Will they rejoin their sons?

In the case you ever visit the Bhutanese refugee camp in Jhapa district, Nepal at Beldangi II, Sector I-1, Hut No 39, the first question you will be asked is whether you are the one who will take them to see their sons.  The aged couple, Ram Chandra Guragai, 73, and Yasoda, 69, are living … Read more

Democracy in Bhutan: a silver lining

‘Democracy is the government by the people, for the people and of the people,’ a definition taught at school level rings in my mind. It was the ICSC curriculum of Indian history and civics taught in Bhutan that gave a cursory knowledge of democracy to younger generation of Bhutan. Had it not been for the … Read more

Bhutanese–Americans and Preservation of Culture

The life back in Bhutan was unimaginable- full of hardships and a lot of mental unrest. The policy adopted by the government of Bhutan to seclude the ethnic Nepalis was inestimable. Hence, the eviction of a good number of people became inevitable. What followed in the refugee camps could hardly be expressed in words. Nonetheless, … Read more

THIMPHU JOURNAL: Recalculating Happiness in a Himalayan Kingdom

THIMPHU, Bhutan — If the rest of the world cannot get it right in these unhappy times, this tiny Buddhist kingdom high in the Himalayan mountains says it is working on an answer. “Greed, insatiable human greed,” said Prime Minister Jigme Thinley of Bhutan, describing what he sees as the cause of today’s economic catastrophe … Read more