Yearender/Bloopers: Looking back at the year that just went by, we have every reason to believe that it was a great year. It was a splendidly memorable year of great successes for individuals, families, communities, and for the nation.
And as we celebrate the Bhutanese New Year today with good wishes, prayers and aspirations for continued prosperity, happiness and greater successes, we at Kuensel, as writers of the first draft of history, may be excused our annual count of bloopers and gaffes we made in the year of the galloping steed.
We look back on the mistakes we made, not with any sense of achievement, however. We stand at the gateway of a Hall of Shame with our burning cheeks and wounded pride. Yes, we do. Hindsight can sometimes be hard.
If mention must be made about all the mistakes that we made in the past year entire, readers would have a Kuensel the size of Encyclopaedia Britannica. And we greatly value our readers, we do. With sincere reverence for our esteemed readers, therefore, we decided against encumbering you with endless details of mistakes this happy Losar.
We are, however, compelled to record a glaring few for our own benefit. It is also to remind ourselves of our responsibility as newswriters. We hope that this record of our mistakes will redeem us to greater and more serious purpose of our profession.
Newswriters are not wilful criminals. Minor factual and spelling mistakes helplessly elude their tired and drooping eyes. That is why, hard as we tried, we have not been able to establish yet how the NA Speaker Jigme Zangpo became Jigme Zangmo. The presiding officer of our legislative assembly must have been compelled to confirm his gender in the state of a scandalised few moments. We also made Tsirang dzongda Ngawang Pem a he.
And how did the director general of RSTA, Lham Dorji, become Lham Nidup, we do not know. Our proofreaders could have gone quietly into comatose after a long and wearing day. And we said DGPC’s managing director was Dasho Ugyen Chhewang not Dasho Chewang Rinzin. Also, we announced that His Royal Highness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck and Indian Ambassador handed over a Nu 25,000 cheque to the winner for essay completion, not competition.
After a long day of work, our eyes don’t see things on screens and papers clearly. But, yes, we never fail to see that the whole city is sleeping while we are working, shouting at each other and verifying information. These are no excuses, however. We cannot condone the mistakes that we make. Foul-ups are unnecessary and highly insulting to both newswriters and readers.
As newswriters, finding our mistakes in the paper a few hours later in the morning feels like we have been given a death sentence. We regret and we curse at ourselves. Yet we stand with new promise, a promise to not make such mistakes ever. And the evening and the morning is the next day…
We at Kuensel promise this Sheep Year that we will not commit such silly mistakes. But then you’ve heard that before. Nevertheless, a New Year always spells new hopes and new aspirations!

Jigme Wangchuk