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Showing posts from September, 2010

Not to the sound of clashing cymbals

What a show! Finally, it came to an end with the crowning of second Miss Bhutan. I would like to congratulate all the winners and other contestants for having had the wonderful moments of their lives. But what captivated me the most was the moment when the Miss Bhutan 2010 Pageant Finale started at Nazhoen Pelri yesterday. This made me wonder if I was dreaming because I thought Thimphu Tshechu has already ended by then. But the dance by some odd musical troupe at the show featured a group of men wearing masks dance alongside a group of beautiful dancers to the tune of a song played aloud on the loud speakers instead of dancing with their feet in complete sync with the clashing sounds of cymbals at the tshechu ground. It was truly out of place. People watching the show, especially if they have watched it closely would have felt embarrassment warming their cheeks. I clearly felt embarrassment biting into me.   So much for the preservation of our culture and tradition! I heard m...

Tourists and star rated hotels: Welcome to Bhutan

Photo:Zhiwaling Hotel Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) has announced the hotel ratings ( Business Bhutan ) where 8 hotels were rated five stars, 6 were rated four and 20 fall in three stars category. And we are given to understand as per the government’s rule only those hotels that have three star ratings and above can host tourists. Going by this calculation, only 34 hotels in the country can rightfully host tourists. Isn’t it something? Of course TCB says 65 two stars rated and 20 one star rated hotels can upgrade themselves to higher ratings within one year and 2 years respectively. Our government is trying to bring in 100,000 odd tourists by 2012 and its 2010 annual target is 35,000 tourists. We can already see these stars-rated hotels getting busier by the day. And thousands of small hotels will hardly benefit from the increased number of tourists. All these again point to rich folks making bigger bucks. I don’t have the credentials and expertise to criticize the policy. But th...

BOB welcomes its new CEO

The other day, (31 st August, 2010) Bank of Bhutan formally welcomed Mr. Passang Tshering as its new Chief Executive Officer with the offering of Tashi khadar by employees in Phuentsholing. His appointment comes after the former CEO, Mr. Kinga Tshering was appointed as the Project Director for Education City. Mr. Passang started his career in the bank in 1977 and has served in various portfolios. Before his appointment as the new CEO, he was serving as the DMD of Corporate Service Department (the largest department in the bank). He is a man of large banking experience, aptly qualified for the new job; a proud product of BOB. Of course many challenges remain ahead of him and the bank in general. But all the employees are fully confident that he will definitely leave his footprints in the history of the bank. We would like to congratulate him for his new job and wish all the best in his new venture as the new CEO of the bank. To this effect, BOB requested BBS bureau office in Phuent...