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What have I learnt by being silent to blogging?

Writing has always been my weakness and I am sure that it is never going to take even gradual improvement let alone exponential improvement. However, I have a passion for reading and writing: probably helping me to certain extent in whatsoever ways it might be helping me. I have been not able to post any during the last many months, not because I didn't want to write any, nor because I m not interested to blog anymore. It is all because of the crazy life I have been through for the last one year and a half- it is because of the 14th International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) Congress. It is after I took over as the Chair of the organizing committee of the 14th ISE congress.

Congress Participants with HRH Ashi Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck
Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment (www.uwice.gov.bt) under the Department of Forests and Park Services organized the congress in collaboration to International Society of Ethnobiology (www.ethnobiology.net) 14th ISE Congress saw participants from all walks of life. There were 398 participants from 56 countries and 90 participants from Bhutan participating in the congress. Participants included all the way from Farmers to Policy makers, Students to Academicians and Scientists, Shamens to Doctors. Such a big event is first of its kind to be held in Bhutan not to mention Bumthang-Bhutan, where the congress was held from June 1-7, 2014. The congress witnessed 247 Scientific presentations, 98 posters, 14 films and musical interactions.

Handing Over Toka Toka
The congress came to Bhutan after one of my friends made a presentation during the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, Canada in 2010. Toka Toka (Walking stick of the founder of ISE, Darell Powsey), a ceremonial walking stick was then handed over to Bhutan by the organizers of the 13th ISE Congress in France in 2012.  Toka Toka is like an Olympic torch which moves around the globe. We made a contribution to Toka Toka by putting a metal band around the Toka Toka mentioning all the past congress venues and year. The Toka Toka is now handed over to the next congress organizer, Uganda, Deputy Minister of Uganda received Toka Toka from Dash Paljor J. Dorji, President of Bhutan Ecological Society and Advisor to National Environment Commission.

Organization of this congress taught me many important lessons which otherwise I would not have known. The most important thing I learnt is to trust people around you and working with you. I also learnt that one person cannot do everything thus "Distribution of Job" came handy. Single handedly facing all the troubles is very difficult thus, I believed in what someone rightly said "United we stand, Divided we fall". I also learnt the importance of talking less and listening more.

At the end, I also learnt that HARD WORK ALWAYS PAYS, COOPERATION ALWAYS WINS, TRUST MAKES WORK SMOOTHER, JOB DISTRIBUTION MAKES WORK LIGHTER. Thank you all for helping achieve this mammoth task in a way we all desired to happen.

Receiving a Gift from the Outgoing President of ISE, Dr. Jack Miller



One of the Scientific Presentaions
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