It happened again almost at the same time it happened last year in eastern Bhutan....is it a mere coincidence or some sort of cycle has developed?, we never know.!!!
After busy and tiring Sunday (September 18, 2011), I was lying by the side of Bukhari (Improved wooden stove to warm room:- Swiss Technology) reading "The Heart Of The Buddha" by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpochhe, when I heard the strange sound of rattling ceiling of the 40 years old Swiss built house in Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, Bhutan. My wife was preparing evening green tea and my daughter was watching a television program.
The violent shaking of our house shook my wife and made her nervous which made her to shout our names out. I tried to control the situation and stayed calm, but the subsequent shaking which continued even after we vacated our house and the simultaneous rattling sound of the Institute's entrance gate and violent shaking of the electric pole by the side of our house plucked my calmness and threw me in the world of nervousness too. Expecting the after-shock we remained ourselves outside the house facing the chilling temperature of Lamai Goempa for another half an hour. Right after experiencing the strongest quake in my life time, we made desperate attempt to call our families and relatives to inquire about their well being and to inform about our own safety-ness. Even the B-mobile services failed to cooperate with us during the situation.
Our neighbour has an elderly women. She was shouting at the top of her voice in the house, we had to call her outside in-case the house fails to stand strong. When I tried to figure out what she was shouting I was taken aback. She was shouting in Sharchop-kha (Dialect spoken by Eastern Bhutanese), Se-Wa-Na (We have known), Yong-Khe-Wa-Na (We are afraid of you). After she subsided her emotions, I asked her why she was shouting all these, and this is what she answers, "Our forefathers told us to speak out such words of nervousness during earthquake to please the deity who shakes earth in order to stop earthquake and prevent destruction. According to forefathers, a deity hold our earth by his mouth, hand and leg and when-ever he is not happy with the people and whenever their is pollutions or any wrong doings, the deity out of anger shakes the earth". I was stunned with her answer and thought for a while. I guess it was the most amazing answer I got so far.
As a child I have seen my grand parents shouting Naka, Naka (earthquake) during the whole process of earth shaking. They would stay in the house hitting mortar with pestle simultaneously shouting Naka, Naka....instead of rushing out of the house. Such indigenous practices are always skeptic, but we should also remember that our forefathers have faced similar situation with similar practices. It may look in-sane but if we take time and think over it carefully, there might be some interesting scientific relations. One may be to discourage pollution activities; we never know. Such practices are popularly known now a days by the term Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
According to the Geography class I attended during my high schooling days, earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates and when ever the plates collide. Seismologist would know the exact location of where the earthquake would strike but no one would be able to predict when it might come. The early warning system has the capability of predicting earthquake only seconds before it strike. One of the most advanced countries prepared to face earthquake is Japan. Even Japan failed to predict the quake and tsunami which claimed lots of lives.
If we take time to think properly, it is not the natural disaster which is harmful to human beings, it is the man made structure which is killing when disaster strikes. For instance, during earthquake, the buildings and bridges collapse, the gas pipes and radiations tank ruptures which ultimately proves hazardous and is responsible for taking lots of lives.
Thus, I would like to question here, is it the natural disaster or the man made structure and facilities that is responsible for taking people's lives?
After busy and tiring Sunday (September 18, 2011), I was lying by the side of Bukhari (Improved wooden stove to warm room:- Swiss Technology) reading "The Heart Of The Buddha" by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpochhe, when I heard the strange sound of rattling ceiling of the 40 years old Swiss built house in Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, Bhutan. My wife was preparing evening green tea and my daughter was watching a television program.
The violent shaking of our house shook my wife and made her nervous which made her to shout our names out. I tried to control the situation and stayed calm, but the subsequent shaking which continued even after we vacated our house and the simultaneous rattling sound of the Institute's entrance gate and violent shaking of the electric pole by the side of our house plucked my calmness and threw me in the world of nervousness too. Expecting the after-shock we remained ourselves outside the house facing the chilling temperature of Lamai Goempa for another half an hour. Right after experiencing the strongest quake in my life time, we made desperate attempt to call our families and relatives to inquire about their well being and to inform about our own safety-ness. Even the B-mobile services failed to cooperate with us during the situation.
Our neighbour has an elderly women. She was shouting at the top of her voice in the house, we had to call her outside in-case the house fails to stand strong. When I tried to figure out what she was shouting I was taken aback. She was shouting in Sharchop-kha (Dialect spoken by Eastern Bhutanese), Se-Wa-Na (We have known), Yong-Khe-Wa-Na (We are afraid of you). After she subsided her emotions, I asked her why she was shouting all these, and this is what she answers, "Our forefathers told us to speak out such words of nervousness during earthquake to please the deity who shakes earth in order to stop earthquake and prevent destruction. According to forefathers, a deity hold our earth by his mouth, hand and leg and when-ever he is not happy with the people and whenever their is pollutions or any wrong doings, the deity out of anger shakes the earth". I was stunned with her answer and thought for a while. I guess it was the most amazing answer I got so far.
As a child I have seen my grand parents shouting Naka, Naka (earthquake) during the whole process of earth shaking. They would stay in the house hitting mortar with pestle simultaneously shouting Naka, Naka....instead of rushing out of the house. Such indigenous practices are always skeptic, but we should also remember that our forefathers have faced similar situation with similar practices. It may look in-sane but if we take time and think over it carefully, there might be some interesting scientific relations. One may be to discourage pollution activities; we never know. Such practices are popularly known now a days by the term Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
According to the Geography class I attended during my high schooling days, earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates and when ever the plates collide. Seismologist would know the exact location of where the earthquake would strike but no one would be able to predict when it might come. The early warning system has the capability of predicting earthquake only seconds before it strike. One of the most advanced countries prepared to face earthquake is Japan. Even Japan failed to predict the quake and tsunami which claimed lots of lives.
If we take time to think properly, it is not the natural disaster which is harmful to human beings, it is the man made structure which is killing when disaster strikes. For instance, during earthquake, the buildings and bridges collapse, the gas pipes and radiations tank ruptures which ultimately proves hazardous and is responsible for taking lots of lives.
Thus, I would like to question here, is it the natural disaster or the man made structure and facilities that is responsible for taking people's lives?
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