The weather at this time of the year is unforgiving, but every evening, as I walk home, I see her walking home with a bag or two on her back, among a group of school children. But don't mistake her for an old woman going to school. It is but a burden of old age. Old age is the best time for prayers some say, but Abi Wangdi does not enjoy that kind of luxury for she has to drop her two grandchildren to school and pick them up in the evening.
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...
The pictures are disturbing for my soul. She may be doing it for the love of her grandchildren but the heavy load and the thick clothes in pling at this time of the year may not be her fav. She may want to sit under the shade of some tree near the Zangdopelri with other old folks praying... we often forget that our parents are not our babysitters, they have babysitted us and given us this comfortable life...now it's the time for us to grannysit them...
ReplyDeletePS: remove second, third and the fifth pictures...
Yeah PaSsu. I was disturbed myself and it took me sometime to ask her. Old people have had their share of work, as you have said it. But the reality is far bigger than the expectations. There is no happiness when old people have no time for prayers.
ReplyDeleteThanks PaSsu, I have removed those pictures you have asked me to successfully.