Celebrations: When his cellphone rang in the middle of the night on Friday, Chumey gup, Tandin Phurba woke up wondering who would call him at such an odd hour. It was the dzongdag, at 3am from Bumthang.

“Gup, The Gyalsey was born last night,” dzongdag Phub Tshering revealed.

“It’s great news, dasho,” Tandin Phurba replied as the dzongdag continued with instructions.

The gup was asked to arrange a tokha (meal) in Yamthra for the public to celebrate The Gyalsey’s birth.

The gup immediately sauntered off to Yamthra to meet a villager, Jamphel who was instructed to handle the event. Yamthra is a village on the way to Chumey where Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen’s Yab, Dhondup Gyaltshen and Yum, Sonam Chuki have a residence. The celebration was to be held here.

When Tandin Phurba reached, Jampel’s place, the latter was already up.

“I offered butter lamps and prayers of good health of both Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen and The Gyalsey right away after I got the news,” Jampel said.

Back in Jakar by 7:30am officials led by dzongdag Phub Tshering and Jakar Lam, Tshewang Rinzin ventured to Thrumsingla where a ground-breaking ceremony for a choeten was to be held coinciding with the birth of The Gyalsey.

In Phurjoen village, Lhamo Dorji was still watching the news on television.

“They were announcing that The Gyalsey was born the previous night on February 5,” Lhamo Dorji said, who immediately rushed out to freshen up.

“Offering butter lamps, I prayed for the wellbeing of The Gyalsey and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen,” Lhamo Dorji said. “It is a happy day.”

Just then the village chipeon (messenger) informed the villagers to attend the celebration in Yamthra to mark the birth of The Gyalsey.

With the sun warming up the valley, over 300 people from different walks of life thronged Yamthra to mark the historic moment.

As tea and desi greeted every one, folk songs and dances accompanied the celebrations. And some expressed their joy.

Tsheten Delma from Yamthra said she felt relieved that Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen gave birth safely. “As a mother after having been through experience of childbirth, I was worried but all these fears are now allayed,” Tsheten Delma said.

When the salang tendrel had long wound up at Thrumsingla, the villagers in Yamthra were still fumbling for words.

“I am too emotional to be able to articulate the degree of happiness but I am so happy by the birth of The Gyalsey,” Leki Yangchen from Yamthra said.

“It must be such a rare occasion in people’s lives to be able to see three generations of Kings living in one era,” Jampel said.

Tempa Wangdi, Bumthang

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