Nawang P Phuntsho

Losar issue  Losar is here again. And it is time for people to enjoy. Have fun. Eat and forget anything that troubles them. Those days Losar was considered the beginning of a New Year and was celebrated thus. But today, it no more feels like one for the educated lot living, working and raising family in towns and cities. They celebrate New Year on January 1. Of course the joy and celebration have not died down. People still consider it as a time to have fun and enjoy. For many Losar is just another public holiday. One Lopon at Sherubtse College thinks Bhutan’s Lunar New Year actually falls on the first day of the twelfth month on Bhutanese calendar. His justification is logical. We celebrate the day as the Traditional Day Offering. Some call it Sharchopa Losar. Stocking up for the dry month What amuses me though is our preparation for the day. Scores of pigs, bulls, are slaughtered to meet the rising demand. And from the eve of Losar, another holy month (th...

(Penstar photo) Taxi drivers are complaining again. This is nothing new, I think. But this time, I think they are far more rational than their authority. Of course we feel what RSTA is attempting to do by trying to implement a uniform taxi color is in the best interest of society. Well, I hope so. It is for uniformity. No doubt about that. And I think it would look so nice to have uniformly colored taxis plying on Bhutanese road reaching people to their destinations.   But taxi drivers don’t quite see it as simple as that. Bhutan is a highly superstitious society, meaning our every aspect of our life depends upon our astrological stars. Someone gives birth, astrologer is consulted; someone has to travel far, he consults his astrologer; someone marries, astrological divination is sought; likewise it is understood that even when someone buys a car, his/her kham has to match the color. I can’t explain it clearly here. So, it is disturbing to see such policies come i...

Picture: www.australianhimalayanfoundation.org.au The month of February is here once again. And it is time for children to go back to school. For some it is their first day at school. For others it is like going back to their second home. Some children would have just turned six years old this February. Some may have added a few additional years in their age so that they can attend school and start early. These are the children of some sensible parents, who think ahead of their friends and colleagues for they understand the importance of starting early. In Bhutan the accepted official enrollment age of children is maintained at six years. While some principals interpret the rule liberally or semi-liberally, there are others who follow the enrollment age policy like a holy scripture. The former category of principals relax the enrollment age a bit so that even a child who is a few months short of school going age is also admitted in the school. But the latter rejects a c...

Dough being kneaded at a restaurant (Penstar) Yesterday I had to accompany my wife to the hospital to remove her nails. My youngest brother accompanied us too. I don’t know somehow nails always cause problem to my family. Just like mine, my wife’s toenail tended to grow outward and started to enter her flesh. It was giving her an extreme pain. Anyways, while coming back, we felt like eating something. It was almost lunchtime. So, we stopped at a nearby restaurant. Having some ordered for some noodles, we had our tea. After that quick lunch, I dutifully returned to the office. One hour passed. Nothing happened. After another half an hour, my head started whirling and nausea feeling overcame me. I had to quickly rush to the bathroom.  And when I told my one of my colleagues about my illness, he suddenly asked me if I have eaten at a restaurant. When I said yes, he wanted to know which restaurant exactly. I named the location for I forgot the exact name of the restaura...

Here are some pictures I took in the previous year.