Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has visited several places of historical, archaeological and religious importance in India.
According to Times of India, Tobgay spent most of his time at Sarnath visiting stupas, Bodhi Temple, monasteries and Archaeological Museum of the Archaeological Survey of India.
After visiting Sarnath, Tobgay went to Kashi to offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and performed abhishek of Lord Vishwanath with 11 liter milk. He also donated Rs. 51,000 to the temple.
Tobgay and his delegation visited Ahmedabad and participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 before arriving to Sarnath. He met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad while he called on President Pranab Mukherjee and other cabinet ministers in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Tobgay is on his official visit to India from January 10-18 on the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gradually and steadily, a notable headway in the lives of Bhutanese in America, after resettlement, has been witnessed without much brainstorm. Obviously, during the initial phase of transition each family, educated or otherwise, is destined to undergo a bumpy ride, mild or extreme, until the road to integration and adjustment in the new surroundings is complete.
Soon after the new ├йmigr├йs set foot on the new soil, food, beddings, some clothes and apartments are immediately provided by assigned resettlement agencies as an immediate relief.
Meanwhile, these organizations in each State in the USA are also busy shepherding, chaperoning and overseeing the wellbeing of the new arrivals. Thereafter, while the educated ones are hopefully trying to compete and sell themselves in the new market, the other lot- especially the old and the illiterate- at times find themselves in a new conundrum and start gazing at the sun and the American sky.
At the very outset most refugees from all over the world have to undergo a series of dilemma, isolation and setbacks in the course of pulling their way out to precisely acclimatize and familiarize themselves to the world of Uncle Sam.
As the clock ticks by, the progression of hope and confidence ensues; the looming confusions appear to evaporate slowly and a new ray of hope begins to shine. After a few months, obviously in an attempt to make each family self-sufficient, employment managers of resettlement organizations also start looking for jobs offering preference to the neediest ones at least for a minimal sustenance. Next, others follow the suit and the job-hunts booms!
In a couple of years, when the economy in each household begins to take a desired height with sustainable pace, the gripping greed and temptation of shifting the gear of existence to the next level comes handy, therein. Subsequently lives begin to prosper day by day and when the living advances in tune with the digital world this vast and seemingly unending planet appear to draw closer in the eyes of the Bhutanese diaspora.
Interestingly, when the usually rich American foods begin to nourish the long sun-tanned and worn-out cells, the skin regenerates. It begins to shine and the wrinkles smoothens. Further, when supplemented by an easily affordable fashions most of the grown-ups tend to brew and discover life differently.
It is perhaps under these spells of evolution that long under-fed, frail Sita gradually transforms into an American Sweetie. Hari Bahadur becomes Harry and Jaganath becomes Mr. Jagon. Lila Maya becomes Miss Lily while Lal Bahadur advances to Mr. Lol! The list goes on and it is evidently clear once you roll the browser in todayтАЩs networking media.
Toddlers and children, growing with towering heights and weights seemingly under the heap of commercial fertilizers, need not have to dart through mud and stones as in the camp. They are now busy at home with PlayStations, iPads and X-box.
In most private houses, high- rise buildings or apartments with Bhutanese occupants, today, the old radios and small idiot boxes that used to be a part of entertainment apparatus back in the slums have been morphed to high decibel audios and flat screen televisions.
Leaky, see-through and shabby ramshackle huts are now reduced to a figment of imaginations when the lives begin to blossom in air-conditioned blocks with American vogue and blueprints.
The female members, who once routinely braved the ordeals of those squarely messy kitchens in the camps, no longer have to suffocate with teary eyes as there are electric/gas oven and microwaves in the ventilated kitchens.
As in the camps one wouldnтАЩt have to stand in line to fetch a тАШgagriтАЩ (pitcher) of water and soiled clothes come out anew once they go into the self-operating laundry machines.
Most foods that usually come in packets and varieties are of imported brands. Wide choice of alcoholic drinks are available aplenty and frugally affordable. Tobacco, in all brands can easily get into the hands of children and lowтАУincome populace.
Above all, the old and rustic bicycles that used to squeak and rattle through all the congested corners appear to have magically transmuted into pricey and fancy cars in many of the Bhutanese homes in America.
Facebook, the most proliferating social network of the modern day, serves as an immediate testimony to the rising tide of euphoria among the most Bhutanese living in the Third World. The elevating smiles, impressive snapshots and videos appearing every now and then perhaps speak volume of their тАШgross diasporic happinessтАЩ.
However, beneath this heavy sunshine, there is also a spate of eerie plight which is, by and by, making a steady inroad into the Bhutanese societies in America. Although, there appears to have been a smooth sail in a few quarters, moods of a sizeable chunk of the population are beginning to swing. The plausible scenario, to a greater extent, looks to be attributed to the following obvious reasons.
One, seemingly with much financial freedom and largely easy access to alcohol, tobacco and drugs, many of the youths and underage children are beginning to show an inclination to these habits which, in the long run might jeopardize their familial harmony and health. Gambling, another marauding menace insidiously creeping into our societies, have ironically become another pastime for many.
In most of the entry-level work stations in America there is a growing tendency of discrimination, domination and harassment among the employees. Many illiterate hoipolloi Bhutanese folks have become the silent victims of these unsocial acts. Acutely bad communication, language barrier and not being able to report to the boss about any mistreatment in the work places have become the source of exasperation, defeat and frustrations among the desperate lots.
Due to hectic eight-hour (or more) job schedule mostly in lower positions, many of the folks have not been able to give required attention to their sick, disable and the old members of the family and thus, a sense of isolation and rift among the family members is beginning to surface. In many homes, taking advantage of inability and ignorance, their social security and old- age benefits have been grossly misused by the most dominating member of the family.
Many uneducated and conservative parents are still grappling to adapt and cope with the strangely new set-up. They feel like being switched from natural to artificial world. тАЬNo EnglishтАЭ means they are subjected to usually restricted mobility and confinement.
Finally, while affordable internet in many of the Bhutanese homes is virtually becoming a godsend asset, its negative impact is equally ignored and overlooked. Many children, instead of socializing, are seen gluing themselves with iPad and other digital gadgets for hours and at times even from dawn to dusk edging them to the brink of acute dullness, monotony and eyes problems. Out of curiosity, many tend to hit the тАШwrong buttonsтАЩ which, oftentimes backfires with some тАШunfamiliar scenesтАЩ. Further, young boys and girls, precisely evading the watchful eyes of their parents, are often hooked to and addicted to adult sites which, in the long run, might jeopardize their mental and sexual health. There is always a potential risk of drawing our youngsters into cybercrimes if they are not subjected to a constant watch both at home and outside preferably by the elite members of the family.
In fact, in Bhutanese communities all across America and beyond, one or more of the above stated reasons might have contributed to the growing case of suicide rates.
Definitely, the writing on the wall is visibly distinct. The good and the bad have equally become the integral part of Bhutanese lives especially in America. However if the bad, without being timely checked, spills over and takes on the good, the entire communities might have to be ready to perennially reel in the ocean of disappointments and failure.
As such, apart from being the part of feast, merrymaking and social jamboree, the community leaders, political pundits and torchbearers should also set some time aside, come forward and timely warn the general mass on the issues stated above. Doing this might help stem and nip the looming bad in the bud. This is a need of the hour!
Hindu traditional calendar that describes the position of celestial bodies and give astrological details (panchaanga) is made public today at a small gathering in Louisville. The calendar is written according to the Eastern time zone of the US, and gives detail of sunrise, sunset, astrological dates, celestial position, auspicious occasions and more.
Nepali Panchanga
The Panchanga is prepared and published by Padam Lal Dhakal, an astrologer. On the occasion he said, тАЬit will be wrong to do special hindu functions and giving names to newborn if we do not calculate time according to the time zone with reference to longitude and latitude of the place we live.тАЭ
тАЬThe price is fixed at $8 each, just to cover the cost of printingтАЭ, said Dr.Laxmi Narayan Dhakal, the eldest son of Padam.
The personal and political implications of third-country resettlement and naturalisation for BhutanтАЩs refugees.
Khem Khadka was only seven when his entire family was evicted from Bhutan in 1991. His familyтАЩs eviction, along with that of tens of thousands of others, was a result of the governmentтАЩs enforcement of the тАШone nation, one peopleтАЩ policy, and its active opposition to ethnic pluralism. Khadka, like so many others, spent most of his young adult life in refugee camps in Nepal. His hope for a better future was, however, realised in 2007, when the United States and seven other Western countries offered the prospect of third-country resettlement. Even as his parents remained firm in their decision to await repatriation, Khadka immediately declared his interest in third-country resettlement. For him, the possibility of gaining US citizenship was preferable to remaining stateless in a refugee camp in Nepal. Khadka finally made it to North Carolina in the summer of 2009, some two years after the policy of resettlement was first announced.
Logo of the Himal Southasian.
According to Khadka, his тАШwell-defined futureтАЩ was made real in September 2014, when he took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and became a citizen for the first time in his life. He believes that it was the beginning of a new chapter for his four-member family. KhadkaтАЩs family is now middle class, and he and his wife balance their lives between full-time jobs and raising two kids who are already attending pre-kindergarten school. Khadka works as an assistant department manager at a grocery store and plans on resuming his college education in spring 2015. His wife works both as a waitress and supervisor at a seniorтАЩs home.
Editor’s note: This piece originally appeared in Himal Southasian. Click here to read remaining part of the piece.┬а
Starting over is often frightening and seldom easy. There are always those items too precious to easily part with, no matter the circumstances around them. We can find ourselves lost and confused amid the conflicts and changes forced upon us. This becomes all the more painfully true in those times when our loyalties and our sense of identity are challenged. Those times carry a special torment and often leave the deepest scars in our hearts.
For Suraj Budathoki of Manchester, it is time to start over.
On the 18th of April, he became a citizen of the United States of America. It was a hard-fought milestone, bringing to an end 24 years of fear, anguish and rejection. When he speaks of his new home, he is fond of saying that U.S.A. means тАЬU start again.тАЭ
Suraj is one of several thousand refugees of Bhutan who have come to America with the hopes of starting over. His infectious enthusiasm is evident in his enormous smile. In looking at him, you may find it hard to believe the hardships he and his family have had to endure. Suraj looks to the future and sees all the possibilities that his new home and country hold for him, his family and his people. Yet, there are still those memories that beckon him to look behind. They are just too precious to leave, too sacred to be forgotten. The loss of his ancestral home, the livestock his family tended and all the potential that was taken from him for more than 20 years still twist in his soul. He wants the world to know the truth. He wants justice.
The history
At the time the British Empire left India, Bhutan came to a point of starting over. On Aug. 8, 1949, Bhutan signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India. While India did have some control regarding BhutanтАЩs relations with foreign countries, this was the first time Bhutan was recognized as an independent nation. It must have been an exciting time for the Bhutanese people. Their country was now free and able to build its own identity.
The momentum was set, and Bhutan raced forward to be a modern nation. In 1952, with the death of the king, Bhutan began to become a democracy and formed the national assembly. Six years later, the longstanding tradition of slavery was abolished. There were growing pains along the way. Starting over is hard, but progress would not be stopped. By 1971, Bhutan joined the United Nations and entered the world stage.
Nestled between China and India, Bhutan boasts both the majestic peaks of the Himalayas and lush grassy fields. In many ways, it is a paradise on Earth. In fact, in 2006 Business Week rated Bhutan the happiest nation in all Asia, eighth happiest in the world. Much of this is owed to the Gross Happiness Doctrine enacted by the Bhutanese government. This grand and noble gesture, that every citizen should be happy, separates Bhutan from other nations. It is inspiring idea in so many ways and suggests brave and idealistic rulers. However, there is a dark shadow cast over this happiness. It seems that for some to be happy, others must be placed in misery.
The admirable goal of universal happiness flies in direct contrast to BhutanтАЩs policies regarding its Nepali┬н-descended minority, known as Lhotshampas. Those policies have marginalized, subjugated and persecuted nearly 20 percent of the countryтАЩs population. After a long history of legal harassment, much of the ethnic Nepalese in Bhutan have been chased out the country and forced to live in refugee camps.
Suraj Budathoki.
After the consolidation of Bhutan in the early 17th century, the then-Civil Administrator Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal went to Nepal and brought a few families as construction workers. The Bhutan House (present day embassy) in Kalimpong, India, resettled huge numbers of Nepalese in the southern region of Bhutan as a buffer to British colonial power in India. Also, in the latter part of the 19th century and early parts of the 20th, Nepali immigrants entered Bhutan as workers. Soon they were feared for being such a large minority and were forbidden to settle in the northern portion of the country.
In response, they made Southern Bhutan their home. During 1958, the Citizenship Act officially gave citizenship to those who could prove they had been in the country for at least 10 years. It was an opportunity for so many looking for a new life.
However, those old fears against them came back in the form of policies limiting their citizenship. In an effort to enforce a national culture (mainly those of Northern Bhutan) the government began to marginalize the southern portion of their country. The Bhutanese Citizenship Act of 1985 (setting the policy of тАЬone nation, one peopleтАЭ) set codes of conduct regarding public dress, behavior and even an attempt to limit the languages spoken in schools. It was clear that the ruling powers were targeting the Nepali minority. No more so was this evident than in the manner of redefining who was and wasnтАЩt a citizen of the nation. Those now deemed to no longer be citizens were forced to relinquish their property to the government. Speaking against such policy was grounds for losing citizenship. The Lhotshampas were effectively denied democracy.
In 1988, Bhutan had its first census. Many feared that this was merely an exercise in determining who was of Nepali descent. The Lhotshampas were outraged and protested. Those who spoke against the king and his policies were soon arrested or forced to flee. SurajтАЩs family was among those who ran in fear of being imprisoned.
Refugees It was at night that his family left. They packed what they could, poured all of the feed for their livestock in the center of the yard, opened all the pens and took flight. He relates how it all seemed so exciting to his 10-year-old self. He got to ride in a truck and was innocently excited for it.
There being no place for them in Bhutan, the refugees set up seven camps in the uninhabited portions of Nepal. The conditions were miserable. The houses were little more than bamboo huts with dirt floors and thatched roofs. The Budathokis settled in Timai, the first of such camps. It was the harshest of new starts. They lost everything, with little hope of anything ever getting better.
It can be hard to envision what life was like in such a place. Most property was shared by necessity. Work was hard to come by, and money was scarce. The people have to make do with what little they brought with them or could manage to scrounge together. Sickness ran rampant, as did malnutrition. There was no electricity, no plumbing and little protection from the elements. Suraj tells of his childhood with such a pleasant nature that it almost belies the bleakness of his story. How he had to get up early every morning to secure a good place in line for water. How he spent his days breaking rocks down by the river to earn money for his family. Every story peppered with misery told by a man now thrilled at the vastly improved conditions of his new life.
In 2008, the United States government agreed to resettle 60,000 of the refugees in America. Suraj is among these. It is a constant struggle to start over in such a different culture. It is a struggle he gladly accepts with all the promise his new life holds. Now a husband and father, he has taken to activism on the part of the several thousand still living in the refugee camps back in Nepal as well as helping those like him here. It is a new life, a good life. It is more than he ever thought he would get in the more than 20 years he was forced to live in exile.
Underneath the friendly and genuine demeanor is the pain and anger of stolen decades he can never get back. That fires him to seek attention for his people and their cause. It makes him appreciate and love his new home all the more. He delights in simple things such as having a job and all the possibilities the future now holds for his daughter. He happily complains about having to pay rent for the first time in his life.
However, the hardships and horrors of his past still haunt his happy life as they do for so many others. While Suraj is able to channel it toward helping the Bhutanese community, so many others cannot escape those demons. The suicide rate among resettled Lhotshampas in the United States is alarming. It is a problem that is taken to heart by those building a new life here. Starting over is never easy.
In many ways, Bhutan is starting over as well.
King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne in 2006. This set the stage for Bhutan to become a constitutional monarchy. Sadly, the issues of the Lhotshampas have been pushed further back. This is a new beginning for Bhutan and as the country starts over again, there is hope that maybe this time they will correct the sins of their past.
(Trevor Hart lives in Manchester.)
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published by the Concord Monitor (http://www.concordmonitor.com). It has been reproduced with permission from the author.┬а
The Bhutanese Buddhists Community of North Carolina (BBCNC) observed Losar, one of their biggest festivals here in Charlotte with a slogan тАШpreserve culture and save our existenceтАЩ amidst a special function today.
According to Pradeep Gurung, Chairman of BBCNC, five Buddhist monk conducted prayers wishing well-being, happiness and prosperity of all human beings. The monks also played тАШghalingтАЩ, a typical Buddhist instrument. The participants of the event also received тАШwangтАЩ (blessings) from the monks.
SundayтАЩs celebration also included traditional and other typical dances of Buddhists followers, solo songs, Gurung dance, Tamang dance, Newari dance among other entertaining performances.
Attendees receive ‘wang’ (blessing) from monks. Photo Courtesy/Silvia Ganzo.
Meantime, BBCNC in close coordination with the American Red Cross also organized a blood donation camp where a little over two dozen individuals have donated their blood. Gurung further informed BNS that a local First Care Medical Clinic also had a camp set up to do free basic health check-ups for the participants of the program. According to the organizer, dozens benefitted from the free check up.
Gurung further informed BNS that the program was organized with an aim of promoting and conserving Buddhists and Nepali-Bhutanese culture and tradition. Besides cultural shows, BBCNC also served the participants of the program with typical Buddhists food тАШkhabjeтАЩ. According to Gurung, they also distributed awards and certificates to winners of a sports day event that was organized in September 2014.
According to Gurung, First Care Medical Clinic, AmeriSouth Mortgage Company, Docs Pharmacy, Bethel Home Care Inc, Central Market, Rohan Grocery, Durga AllState and Gracie Real State sponsored the event.
тАЬI would like to offer my sincere thanks to the sponsors of the program,тАЩ said Gurung, addingтАФтАЬI also would like to thank the volunteers and all community members who made todayтАЩs program a grand success.тАЭ
The organizers had managed a free transportation rides to needy community members. According to them, an estimated 1,000 people attended the program.
Louisville, KY. Welcoming the new year 2015, Bhutanese Society of Kentucky hosted a cultural program today at Melbourne Heights Baptist Church, 3728 Taylorsville Road. The two phase program actually started at 11:45 am amidst a crowd of around five hundred people.
BSK artists taking center stage /Photo:Nirmal Guragai
The program opened with a musical overture representing Makhamali choli┬аan evergreen Nepali song played by Govinda Phuyel(flute) Sandeep Rai(tabla), Rajesh Subba and Kanchan Subba (guitar).
Govinda, Rajesh, Sandeep and Kanchan on the stage/Photo:Nirmal Guragai
In the first phase of the program, the new board and officials of the society was announced, and high schools graduate of 2014 were honored with medals and certificates.
The second phase of the program featured cultural program, songs and dance of variety presented by the artists of Louisville. RIFF band, a musical group of young rock artists, presented modern versions of songs by late Narayan Gopal. Although the stage for full scale dance was wanting, the artists as young as five years, Angila Karki, could dance with vigor and pomp.
тАЬIt was a very hard work of volunteers of BSK, that the program could come to this shapeтАЭ, said Tika Adhikari, a board member and manager of the program.
A twenty-five member board was announced which includes nine officials: Jiwan Bista as President, Prem Sunuwar for vice-president, Vinod Poudel for secretary and Puspa Dhakal as treasurer. Five coordinators include Bhim Koirala for public relations, Krishna Dhakal for volunteer management, Mitra Subedi for elderly and women support, Tulsi Rai for sports and Rajesh Subba for culture.
Out from the hall, some whispers could be heard aloud, тАЬthis time BSK did a well managed program.” Similarly, a Losar program was also organized by Buddhist community of Louisville.
Rom Bista, Nashville, TN
The Gurung families under the Bhutanese Community of Nashville initiated the celebration of Tamu Losar on December 28. 2014. Guests, friends and relatives from far and wide and all walks of life were invited. Some prominent Bhutanese singers and dancers who made all their way from different states amused and grooved the audience till the last.
Picture courtesy: RN Bista
The cultural program formally started at 1:30 pm in the school theater in John Overton High School, Nashville. It was a free show.
Moments before the show began, Naresh Dahal, one of the communityтАЩs frontrunners, outlined the relevance of Losar and the art of living in unity and diversity. He also stressed an outright need to respect and recognize beliefs of one another and in the meanwhile, not to forget the identity and common cause that binds all Bhutanese together.
Burgeoning singers like Mahesh Thulung, Kiran Gazmere, Lokesh Gurung, Saran Gurung and a few other local artists strutted with their melodies on tracks and oscillated the young and the old alike. Some beautiful Nepali and Hindi dances were also displayed in between the songs. At the end, Naresh Gurung with his local band stole the show.
Picture courtesy; RN Bista
Interestingly, given the considerable potential, stride and progress in the field of singing it is utterly comprehensible that Bhutanese communities in America do not have to necessarily buy non-Bhutanese songsters.
Tamu is another name of Gurung community and Losar means New Year. Tamu Losar is the celebration of GurungтАЩs New Year. The Tamu Losar marks the beginning of the Tamu Sambat or Gurung Calendar Year.
Gurungs divide time into cycles of 12 years (lohokor), to each year of which a special name is given, which is known as Barga (lho). Losar also heralds the change in тАШLhoтАЩ. According to the oriental astrological system, there are 12 lhosтАУgaruda, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, bird, dog, deer, mouse, cow, tiger and cat. Therefore, each year is marked by a particular animal and they are arranged in a single circle (on paper), closely following the Tibetan calendar with itsтАЩ 12 animals. In early days, when there was no calendar system, the 12 rotation system was used to calculate peoplesтАЩ ages.┬аAs Poush 15 marks the end of winter and start of spring, Losar is traditionally celebrated for three days doing banbhoj (picnic) too.
Five huts in Beldangi-1 refugee camp was badly damaged by a fire┬аon Wednesday┬аmorning.┬а The fire broke out from the hut of Nanda Lal Gurung of sector D/1 hut no 62.The fire was brought into control with the joint effort of camps youths, fire brigades and Armed Police Force (APF). So far no human casualty has been reported.
Fire engulfing huts/File Photo
According to APF, ┬аmultiple factors might have ┬аled to the blaze and the actual reason is not yet known. тАЬFortunately no one was hurt, Five huts was totally damage and five more were dismantle while bringing fire into controlтАЭ, APF informed.
