Nawang P Phuntsho

Of course there is the need to eat accompanied by the need to survive. Thank god, our forefathers and their forefathers decided to keep only three meals a day. I wonder what if they agreed upon some additional meals a day. And then there is the need to keep healthy. And here we have this notion that no meal is complete without meat. People can’t imagine organizing a party or any kind of celebration without meat items. This comes at the cost of hundreds of animals’ lives; cows and pigs and goats and chickens. And there is the need to live longer and happier, but at the cost of millions of other lives. Some meat connoisseurs claim their meals are tasteless and that they feel dizzy without having to consume meat in their meals. And then there is compassion – the defining quality that separates human lots from the animals – associated with Buddhist principles. As Buddhists, we condemn killing even an insect. But again, every day hundreds of animals lose their lives because of our insatiab...

I was told the Third Druk Gyalpo smiled for a while and remarked “you silly man” to my Uncle (now retired RBG) when he jokingly said to His Late Majesty that just like some days of Bhutanese calendar are repeated, some Sundays should be repeated. I really like his humor and guts to say it to the person none other than the Druk Gyalpo Himself. He may not have had any hidden agenda behind that joke, but I still marvel at his sarcasm. And the other day, the whole nation skipped a day, which means we are a day advance in future; thanks to Kuensel. I am not sure how many Bhutanese noticed it: