then to Bhutanwood or ‘Drukpawood.’ Our Drukpawood is the mixture-Masala of all Woods. Thinking it would become delicious Emadatshi. And thinking of these testy Emadatshi, that our ‘Drukpawood’ could also match the international level, we copy. But otherwise, it’s the commonly tasted ones. Our Dzongkha is becoming ‘Dzonglish.’ Anyway, let’s think over this; Fiji, a smaller country than Bhutan produces the world’s best movies.

Most of our movies do not depict the story of our rich history of our country- its rich historical background and tradition. We had so many Penlops, Deps, legends, myths, and folktales could be made into very good films. For example, the legend of Ling Gesar Ghyap, Zhabdrung, and his Dzongs, etc, could be made into beautiful movies. But nowadays, we live in the floating world, so we see in the movies flashy cars, immaculate houses, decked up ladies in tatters, fancy mood lighting, all these flesh and bones, and difficult to understand what and why are they portrayed.

Bhutanese movies are very much threaded in misery and weepy kind of life with little sparkling moments of joy that bring a smile to the viewer's face. The scene in which Phurba Thinley tries to behave like a woman gives little guffaws or the westernized musical party where the kids gather, dance, and sing a Nga Chelu Ga, Che NgaLu Ga or ting-a-ling-ling-song. Otherwise, there is no striking moment in the movie. The scene in where Singlam and Galam go to see their old ruined house and breaks apart, or cruel mother-in-law, Aum Lamo crouches the head of a hero’s girlfriend and thrashes on the wall, or the scene of heroes running through sometimes in poverty and dejections (and it usually happens because of the lady he loves... gripping lives... and then, they understand each other-their heart, they become together and start a new life, which will be a success within a minute, and there is little connections). The films, most of the time tighten the knots showing brutal and faithless life, making audiences, especially Bhutanese women considering their life like film.

Aristotle truly said that films must excite, startle, thrill, and shake viewers. Its effects cannot be produced by a play that is lacking in conflict. The conflict in the movie may be between human beings pulling in different directions, between a character and the environment in which he finds himself or the society in which he is a member. Movies must generally represent human sufferings, which raises pity and fear among audiences and make audiences decide that the film is a great one in its tragic appeal. The misfortune of the film should be simple and straight- forward, but sublime and universal in its penetrative appeal.

A good film as per my judgment should represent human suffering, have fear and pity, embellished language, and have emotional/cathartic appeal, and of all, it should educate, entertain and inform. There are two views on the tragic vision of life. One is that man is the plaything of inscrutable power called fate and another is that character is responsible for the tragic end. In Greek tragedies, the tragic fate for the heroes is predetermined. Oedipus and Antigone become obstinate and tyrannical. Their tragedy is due to their overconfidence in their respective attitudes.

Films though, portrayed antinomies of our lives, a majority of our viewers take it as reality. Because of this, the films should touch on various themes and issues, and, not only love failures that dominate most of our Bhutanese films, the films must represent history, contemporary Bhutanese society, roles, changing relationship and educate about the moral of faith and believing.

Moviemakers cannot retell the story of GasaLamay Singye again and again. Bhutan has a rich, different and diverse history. We have so many untold stories. Our people are rich, each one of us has many things to share. Every stone, every tree, every valley, every hill, every mountain, every village has a story to tell. There is Galem and Singye in every hamlet, there is Amrish Puri, Phurba Thinley in every hamlet. There are unsung heroes. We are not short of the story. But we are short of audience.

Many Bhutanese movies have been said to have run in lost. The question? Why do most Bhutanese movies run in lost? Why is Bhutan not successful with our Drukpawood? Why Bhutanese are not skilled with better movies production? What is lacking in our entertainment?

I think we are not devoid of the market or audience and people like to watch, but we are devoid of good places to be screened. Our villagers are hungry for Bhutanese movies.

Therefore, in order to reach Bhutanese movies for our hungry audience, we must have good distribution in place and good entertainment place especially halls or theaters. Good halls with good sitting arrangement, good sound systems, etc.  It would also serve as a meeting place for local people. Local people, because the good halls should be actually in every Gewog or if possible in every Chiwog. Building good theatre infrastructures and providing better and efficient facilities for the audience can profit movie makers and change the quality of movies.

In this way we can promote our own films/Drukpawood, and promote our own shows, etc, educating our own type of traditions. Not only that, we would be creating so many jobs opportunities in this industry. And at the same time generate lots of money. We would have fewer drugs users and crimes as a whole because it helps to engage them and give them a second thought.

Our neighbor India has very strong and prosperous films industry because almost all-little towns have very good cinema halls.

Bhutan has not many good halls; we have in Thimphu, Phuntsholing, Samdrup Jongkha and Gelephug. But these theaters are not really theaters, they are simple halls.  All these halls lack a good sound system, the technicalities of sound and such. And the size and cleanliness of halls could put them in grade-G.

I hope our government will look upon this matter and come up with good theaters. I am ready to contribute a small amount to build good theaters in our country.




Thursday, July 28, 2016

Transformative Pedagogy -- 2016


Most employees want the same things: a fair and competitive salary, hikes and promotions, and normal TA/DA, to foster greater employee engagement and a sense of satisfaction in jobs.
Monetary benefits consistently top the list of what employees would give them greater gratification. Provide these benefits, and one could see a more positive culture, more engaged employees, and a more loyal and productive workforce.

The education ministry has been working on developing the skills of teachers and increasing their happiness. “A teacher is the heart of school and education,” education minister Norbu Wangchuk said. With his vision and a good plan, teachers in Bhutan got to attain the training for five days in the various centers in Bhutan.  Though the time of the workshop is (for some teachers) was during their summer break, it was mostly at the beginning of the second semester of the year. The centers for workshops were properly planned, to get entitlement or TA DA, teachers were sent a little far away from their school. For example, teachers of Darla MSS were sent to Phuntsholing and Chukha and likewise, Chukha schools were sent to Gedu. It was truly heartwarming to have arranged in that way, and many teachers were thankful for it. For that, all teachers were entitled to all kinds of benefits. If not, it could be otherwise, if it was to be steered by bad hands.

It was clearly announced and published in the newspapers how much budget that our new education minister had invested for teachers. “In order to develop the capacities of teachers, Nu 116.8 million (M) has been allocated this year from just around Nu 8M last year. The ministry in 2016 will initiate a new pedagogy training for around 9,000 teachers across the country.” (Kuensel, Investing to better teachers, June 6, 2016). We know teachers don’t get any benefits like traveling allowances. Entitlement of equal TA/DA and Mileage will boost the efficiency and productivity of the civil servants in Bhutan, thereby the overall performance of the country’s economy will be benefited. Further, this will also increase the level of confidence, competence, ethics and integrity across civil servants. Moreover, this might indirectly decrease the level of corruption and improve the accountability of the civil servants in the long run. I particularly thank Lyonpo Norbu Wangchuck for his good initiative and it will definitely boost teachers.

During the pieces of training, we were given sumptuous lunch and refreshments. Looking at the nature of all the other workshops or training in the country I didn't expect this to work in the beginning. But I assure it will work.

But by the end of the workshop, we felt a certain sense of satisfaction. We learned some new skills and knowledge. We learned how to apply cooperative learning structures and active learning strategies. And I don’t want to write that literature here as we got our detailed handouts.


Sunday, June 26, 2016

Keeping the young safe from alcohol

My article published in kuensel. Check this link: http://www.kuenselonline.com/keeping-the-young-safe-from-alcohol/

Alcohol is one of the most used and misused drugs known to men. It has now become a major social issue in many countries. It is as though alcohol is strangling societies gradually.

Alcohol has disastrous effects on consumer’s health, career and family.

In Bhutan, the reason alcohol is misused is because it is widely accepted in society. People drink to be sociable. Many restaurants and shops offer alcohol. Bars and pubs are everywhere. Alcohol is usually included at celebrations or family and social gatherings. For example, we cannot do away with alcohol items during any kind of rimdro.

Bhutanese pick up drinking habits early on. And as they grow, the habit becomes stronger and often difficult to tackle. Children copy their parents and elders and drink openly. By and by, casual drinkers become serious alcoholics. They become helplessly dependent. Alcohol then becomes a friend indeed. One needs it in times of sadness and sorrow, in times of happiness and jubilation. Alcohol is a vital element during celebrations.

But the cost of consuming too much alcohol is huge, both on the person who consumes and on the state. In Bhutan, where health services are free, it is a heavy burden on the government coffer.

Alcohol is already the major killer in the country. How we can wean away habitual drinkers from alcohol is the major challenge facing the country today.

Besides damaging the liver, alcohol affects the brain, heart, kidneys, and digestive system. It is also a leading cause of cancer. To reduce deaths related to alcohol consumption and to minimize the burden on the country’s health system, therefore, there is a serious need to come up with innovative and effective ways to address alcoholism and social acceptance. It is a challenge to teach moderation. How successfully do we do that?

Consuming a moderate amount of alcohol is indeed good. It helps bring your HDL level up, which helps protects your heart against diseases. It can also lower the risk of developing diabetes by increasing your insulin sensitivity. It can also raise ‘good cholesterol levels. Our problem, though, is that we do not know how to consume. Perhaps, we should start from here, with strong education and advocacy.

Bhutan has tried various methods to address the problem of excessive consumption of alcohol. What is important is that ways and means ought to be practical and true to the purpose. Banning alcohol imports did not help. It never will help. Raising alcohol prices won’t help. In fact, this could have a more detrimental effect on society, considering that habitual drinkers will anyway find a way to drink.

But the real problem is when young people increasingly take to alcohol. This could, in the long run, have serious implications for the health and economy of the country. It is because of this that we need to address this growing societal problem urgently. It is not the responsibility of one ministry alone to wean our young people away from alcohol. As citizens, there is an urgent need to put in concerted effort to educate our people about the harmful effect of excessive consumption of alcohol. Our methods need to change. We need to adopt innovative and effective measures.

As a result of alcohol abuse, children and family members often have to grapple with domestic issues. This leads to a series of problems in the lives of many people. Alcohol consumption and depression is today the leading cause of suicide. What is alarming is that the issue of alcoholism is growing in the urban centers rather than in the rural pockets of the country where it is traditionally accepted. That’s why, to put it mildly, urban families are increasingly becoming fragmented, affecting everyone in society.

It is no more surprising to find youth drinking in bars, throwing invective words. This is a worrying sign of failure. Who do we blame when a child goes off the way? What do we say when parents themselves are alcoholics and do not care about the future of their children? Do we blame education, or do we hold bar owners responsible?

Schools and teachers have played their part. They can only do so much. The blame lies entirely with parents. Bring up your children responsibly. Real education begins from here.