A War of Non-Violence

Ants are wonderful animals. When I was kid, I used to watch them carry load much bigger than their bodies and disappear into the ant holes. They work as a team and help each other. Asides from bees, ants have amazing humanlike instincts. Today Phuentsholing is next to Sahara in terms of heat. And ants are invading our kitchens, living-rooms, bathrooms and even the bedrooms. An ant first appeared and slowly more and more joined the mission. Initially, they respected my bed and chose to march a few meters away from my bed instead. But now their tactics have changed.

Last night the leader of the ants must have called a meeting and decided to invade even my bed and the mattress. The war zone is increased. And this morning, I wake up to the sight of so many tiny ant soldiers. The war is on. I don’t know what to do and I am worried I might lose the war just as the mighty elephant lost long, long ago.

They are so tiny, I cannot even handhold them and lead them away from my house non-violently. When Gandhiji employed his strategy of non-violence, you see British were a big and powerful force, but my enemies on the other side are tiny, yet equally powerful. I tried every means to drive them away without hurting them, but none prevailed so far.

Some friends mocked saying if I keep my room clean, theses ants won’t find entrance in the first place. I don’t know about that. My house is not dirty for that matter. Now I am worried some of them would lose their lives much against my wishes. But for now, I stand on guard to preserve my privacy.

And time is ready to fight back. But I am helpless. I don’t want to hurt them by any means. I like them, but I feel uneasy having them in my house. I only wish and pray that the leader of the ants does not decree his soldiers to invade my clothes and especially undergarments. I am afraid to imagine ant nests all over my house, in every household utensil, toiletries and culinary items.

Comments

An endemic sense of place

A sense of place is a feeling that makes one feel at home and thereby at peace whenever he or she is in a particular area or think of one. It is the first impression or a deep sense of recognition that is deeply rooted in our memories. It is a feeling of happiness, and a sense of safety, an expression of endearment toward a particula r place (Cross 2001). Before I travelled to Perth for my studies, I used to work in Thimphu, though I was born and raised in a small village called Wamling in central Bhutan. Although Thimphu offers modern facilities and infrastructure, it is only back in the village that I feel entirely at home. It's here I get a sense of peace and experience a sense of belongingness; it's where I can genuinely be myself. In Wamling, our day breaks with a crowing of a rooster and mooing of cows in the distance. Somewhere a horse neighs, and another reciprocates from nearby. A dog howls and chickens chuckle in the coup. A stream gurgles down the hill turning p...

Utpal Academy - Bhutan's first All-girls High School

Academic Block Welcome to Bhutan’s first all-girls school. Isn’t that wonderful news to all our parents? Certainly, as a parent of a one-year old daughter I am excited about the coming of a school exclusively dedicated to the needs of girls. Our girls need special treatment, which we can for sure entrust the responsibility to Utal Academy, Paro. Dinning Hall I really like the name – Utpal – in Buddhist world, Utpal is another name for lotus flower, which is believed to grow from mud and yet blossoms into a beautiful and majestic flower. It stands for purity and many deities are depicted holding flower Utpal, more prominently Jestusn Dolma, the Goddess Tara. Symbolically, it also stands for the transformation of our girls. What an apt name for the school! Hostel Room The Principal’s message posted on the academy’s website promises providing our young women an “opportunity to participate fully in a wide range of extracurricular activities to develop skills and qualities that...

When they are ready

The Ministry of Education discovered 890 'underage' children admitted in schools across the country in 2019. Thus, the ministry in May 2019 issued a notification revoking the admission for these children. Majority were in urban centres. Desperate, parents and the affected schools requested the government to intervene. They also requested the government to consider lowering the enrolment age to five years. Currently, in Bhutan a child can legally go to school only when s(he) is six years old. And that policy was strictly followed a few years ago to the extent that some schools refused to admit children even if they were short of a few weeks. So, parents, mostly in urban areas, resorted to faking their children's ages. Many parents were guilty of adding years onto their children's actual ages. However, most parents, we are told, managed to correct their 'mistakes' later. Faking a child's age was rampant...

Nawang P Phuntsho

Search This Blog