The National Day is a day of reflection as a nation. It is a reminder of who we are as people and a day of introspection for individuals of the sense of nationhood we possess. With globalisation, urbanisation and outmigration facing every country – including ours, the National Day has gained more prominence in the life of our country in recent times.
Like many Bhutanese, I watched the 117th National Day online. I was travelling for work. And like many, I shed a tear of joy and hope – especially touched by His Majesty the King’s words that he would make his young children work at the project sites at the upcoming mindfulness city.
The King-People bond
Recently, I watched a movie – Taking Chance. This small-budget film, which is based on a true story, had a simple but powerful storyline. It shows how Americans honour their people who make the ultimate sacrifice for the country. The respect, tribute and honour for the fallen hero, as the casket makes its way back to his hometown, is viewed as the soul of America itself.
As a Bhutanese, I have often asked, what is the soul of Bhutan as a nation? What is that one sacrosanct thing we should hold dear?
In my PhD fieldwork, I have found that among many national symbols and beliefs, it is the institution of the monarchy that emerges at the top. The King-People bond – as in the love and care that the King has for the subjects and the genuine respect and gratitude that the people have for the monarch goes beyond the simple ruler-ruled dynamics. It is more like a parent-offspring relationship, where every family in Bhutan sees the King as an extension of the family. This is the soul of the Bhutanese nation.
The fact that some Bhutanese in Perth resigned from their jobs to attend the event to see the King and the videos of people lined up for kilometres in freezing temperatures in Thimphu on the eve of the National Day are testaments of the above. The tears they shed were tears of overwhelming joy of seeing what we in Bhutanese refer to the King as drinchen ghi phama (parents to whom we owe). The fact that His Majesty crossed oceans to go and meet his subject is unheard of in the history of mankind, in general. Hence, this sacrosanct soul of the nation should never be tainted, compromised, or broken. No individuals or institutions should stand between the King and the people.
The call of duty – and the golden generation
In the life of a nation, every generation gets a call of duty. For my generation, it was to enrol in modern schools. Then, when we passed our high school, the smart ones were sent out on fellowships to study science and engineering and return to serve the King, people and the government. We did that. Some did more, some did less, but every Bhutanese of my generation who went on government scholarship returned home and did the best. We built modern health services, RNR extension centres, public infrastructures and communication systems like radio, TV and Internet.
For Generation Z and Generation Alpha, the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) project is the Call. However, my generation is not excused from this call too, because no generation is better equipped to understand the magnitude of what we are about to create, its benefit for the future generation and its value in our journey towards nation-building and sovereignty.
My generation saw the country evolve from the days of struggling with basic economic necessities to flashing around Prados and smartphones – and everything in between. We come from the school of hard knocks, where we survived the bedbugs and hunger in poorly resourced boarding schools and where we had to fight for the last scoop of broth in the school mess. For the most part, we went barefoot, where even Bata slippers were a luxury. Then, we travelled abroad, flew in the latest Airbus 350, and tasted the so-called Western food and lifestyle. We brought the world to Bhutan and took Bhutan to the world. We made them fall in love with our commitment to happiness.
On the other hand, this hybrid generation also learnt the ways of our elders and ancestors, seamlessly embracing both science and spiritualism and believing in both Maxwell’s field theory and Buddha’s four noble truths. The experiences of living in the best of both worlds make us the Golden Generation, who is now called to perform one last song. As I joked with someone at the Bhutan Innovation Forum, paraphrasing a line from one of my favourite movies, some people will talk, and some people will need to dig. We must, therefore, put back our helmets, dust off our gumboots and show up with “axes and spades” – as a Bhutanese adage goes.
Our generation must not only lead and inspire the next generation. Those of us with a sphere of influence in the government or public life must shed off our selfish and often corrupt and red-taped past. Instead, we need to open our eyes to new immense possibilities of the royal vision and solidly rally behind it. In this way, we would be giving back to the country that gave us so much.
What can you do? A lot
His Majesty’s royal address has moved us, but getting inspired and taking no action gets us nowhere. “To know and not do is the same as not knowing” – so an old Bhutanese proverb goes. However, one must also recognise that as a society, we are schooled to seek permission to even take a toilet break or to wait for instruction for every little thing. It is not that people are always passive or indifferent. So, when it comes to the Mindfulness City project, here are a few actionable things you could do.
Firstly, you can volunteer your time or resources to the Vajrayana centres that are being built or are coming up. This is the easiest way. As we say in Bhutanese, it is time to pave the path for your next existence. Remember that whether you take action or not, you will age, and it is better to grow old by looking back and seeing things you have done rather than look back and say, “I should have done this or that”.
Second, for those who are working outside the country, the GMC’s official bank – The Oro Bank, invites you to make fixed deposits in foreign currency. The capital raised will go towards developing the basic infrastructure like airports and bridges. After ten years, your money will be back to you with interest.
There is, however, something deeper in this Oro Bank initiative for the Bhutanese diaspora. In my view, it is about giving those living abroad a sense of being a part of this ambitious project and a connection to our home called Bhutan. It is more than just about money. It is about restoring the sense of belonging and ownership in the destiny of future Bhutan. One need not respond to the call to duty by relocating back immediately but by supporting the initiatives back in our country – financially and morally.
Third, and most importantly, let’s learn to love each other and support one another beyond our social status and professions. Let us look up to those who are better than us and look out for those who are less endowed and less resourced. For people of my generation, as I was sharing with two instructors of the Desuung Skilling Centres, we need to train the next generation, nurture them, guide them, scold them and put them on the path to livelihood and righteousness. Otherwise, who will? Consultants will come and go. But this country – someday, we would have to hand it over to our children. They must be prepared to receive it and take it forward by honouring with integrity and pride and with everything that makes up the glorious nation of Pelden Drukpa. The duty to uplift our people and communities and truly care for our country falls squarely on us, the Bhutanese.
Nation-building is a work in progress. And by nation-building, I am referring to the sense of nationhood and that feeling of oneness as people – and not the highways, hydropower dams or hospitals. Unless the citizens have a shared dream and a common purpose, unless there is unity, solidarity, and harmony, a country with a physical territory of humans and animals and nature does not necessarily guarantee peace, prosperity, or progress.
The GMC project provides that common purpose and a collective dream, which is envisioned by our King, who unites us as people and as a nation and whose bond with the people has sustained the test of time.
May the Sun of happiness truly shine on us – as a line from the National Anthem goes.
Contributed by Dorji Wangchuk (PhD)
Professor, Writer, Engineer
(Views expressed here are personal)