When we have to learn to say NO

It all began in the ancient times when Socrates had to drink hemlock juice. At that time, it was a choice between violent and peaceful death.

The potency was such that it became a political weapon. The Boxer war is a witness to it. It is a historical fact.

While at one time it was an indulgence that the rich pampered themselves with, it somehow became a habit among the general mass. It removed the aches in the body and gave one a sense of general well-being.

That is when the problem began. Or rather the drug industry started sprouting up. Of course, we have heard of the Golden Triangle, somewhere between the then Burma, Thailand and other neighbouring countries, where war lords cultivated hashish to fund procurement of guns and ammunition.

The same thing happened in Afghanistan. As the war raged on, cultivation of poppies was one great agricultural activity that fetched easy money. Of course, every penny earned went in to buy weapons and ammunitions.

Despite the accepted norm among the drug dealers that one should not get high on ones’ supply, yet every one gets high. More than that, it is what floods the market that really causes mass damage.

Now with all the fancy drugs available in the form of pills, most of which actually are only supposed to be prescribed by registered doctors, every one has access to all forms of drugs. And the drugstores or the so-called medical shops are willing to sell them as long as there are buyers. Who bothers about the ethics, if any?

As far as we know, substance abuse in Bhutan was limited to chewing doma, which cost you your teeth and perhaps your taste -buds, but definitely not your sanity.

We were told that illegal drugs, hardcore drugs were not to be found in Bhutan. That the police may have a hard time keeping prescription drugs in check, yet illegal substances did enter the country.

The news reports show that we have greatly underestimated the problem, with heroin use being reported from all the major towns which have better connectivity.

Perhaps we are jaded by the amount of shocking news that our headlines scream every day, because it seems we do not care anymore, even though every issue that plagues us is worse that we originally thought.

BNCA’s report is overdue, but its better late than never. Now that we know the situation is bad, what is needed are extensive long and short term plans. Short term plans should include a crackdown on peddling, rehabilitation facilities for drug users, and massive anti-drug campaigning.

Long term plans would have to involve looking at the whole issue more holistically; recognising that drug abuse is also a problem that has social roots.

The problem goes deeper than some anti-social youth behaving badly. It comes from low self esteem, from hearts that are not healthy and whole.

Perhaps it is asking too much of the government to heal the hearts of the young people. But they need to do what they can. And while we look at the government for every solution, we must also look at our own families, at what our children are doing, why they are doing what they are doing. It is a solution we must all come to collectively.

Perhaps, it is our culture of drinking on social occasions that is the culprit. But why blame the culture. Our forefathers knew when to say no. All we have to do is say NO!

Squabble in the media industry

So, the media personnel made it to the news column yesterday. We are supposed to write about others and not about ourselves.

But then it is a classic case of a fight between the management and the workers. At one time it used to be between the landlords and the peasants, in historical context.

Every one in the media circle knew that the trouble was brewing in Bhutan Times. It happens. While the management is more concerned about the money that comes in, the editorial people are more concerned about the stories to meet the deadline.

There has always been a tussle between the management and the editorial on how much should be spent on a particular story. The management goes by the greatest number of stories for the money spent, while the editorial people go by the value of a story.

We are told that the editorial felt the interference of the management. There are three versions to every story, that of the two parties, and then the truth. We are no one to judge who is right, but this is an issue that needs scrutiny.

In Bhutan, the laws are clear on the news being untainted by the polities of those who own the newspaper. While it is acceptable in some countries to push the political ideas and parties that they favour through their newspaper, this is illegal in Bhutan.

It is not clear if such issues plague the private papers in Bhutan, certainly this issue has never been brought up.

But nonetheless, it is an issue we need to make clear provisions for. While some think it is perfectly acceptable to use a newspaper that they own to push their own agenda, others deem it unethical. Those who do not see a problem say that after all, if the readers do not like the paper’s views, they will not read the paper, so it is the paper that loses out. Others who take the opposite view feel that the papers owe it to the readers to provide a ‘middle’ news. Facts, and no less than facts.

Of course, the existence of an editorial means that papers do take some stand on all issues. Bhutan sees occasional ‘fiery’ editorials that condemn this and praise that.

In the case of Bhutan Times, the management publicly said that it was they who suggested that the editorial not to use the paper to their own ends.

That sort of clash was always there in one form or the other. But the editor and reporters of Bhutan Times walking out just two days before the publication of their Sunday issue created a commotion among the readers and the management alike.

According to reports, the department of information and media and BICMA were also worried. After all it was an unprecedented move, something that never happened before.

The Bhutan Times people resigned to protect independent journalism in the country from interference from the management. The new managing director had a different thing to say. These allegations and counter allegations are expected.

One would not say that the employees have to play up to the management. Yet one has to have a sense of responsibility towards other co-workers from other sections. And most of all, one has to have respect for one’s clients. In this case, it means the readers.

The companies may go bust. Along with it our own reputation may also go down. Our clients may not trust us the next time round.

The squabbles are not uncommon. But these petty things must be settled internally.

The magic of fall

Autumn is a beautiful season. Much has been written about it. From the ancient times to the present, it has been a subject much written about.

New thoughts always pour in. One young woman wrote about how she felt about autumn because she was the child of autumn. She always had a connection with the season. We always have connection with what we like best.

Now, why do I always like autumn? It is one of my best seasons. How do I connect to it? I don’t even have the vaguest idea.

All I can say is that the sky is clear and golden leaves float down the street and they give a nice colour to the surrounding. When you really think of it, the season also gives a feeling of death around the corner, if winter is the Death.

So what reminds me of the beauty of autumn? What makes me revel in it? Perhaps, it is Wagner’s music from the Four Seasons. Or Keats Ode to Autumn. They are just romantic ramblings of a silly old romantic man.

But then I can’t help it. I am also in the autumn of my years. For some reason, I feel that this is the best time of my life. Yes, I haven’t achieved a lot of things that I wanted to, or lot of things that people keep store by. I am not worried. I have lived my life to the hilt. Winter is just a few years away (if not months).

If I had the strength, I would just like to zoom away on a powerful motor bike into the country and enjoy the warm sun, the blue sky and the green and gold countryside. I am still willing to brave the chilly evenings and mornings. When the sun rises, I would be what I had always been. I just need the warmth of the sun on my face to wake me up, unlike the farmer-soldier from the south of France who died in Wilfred Owen’s poem, Futility.

Perhaps, it is the strains from Lara’s theme from Dr Zhivago that reminds me of autumn. The Russian autumn was beautiful, at least in the movie.

Or is it the slow whisper of wind that imperceptibly moves through the wood and the soft sound that the falling leaves make on the forest floor?

But I am talking of my own autumn. I like to look into the clear blue sky and enjoy the warm sun. The harvest seems good down the valley and looks golden in the afternoon sun in contrast to the green conifer trees on the hill. The villagers are already down with their scythes to reap the harvest of the year.

They do it with love and care. For the harvest that they are reaping should see them through till the next one.

Hope is what keeps us going and keeps us looking forward to the next year.

How many such autumns I will see, I don’t know. But I would love to watch as many as possible so as I live.

How do we integrate it into the curriculum?

The workshop to come out with a framework on media literacy in schools ended last week.

But the precursor to this one was held on 2-5 June 2009 under the name “developing strategic framework for media education and literacy programme in Bhutan”. The retreat at Kingacholing Resort, Wangdue Phodrang came out with broad guidelines and suggestions. That was what it should have come out with at that point in time, which it did.

It pointed the way to the right the right direction.

The Department of InfoComm and Media Authority spent a hefty sum in organising the workshop. The point about the second workshop was basically to come out with a curriculum to educate the children on the value of media and of course use it as a tool to learn, if the teachers find it relevant.

Who stands to benefit most? Every one, of course. For too long we were fond of using that catchy phrase about “developing a knowledge-based society” that is suppose to contribute to the process of democracy. It is an interesting idea. But how do we go about creating a knowledge-based society so that they can come to an informed decision-making process.

If all the stakeholders do not participate in this process, then every one loses out in the process. That is something that we have always failed to understand.

We may claim that the whole process is supposed to benefit the society in general. This may ensure a new generation of young people, plagued with unemployment and other attendant ills, to think of something that will guide them along. The exposure to information and media help them to make choices and prepare them to make those choices.

At the school level, the children just want to know and learn to access different forms of media, which will contribute to their learning process. If children are made aware of the value of media, if not any one at least the media industry will have an increased readership.

Sadly, the participation from the media was rather low. Equally unsatisfactory was also the participation from the education ministry, particularly from groups who knows and how to pilot these new programmes. They are the experts. Media personnel can only contribute. So there is a need for understanding among all the people working towards what the ministry of information and communications is trying to do.

How do we integrate this new idea or are we going to start off with a new subject. As it is the schools curriculum and the teachers are overburdened, to say the least. The only way that this programme will see the light of the day is by integrating it in various relevant subjects. This is a matter that experts, who develop curriculum, know better and should handle it accordingly.

Another important thing is to know the funding process. Is the literacy programme going to end with just a series of meetings and seminars? Or will be continued into the future. For that we need fund.

During the workshop in Paro, some participants pointed our that a particular programme was implemented with such a great gusto, but when the funding came to an end, everything ended up there.

So if we are serious about this media literacy programme, every one on board should be serious and ask if it is relevant. The answer should come more from the education sector.

If so, how do we integrate it into the overall curriculum?

How do we improve the quality of education?

The teachers have been flogged at for too long for not ensuring the quality of education. They have been at the receiving end all along.

Yes, the parent felt that they were not doing a good job. The education ministry or the school department also felt that they were not doing anything good. Of course, it has often said, rather in a derogatory tone, that if you don’t find a job the best option is teaching.

In some way or the other, the nobility of the profession has been degraded with all these debates. And we have lost our sense of respect for the teachers. What is it that has really lead to it is one big question that needs an answer from the ministry that dispenses education and is responsible for a so-called literate society.

In the past, and in all our culture there was always this theory about the transmission of knowledge from the teacher to the pupil. In the Hindu tradition, there was this guru-chela parampara and in Buddhism too, we had the similar tradition. Every teacher passed it down to the next group or the students.

That was the time when writing materials were expensive and not readily available. Every thing had to be transmitted orally, with practical examples. Perhaps, it would do us good to know how Marpa the translator taught Milarepa, one of our great Karguep leaders.

For a sorcerer, it was not easy, according to Buddhist tradition, to attain that level where he can be ordained and be worthy of receiving the teaching. That’s what the master said. At this point in time we don’t want to dispute what the great masters said and their way of teaching.

They did it for what they thought was good for the posterity and for ensuring transmission of knowledge to the future. And they chose their pupils (chelas) accordingly. If they didn’t qualify for the lessons that they were supposed to receive, they were not accepted.

At the time of Socrates, or for that matter, the great Hindu sages or Buddhist lamas who dwelt in the Himalayas teaching the values of religion, we had no formal schools. Everything was oral. It came from the masters to the students.

In Bhutan we follow the same tradition. We still have a great respect for the teachers. Or we had.

When education went on what one may call mass production that is when we went into problem. There is nothing wrong in the concept itself. When every one is educated, the world as a whole is educated. That is good for the world.

But somewhere along the line about this great concept of educating the world, something went wrong.

For one thing, we never gave enough importance to teachers, particularly at the lower level. They slogged at remote places without enough incentives and they were not provided with the right trainings or opportunities to improve their skills.

So, demotivation set in. In some schools, even books failed to arrive in time, forget about the news of change in the curriculum. It was reported that some principals didn’t even realise that there was a change in the curriculum. This is what is called information gap.

Another thing is we have always treated our teachers in an ungenerous manner. More often than not, principals and vice principals have been nominated for workshops and trainings and the workers in a remote school is always neglected.

If teachers are not given the opportunity to upgrade themselves, then we should not complain about the quality.

Some one has to do something about it.

Taking tragedy in stride

What nature has in store for us is something we know only after it has happened. It is wild, uncontrollable and unpredictable.

But it is nature that provides us. We have to know how we can keep nature at peace, if that is the word.

That is what we all realised during the recent earthquake that devastated the eastern parts of our country. It is a sad thing. The celebration of Thruebab was subdued.

On the day of Thruebab, a young man wished a friend. The friend expressed his thanks but said that there is no happiness with reports of some 11 people dead in the eastern part of the country.

The person only wanted to express his good wishes on that occasion. But he was taken aback by his friend’s answer. In the course of discussions, he mentioned that his uncle’s house in Udzorong was completely destroyed and he doesn’t know if any one was hurt or not.

Despite this knowledge, he wished his friend happy Thruebab. It takes a lot of courage to do that. It was a sad Thruebab.

Some families lost two to three family members in this disaster. Most of us were so detached from the scene of destruction and devastation that we only have a vague picture of it. That is because it has not directly affected us.

Every death makes us small. Most of all, it is our inability to do anything about it that really makes us so incapacitated and useless. What do we do a about it? We just express our condolences and hope that such a thing will not happen to us.

In their hour of bereavement, the prime minister and the home minister went east to supervise relief operations. The officials from the Zimpoen’s office and the personnel from the Royal Bhutan Army and private citizens are doing a fine job assisting the people in providing some sort of temporary shelter.

Even with all the concerted efforts, it is obvious that the old houses are not going to be restored in time before the winter sets in. Besides, with the Autumn at our door step, it is time that people will have to reap their harvest or whatever is left of it.

Sadly, many of the families will be engaged in performing rites for the dead ones. Death is a business that we, Bhutanese, take very seriously. Our failure to perform our duties towards our dead always haunts us.

The east, for some reason or the other, had always had to bear the brunt of natural calamities. The wind storm that blew away roofs and damaged many houses was a tragedy in itself. Now the recent quake causing massive destruction is absolutely something out of the blue.

It is surprising that the outside agencies had all the details about the gravity of the situation before we even had an inkling of what was going to happen or when it did, how it happened.

As we are in seismic zone, we should have some system of advance warning to enable the people to be prepared. Such arrangement could be made when other agencies were able to come out with the details of the seismic activities in the country before our own agencies could come out with the vaguest details.

Perhaps there is a need for more cooperation and study. We have been too complacent for too long.

Celebrating the victory of good over evil

What makes this day so remarkable. We are celebrating the victory of the good over evil.

Whether you are in Tendrel Thang observing the tsechu or at home going through the rituals of dassai, it means the same thing. Perhaps, the Bhutanese should, both Buddhists and Hindus, realise that the celebration of tsechu and dassai falls on the same day (Thimphu tsechu). Many of us have never even thought of this co-relation between Thimphu tsechu and dassai.

Tsechu is generally a triumph over evil. The tsechu should be observed at three levels. First, at the visual level, when you observe the dances as they unfold on the tsechu ground. This is just what is presented to you on that particular day.

While many young men and women go for the fun and frolic that the day provides, many elders consider the day as sacred. For the tourists, it is just another cultural event which they can record on their handicams and show off to their friends over a glass of beer and a have a good laugh back home.

Similarly, the dassai is also a time for fun for the young people. In fact, it is a day when the elders bestow their best wishes on the younger ones and the younger ones should be paying their respects to their elders.

But times change. Culture changes. Most of all, we all change. What our fathers followed, we never follow. Perhaps, we may express in modern terminology: the demand and supply is not at a consistent level.

Nothing wrong. In fact, it is the time of the year when the flock of tourist who come for this particular festival that adds on to our national economy. It’s a matter of give and take, to be honest.

All these dances have the power that will enable you to see who you meet after your death, and thereby recognise who you shall meet and how one should deal with them.

It is the belief that if we observe them in this life, we will not fear them when they come to us in our afterlife. Watching the dances and understanding what they convey will help us in our journey after death.

That is why old people pay their respects whenever these religious dances are performed.

Incidentally, the festival of dassai also falls on the tenth day of Guru’s birthday. Dassai falls on the tenth day of the Hindu calendar, vijaya dassami, celebrated as the day of king Rama's victory over Ravana, the 10-headed demon king of Lanka who had abducted Rama’s wife, Sita.

The dussehra festival celebration is unique in its perspective and significance. It is the celebration of the victory of good over evil.

What we all should understand is that no matter what faith we follow, we should understand that the essence is the same. After all, we all come from the same source, no matter what the colour, language, faith, dress or the way of our life that is determined by our geography.