Expression from an Idiot by birth:

Banner of the Event I received a call on 2nd August 2014 from the organizers if I shall be interested to join the second day of Youth Volunteer Walk. I didn't have a slightest idea of what it is all about, but, whatever said and done i said to myself- "let me join the group and find out what it is all about". So, i started my journey towards Dungmithang (approximately 11 kilometers from Chamkhar-Bumthang) to join the group.  The Youth Volunteer walk was initiated by the Ura Middle Secondary School in Ura, Bumthang on 1st and 2nd August 2014. About 100 students, teachers, police personals and others joined the walk from Ura on the 1st of August. Ura is about 50 kilometers from Chamkhar, Bumthang. The group spent a night at Dungmithang-Bumthang, from where I had an opportunity to take part on the second day of the program.  It was not just a 'walk' but along with the walk the group made awareness on garbage, proper hand washing techniques, better democ...

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 Cong...

It was January, 2012 and 8.00 PM. Hodgson's Flying Squirrel licking something on Asphalt road. I was on my way to Gelephu from Bumthang. I was pretty tired driving nearly 280 kilometers in the geography of never ending winding and narrow roads of country, Beautiful Bhutan, the safe heaven for diverse flora and fauna. I have also lost incredible elevation while driving from Bumthang to Gelephu. Bumthang is at an elevation of approximately 2800 meters and Gelephu at 300 meters above sea level, whenever one passes through such a diverse ecological zones within short period of time, it is natural to feel excited experiencing the sudden shift in the environment and biodiversity. Before it disappeared in the dark After driving for nearly 9 hours my back started not to cooperate with me, making me to rest and drive diverting nearly fifty percent of my attention to my back pain. I crossed a place called Jigmechholing (600 mtrs) still complaining and not happy with my back pain. It...

Come 17 th November, 2011, two of my professors from the University of Montana, the USA will be in Paro, Bhutan. Their visit to Bhutan this time is in continuation to the grant that we received for my masters degree study. This time the hike would be very important for me as the data I would collect during this hike would probably serve as a baseline date for my doctoral study, which is why I am definitely excited about the hike. Professors will be in Thimphu for quite some time attending the International Climate Summit that the Institute (Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment) is organizing (14 th -19 th November, 2011). My professors and I hiked in some interesting places in Bhutan. We hiked from Drugyel in Paro to Damji in Gasa and Tongtophy in Trongsa to Reutala in Zhemgang via Jangbi, Phromzor, Kuda, Nabji, Korphu and Nimshong in 2008. In 2010 we hiked from Nashiphel in Bumthang till Chajeyna (4700 masl) and back. The entire hikes were not just for fun ...

Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one’s way of living happily blending with the environment where one lives. Buddhism encourages living a simple life and shying away from materialism. It is said that, the more wealth one possesses, we shed more happiness. I think it may be true to a greater extent. For example, if we own a kilogram of gold, diamond etc., most of our time and peace of mind will be disturbed for the fear of getting it stolen from the lockers or losing it. Che-nga-la and Chu-dru-la in Chamkhar Bumthang. Bumthang, the place known in Bhutan for its spiritual habitat has two brothers named as Che-nga-la and Chu-dru-la, which directly translates in English to be Fifteen and Sixteen. I don’t know from where the peculiar name has been derived. They may be in their mid fifities. I still wrack my head and ask elderly people of the community to find out if their real name is what we address them or do they have another name? In m...

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 ...