Chhimi Dema 

A book launched on November 27 during the Bhutan Echoes programme under the Drukyul’s Literature Festival, is expected to teach children about impermanence.

Titled “Just the Way It Is”, the book is a tale of a boy understanding impermanence through the death of his grandfather.

In 14 pages, the book captured the warmth of parents’ affection, contentment in accepting life as it is, and inevitable life changes.

The author, Karma Tsering, 44, from Haa wrote five children’s books. “The recent book was influenced by changes the pandemic caused. The pandemic hit and everything changed. It makes you realise that not everything is a fairy tale. Things can and do change and then you have to learn to deal with them.”

She said that one of the reasons she wrote the book was to assert that the person who left always stays with you.




Her first book, “The Gift”, was published in 2018. Her books, “The Right Thing”, and “Kado Goes to the Tshechu” and “The Gift” featured in the Sejong Book Exhibition in South Korea this month.

“The Gift” has also been translated into Thai.

Karma Tsering said that she writes children’s literature because stories that children read when they are young stay with them throughout their lives. “If you tell stories to children through a book, you can share values.”

She also said the other reason for writing children’s books was to share Bhutanese stories. “We grew up reading fairy tales from other countries. I thought it would be nice to share our stories.”

The book has colourful illustrations from Ugyen Dorji, an illustrator based in Thimphu, which blends perfectly with the mood of the book and gives life to the story.

The Drukyul’s Literature Festival launched Bhutan Echoes, a year-round initiative to nurture a literary culture in Bhutan through a range of digital and in-person programmes and projects.

Edited by Tashi Dema