Dasho Nado Rinchhen first featured in my little universe back in my village school during a General Knowledge class when my elder brother, then a teacher in Dorokha Middle School, introduced the Director of Education in the country. 

Since then, Dasho Nado, as we fondly and respectfully called him, became synonymous with Bhutan’s education system in our collective memory even though he had moved on and occupied important positions in many other branches of the Royal Government which he served in various capacities for some six decades with exemplary dedication and integrity.

Through the long years, despite the vagaries of time and circumstances, one common thread has remained as strong and dear as the silken knot. Dasho knew my family closely and would often enquire after them whenever I met him. He was fond of my brother who he found dedicated and hard-working.

Dasho’s late elder brother was a good friend of my late father. I was Acho to his nephew, little Chitchu, in high school, and one of Dasho’s sons was my student in college. I knew slightly more about Dasho Nado during our Graduates’ Orientation Programme years later. Once I moved to Thimphu, I had more frequent opportunities to meet and learn from Dasho’s vast experience and wisdom.

At a time when young boys were literally conscripted into school, young Dasho Nado was registered for admission by default as his elder brother was away herding cattle. His innocent mother’s pleas to spare her son didn’t work. So, we had our pioneer in education, and beyond. 

As somebody who carried the history of the evolution of education in the country, Dasho Nado was most gracious to accept our invitation to come and speak at the inaugural session of the year-long Sherig Century celebrations on 2nd May 2012 in Thimphu. Dasho’s deep insights and personal anecdotes are recorded in The Centenarian: 100 Years of Educating the Nation under the title Reflections on the Education Journey, on page 7.

I will always treasure the affectionate greetings that Dasho Nado would send especially during Dasai and Diwali, signing off in chaste Lhotshamkha in which he was an expert.

Sadly, the last time I saw him was on life-support in the ICU in the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. My wish to visit him again will remain an unfulfilled longing for life. I am bereft of a caring wise mentor even as the country is poorer by the passing away of a precious jewel. 

Dasho Nado Rinchhen was born on August 22, 1944 in Puduna, Haa, and attended the local school till 1956. He then went to receive his Secondary Education in Birla Public School, Nainital, UP, India, and completed his Intermediate Science course from St. Joseph’s College, North Point, Darjeeling, in 1961.

In 1963, Dasho Nado achieved his Diploma in Forestry from Northern Forest Ranger’s College, Dehradun, UP, India, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1968.

He then underwent a course in Educational Management and Administration from Moray House, College of Education, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1976.

Dasho Nado Rinchhen joined Government service in 1963 as a Forest Officer in the Department of Forest, and served there till 1973. He was appointed as director in the Department of Education where he worked from 1973 to 1985, rising to the level of director general. He joined the Ministry of Finance in 1986 as joint secretary, becoming secretary in the same ministry.

Dasho Nado was a member of the high-level committee that was charged to draft the first National Education Policy of Bhutan in 1976 that was revised in 1985. He is the author of “The System of Education in Bhutan”, published in the International Encyclopaedia of Comparative Education. He authored and delivered a highly acclaimed paper titled “Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Development in Bhutan” at India International Centre, New Delhi, in 1993.

From 1989 to 1991, Dasho Nado Rinchhen served as the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, and concurrently ambassador of the Kingdom of Bhutan to Austria, Denmark, the EU, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, and as the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Representative to FAO, IFAD, and UNIDO.

He was appointed secretary and then deputy minister in the then Ministry of Communications between 1991 and 1994. Dasho Nado was the ambassador of the Kingdom of Bhutan to India, Japan, and Nepal, based at the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, New Delhi, India, from 1994 to 1998.

In 2000, Dasho Nado was the commissioner general of Bhutan for World Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. The Bhutan Pavilion was rated best amongst about 180 participating countries. He was also the commissioner general of Bhutan for World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan.

He served as the deputy minister, National Environment Commission from 1998 to 2009, chairperson, advisory panel, His Majesty’s Secretariat, in 2010, and was a member of the Royal Privy Council of Bhutan, from June 14, 2009 to August 15, 2015.

Dasho Nado Rinchhen was awarded the Red Scarf (Nyikelma Dakyen) by His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo on April 17, 1983, and the Orange Scarf (Lhengyal Wogma Dakyen) on September 20, 1993.

Beyond his many important roles that he fulfilled with incredible grace and effectiveness, Dasho Nado was a multi-lingual expert. Among others, his deep insights into the intricacies and nuances of the Nepali Language made him the obvious translator of the important addresses of His Majesty the King during Five Year Plan talks with the public in the South and on other occasions as required. Dasho Nado was also the translator of the National Assembly Resolutions into Lhotshamkha.

Having lived through and witnessed the breath-taking march of a progressive forward-looking nation under great Kings, Dasho Nado Rinchhen gave his best to our precious Tsa-wa-Sum through body, speech and mind in the course of a long and deep engagement with the life of our beloved country and made a significant contribution to the process of nation-building.

There was though a touch of pain in one of his expressions. “I wish the younger generation understood what we went through and how the country has come to be where it is now. We are a forgotten lot now”.

Spanning all the Five-Year Plans of the country thus far and carrying the collective memories of the nation that he served unconditionally all his life, the reflections of a great son of Bhutan are poignant:   

Looking back over the eight decades of my life, I have been fortunate to witness the progressive changes in Bhutan brought about by the wisdom, sacrifice, and untiring efforts of our Kings. As someone from a humble background, I would urge all Bhutanese to harness the priceless gift of free education in Bhutan granted by our Kings, to secure for themselves and the nation a bright and happy future.

Contributed by Thakur S Powdyel Former Minister of  Education Author: Right of Vision and Occasional Views