The dream recedes unrealized

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When the whole world was celebrating New Year 2013 last week, Pritam Adhikari, a 21-year-old promising student from Georgia, Atlanta, was battling to survive in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Grady Hospital. In a Facebook post on January 1, his brother Alok extended New Year wishes, but in a complete different tone. “On behalf of Pritam and the family I would like to wish you a happy New Year 2013. At this moment, Pritam is in stable condition in ICU at Grady Hospital, Atlanta. He is very brave, strong and hopeful and in very good spirit. I would like to request you all to pray at least a minute today evening and share this post with your friends and family and tell them to pray for his quick recovery and good health.” Unfortunately, Pritam breathed his last, and dozens of resettled Bhutanese attended his funeral ceremony, Sunday.
On graduating from high school, Pritam was among the top 10% in his class; a member of the school’s International Club and The National Society of High School Scholars; Advanced Placement Honoree (three or more AP classes); and Work-Ready Certified, Gold Rank (to perform 90% jobs in the state). He was also awarded the Emory University Award for Academic Excellence, Georgia Certificate of Merit (top 5% of his junior class), and President’s Award for Educational Excellence (recognition from the U.S. President and Secretary of Education to students whose outstanding efforts have enabled them to meet challenging standards of excellence). Seven schools accepted Pritam, including Purdue University, in Indiana, and in Georgia, Mercer University and Oglethorpe University. In August, he plans to begin post-secondary coursework at Georgia Perimeter College, then transfer to Georgia Tech. 

I was born in a small, rural village in Bhutan, a monarchy on the border between China and India. Everything was backward, lacking, or undeveloped — education, transportation, sewage, electricity, and medical facilities. In 1992, when I was two years old, the cruel monarch expelled me and my family (mother, father, brother, and five sisters) and our 100,000 Nepali-origin community from our homeland. We were sent to live in Beldangi-2, Jhapa district (one of seven Bhutanese refugee camps in neighboring Nepal). There, we lived in bamboo huts with mud floors and newspaper-covered walls to keep out the winter cold and rain. We cooked, washed, and used toilets in outdoor communal facilities.

Though refugee life in the camp was miserable, I spent 15 years studying hard, participating in our cultural festivals, playing sports (soccer, table tennis, and Badminton), and volunteering in two organizations helping young children and teens: “Save the Children Forum” and “Youth Friendly Center.” In the United-Nations-run English-language-school where I had a golden chance to study, I was known as a smart and likable student. Though my parents attended only grade school, they inspired me by their example to work hard and discipline myself for a bright future.

Since age six, I loved playing with small paper airplanes with my friends and family. Questions filled my imagination, and I have been curious to find the answers to them and to other questions ever since.

For example, I wondered —

  • How does this paper plane fly? 
  • How can I make it fly higher? 
  • Is it like a real airplane? 
  • How can an airplane fly, but not a car? 

In fourth grade, I learned a bit about engines, and I wondered, how can engines be made stronger so that airplanes can carry more weight? And, in seventh grade, I wondered, why don’t jet airplanes fall because of their huge mass?

I have always loved and excelled in science and math, and have planned on a career related to aviation since I was 14. In 2008, when I was almost 17, I was excited when my family and thousands more got a chance to leave the refugee camps and to resettle in the USA. Finally, I could continue my studies at higher levels and at more rigorous standards.

I am constantly adjusting to new people and different customs, foods, and habits; navigating busy roads and many buildings; and managing language and communication challenges! I am an active volunteer in two of my local community organizations, Bhutanese Community of Georgia and Sewa International and I accompany my family to health care and immigration offices where I translate for them and agency officials.

At Druid Hills High School, I learned a lot about computers, which I had never even seen in the refugee camp, and I discovered the aerospace field through my chemistry teacher and friends. My fellow students come from all over the world, and I love this diverse society. I am practicing to be a careful listener, to speak clearly, and to appreciate and respect differences among my peers and others. I’m steadily improving my English in composition and literature classes and in speaking with American-born friends while working hard to maintain good grades in all my classes, including advanced placement (AP) classes in physics, statistics, calculus, and economics. (The last two years, I earned straight A’s and have been on the Honor Roll.) I am a member of my high school International Club and The National Society of High School Scholars. After graduation, I seek to fulfill my dream to do research, to obtain valuable real-life practical experience, and to study through the doctorate level.

Life circumstances required me to follow a long, nontraditional route toward my goal, and though I am financially poor, mentally, I’m rich! I bring to academic community unique gifts of a refugee student from another hemisphere who can teach and inspire fellow students and others. I’m excited to share my experience, knowledge, culture, traditions, and positive attitudes, and to make an outstanding contribution to the community.

Editor’s notes: The write-up is posthumously adopted from a blog following some revisions by BNS. The original texts were compiled as a motivation letter that late Adhikari submitted to his college while applying for enrollment in last fall.

Also read 
Pitamber Adhikari: “Though I am financially poor, mentally, I’m rich!” 
At Georgia Tech’s Combustion Lab, you’re never too young to learn

VDC secy recommending citizenship to Bhutanese detained

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A Bhutanese citizen who acquired Nepali citizenship and the Nepali VDC Secretary who recommended it have been arrested.

Bhutanese citizen T. Neupane had acquired Nepali citizenship from the Basbitti Jigadiya VDC of Rautahat on April 5, 2007, reports state-owned RSS from Kathmandu.

A refugee living at Beldangi refugee camp in Damak of Jhapa, Neupane had been recommended as permanent citizen of Basbitti Jigadiya-5 by then VDC Secretary Rambrikshya Chaudhary.

His citizenship number 323082-46 was signed by then citizenship distribution team leader Nawaraj Chapagain, added the report.

An investigation into the alleged act of forgery has been initiated following the arrested of Bhutanese citizen Nepal and VDC Secretary Chaudhary, police inspector at the District Police Office, Rautahat, Hari Nandan Chaudhary said.

Two aspiring parties obtain registration at EC

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Two aspiring political parties -Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party and Druk Chirwang Tshogpa -have finally obtained official registration from the Election Commission of Bhutan.

The scenario has clarified that number of political parties for 2013 general election race will be four for now.

The ECB stated that Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party is formed by a group of 253 registered voters representing the 20 Dzongkhags, while Druk Chirwang Tshogpa has 233 voters.

Bhutan-China Border Mismatch

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Bhutan-China Border Mismatch

Bhutan shares 470 km border with China in North and 605 Km with India in East, South and West.  To a giant China and tiny Bhutan it is 2 and 44 percent of their total border length, respectively. Today the two neighbors have disputes over 4500 sq km of land in patches in western and northern part of Bhutan.

Bhutan perceived the friction with China after latter took over Tibet in 1959. While China has border disputes with most of her 13 neighbors, relation with Bhutan has been out of bound to media. Maintaining silent diplomacy between the two countries, progress in delineation of the borders is done under most careful scrutiny of the governments. Regardless of the strategies chosen to ease out the cartographic friction, both governments have been claiming success to their mistakes.

Bhutan, under the patronage of India, began border talks with China in 1972 and continued until 1984. Thereafter, the Chinese side insisted on making the talks free of direct Indian influences.  The situation came to hostility in 1988 when China began exercising her authority over the Chumbi valley, a plateau where strategic interests of India, China and Bhutan meet, if not overlap.

There are 7 regions where both Bhutan and China’s claims overlap. The most disputed remains the Doklam plateau in western Bhutan adjoining Yadung province of Tibet autonomous region. Since 1988, China has been proposing an exchange of pies. During the tenth round of Bhutan-China border talk held in Beijing in 1996, China offered to exchange 495 sq km area of Pasamlung and Jakarlung valleys (Where China and Bhutan overlap) in Bhutan’s north for Sinchulumpa, Dramana and Shakhtoe with total area of 269 sq km, in the western Bhutan.  On July 13, 1997 BBC reported that Bhutan accepted the proposals. Bhutan, alone cannot take decision to share this pie, since Doklam plateau and Chumbi valley are equally vital for India. Subsequent bilateral talks yielded no results. China began construction of roads and infrastructure in these regions [Photo1]. It led to a decisive Sino- Bhutan agreement in 1998 called “Agreement on The Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility in the Bhutan- China Border areas-1998”.

Photo1 taken on 2008: The construction of roads by Chinese authority in the disputed region in western Bhutan. The further extension of the road construction has paused but the upgrading and maintenance is going on

In 2007, without having rational discussion on such important matter as the disputed border, Bhutan government published a revised map of the country excluding Kulakangri (KK), the tallest mountain of Bhutan, truncating the glacial reserve of mountain ecosystem in Bhutan Himalaya.  There was no official response from China. Google map shows this region in the north with red lines (MAP0). In this altruistic attempt, Bhutan ‘generously’ ceded mountain KK (1754m) to China. The first sitting of the parliament under the fifth monarch that signed and rectified a palace drafted constitution thus inked the loss of territory for good. This has not solved the border issue with china.

Map 1: Google map shows the region excluded by Bhutan since 2007 with red in the North. The red marked region in the west is still under dispute
Photo 2: Kula Kangri 7,538 m in the Northern Gasa, Bhutan what was made to no man’s land since 2007, after excluding it from the map of Bhutan

As long as China cannot have 100 sq Km of Doklam in West, no other gift seem to please her. As the differences kept growing, China kept increasing her claim deeper down the northern border. Now diplomatically challenged Bhutan is left with too many creases to iron. Bhutan’s parliament, the responsible body to decide the border remains misinformed with responsibilities spilled off.

The Bhutanese parliamentarians are only informed that after excluding KK (Photo2) there are three regions under controversy with China (MAP1). The map, China has been using to claim the area within Bhutan, is kept away from their research and literary truth. Chinese claim map shows seven controversial overlapping regions (MAP2).

Map 1: Google map shows the region excluded by Bhutan since 2007 with red in the North. The red marked region in the west is still under dispute
Map2: A deformed map of Bhutan showing the region of differences, presented to the parliamentarians. The rhino horn in the northern Gasa was removed since 2007

1) Mountain ridge from Batangla to Merukla/Merugla upto Sinchela; 2) The mountain ridge from Sinchela to River Amo; along River Amo from River Amo to its confluence with River Langmarpo;

3) Region along the River Langmarpo from the confluence of River Lang-marpo and River Amo up to the confluence of Docherimchang; along River Rong from River Docherimchang confluence to Gomla; Gomla ridge from Gomla to Pankala, and Pankala ridge from Pankala to Dramana ridge; Dramana ridge from Dramana to River Tromo and River Zhiu confluence, River Zhiu from River Tromo- River Zhiu confluence to Lungkala; 4) The mountain peaks from Lungkala across Tremola, Jhomolhari, Wagyela, Gankar Punsum, Monla Karchung to Dompala; 5) The Paksamlung mountain peaks from Dompala to Chhoigongla, Yanjula and Neula upto Tshozam along; 6) The Menchhuma boundary from Tshozam upto Bodla and 7) along the mountain peaks, east from Menchhuma.

The Chinese claim is much more in area and specificity. She claims 7 regions from West to East. If Bhutan fails to handle China or if China succeeds to achieve her claims, Bhutan will lose up to 4500 Sq Km or more than 10 percent of the total land.  Until 1990, the total area of Bhutan was 47,000 sq km. It is much less today. It may be noted that in 2008, each member of the parliament was requested to discuss the issue and reach to a conclusion at the earliest

  • The sources of the maps and photos are kept confidential on request of the provider

Editor’s Note : Govinda Rizal, originally from Lodrai, Gayglegphug is one of the Contributing Editors of the Bhutan News Service. He writes about the Bhutanese people in the country and in exile, and about Bhutan’s international border. He blogs at: http://redroom.com/member/govinda-rizal  

BNS 2012: Deeds and Challenges

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It has been a long and strenuous effort on part of BNS volunteers to make the news agency keep with its effort to inform and interlink the Bhutanese Diaspora. The year 2012 made BNS almost to dip down or liquidate the agency, had it not been for the community volunteers who came up instantaneously to support the media and keep its light flickering. We are in paramount debt to those generous donors who helped BNS breathing to full life.

BNS also had to make unexpected and undesired choices to maintain the integrity and ethical posture of being a media house of all Bhutanese far and wide. There were internal ripples to drift away some useful talents and shape its own course of line in duty. Yet, there is strong urgency felt within to keep the trained manpower in the team spirit.

A lot of the news reporting could not be confirmed and posted on time, due to lack of follow up time. Some news could not be reported at all, because of poor intra-community interaction and communication. A suicidal death case in Wisconsin, reported vaguely by the relatives, could not be posted in BNS and we feel sorry about that. At the time when the status of suicide report among resettled Bhutanese in US was being circulated among the media persons and community leaders, a youth in Cincinnati OH, committed suicide during the great festival of Deepawali.

In camp, the fire victims and the plight of non-registered refugees have been the spotlight of this year’s news report in BNS. Fire in Sanischare and Beldangi camps attracted attention from the resettled folks. BNS volunteers in camp and Kathmandu remained in the forefront to garner support for the fire victims and treatment of hunger strikers, although not the mission of BNS or BMS. UNHCR stopped distribution of vegetables in camps for the people to fend for themselves.

Reporting from within Bhutan has always remained a challenge. This year few places in the southern border got alarmed by the bomb blast and kidnapping.  People of Nichula, Gelephu and Sarpang have taken to routine night patrol, as a measure to curb the growing insecurity in the area. Buses plying in Gelephu-Sarpang road in the evening hours are completely shut down for security reasons.

 Wangdi Dzong was razed to ashes by fire destroying the valuable antiques. BNS has been making informal contacts in Bhutan to confirm the very hot news, but not always to get positive outcome. BNS had an opportunity to talk to some sources in Bhutan in later half of 2012, updating on current happenings.

Census and fake citizenship became issue in Sipsu where six men and women are taken to police custody on the charge of processing for citizenship cards unlawfully.

The legal battle between the two constitutional bodies, ACC and OAG, dominated fairly well all Bhutanese media. Gyalpozhing remained the bone of contention where ACC findings suggested the high-level officials and Ministers involved to be suspended.

Election 2013 is hot topic in Bhutan, but much of the electorate is unaware of who is who and what comes with 2013 election. News parties beset to register with the election commission are trying to fight the survival battle in the upcoming general election, but have very few political agenda of national importance.

The SAFMA Bhutan chapter released the South Asia Media Monitor 2012 yesterday in Thimpu which described the situation of press freedom in Bhutan not as bleak and threatening as in Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or even in Nepal.

People in the southern districts are enjoying the Puran now underway in Gomtu Bhutan. Residents of  Sarpang and  Kalikhola and the vicinity had already gathered to listen to the Hindu Puran.

A father and son moment

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Teachers separated by a generation share the glory of royal recognition

Father Sher Bdr Pradhan and son Kumar Pradhan (Picture Courtesy : Kuensel)

National Order of Merit (Gold): A few days before the National Day celebrations, a son teaching at Ugyen Academy in Punakha called up his father, also a teacher at Dorokha, Samtse.

“I’m going to receive an award from the King on National Day for being a good teacher,” he had said, barely able to suppress the excitement he felt inside.

The father, on the other end, feeling twice the excitement his son did, had to pause for a moment before echoing the news.

“So am I,” he told his son in an open jubilation.

They rejoiced in the news on the phone, and it was not long before the rest of the family members living in Samtse were roped in.

“What sheer coincidence this one and rare,” the father, Sher Bdr Pradhan, 58, said, the National Order of Merit (Gold) medal neatly pinned on the mathra gho he was wearing, along with a metal badge of His Majesty on the left side of his chest.

His 33-year old son, Kumar Pradhan, who was also wearing the medal, said the joy he felt doubled on learning his father was also going to receive the honour.

“Deep down, I always felt he deserved the award more than me, having taught for more than three decades,” he said, adding he was initially going to take the medal for his father, had he not been among the recipients.

Having been in the education sector for the last almost 36 years, choosing to teach in remote schools where many loathed to, Sher Bdr said he wished to continue teaching as contract teacher after superannuation this December end.

“I wish to continue teaching in whichever remote part of the country that is wanting of a teacher,” he said. “That’s where we can make a real difference, imparting what little we know where it’s required most, and this is what the medal indicates I do.”

Sher Bdr began his career in teaching since 1977.

He started the Tsamang school in Mongar, and headed it for nine years, following which he went to Gomdar primary school in Samdrupjongkhar, where he was the headmaster for five years.

There on, he taught at Buli primary school in Zhemgang for another eight years, before coming to Dorokha lower secondary school, where he has been teaching for the last 11 years.

Today, Sher Bdr speaks almost all dialects of the many communities he chose to teach at, from Khengkha to Sharchopkha to Kurtoepkha.

Kumar Pradhan, who studied up to Class X in Khaling, said, it was probably his father’s influence that fostered this passion for teaching.

“When I was in class X, my father would have me teach primary students,” he said, although, after his graduation from St Joseph’s college in Darjeeling in 2002 with a degree in B Com, he wished to become an accountant.

“My father asked me to try teaching once, which I did, I enjoyed it and, before I knew, 10 years have passed in this noble profession,” he said. “I may not be an accountant, but I’m teaching accountancy.”

A valuable lesson he emulated from his father, Kumar said, was to teach from the heart.

“He’d always say the valuable lessons a teacher imparted to students would accumulate interest over the years, so long as it came from the heart,” he said. “I’ve been doing just that and what a way to be recognised; on a National Day, by the King with a medal.”

Kumar Pradhan said he would continue teaching from the heart, which entailed he keep updating his content of the subject he taught, and focus on his delivery of them to his students.

“I have expectations to meet, that of the King, my father and my students, besides my own and I’ve strong conviction that’ll fulfill them,” he said.

Adopted from the Kuensel

Bhurtel nominated as new chair to lead Utah community

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The first meeting of the freshly elected Bhutanese Community in Utah nominated Mukti Bhurtel, 30, as the new Chairperson to the organization’s board of directors, Saturday, at a local LDS church in Salt Lake city, Utah.

Mukti Bhurtel (Picture : Khem Kafley/BNS)

Bhurtel has been an active board member since the incorporation of the organization and has served as Vice President and Public Relation Coordinator for the two consecutive years.

“The citizenship education, employment for all, Nepali Language classes for children and activities to preserve culture will be our focused programs during my tenure,” Bhurtel told the Bhutan News Serving, announcing his future programs.

The BCU also pledged to work on driver education for those who have little English.

As per the Chairperson, the board would work to support the venerable families, empower the community by organizing trainings and workshops on communications, alcoholism, domestic violence, and conflict management. The board has a budget of some US $ 18,000 (RSO grant) and additional US$ 5,000 as community funds.

Likewise, portfolio distribution for the remaining members in the organization board included Kedar Dhakal (Chief Secretary), Bhim Kumari Sapkota (Treasurer), Chudamuni Dulal (Press and Publicity), Dina Rizal (Public Relation), Harka Biswa (Culture), and Yogesh Regm (Youth & Sports Secretary).

The Board meeting also decided to form different committees viz women and children, youth and sports, and culture, and an advisory board to support the smooth functioning of community organization within next 15 days.

The BCU was formed as a non-profit organization in 2009.

BCAST donates AUD 1000 to fire victims

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The Bhutanese Community Association of Southern Tasmania Inc. (BCAST) said it has donated AUD 1072.74 (equivalent to Rs 93,000) to recent fire victims of Beldangi-II camp.

“We have wired collected money to Caritas Nepal earlier today,” the organization Chairman Ganga Thapa told Bhutan News Service, Sunday.

According to Thapa, donation was collected from resettled Bhutanese from Southern Tasmania and two local schools – Moonah Primary School and Cosgrove High School.

UK Bhutanese holds Gurudham

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Lhasama Khelne, Lama Hun Ma! Jadau Parameshwora!!

The Summer Solstice has just passed and it’s a time for Udhauli Puja according to the part of Bhutanese culture. The Bhutanese Welfare Association in the UK Sunday conducted a Gurudham performed by three Jhankris.

Jhakris and observers during the Gurudham in UK

Close to 9 a.m. in the morning, the community members from several cities gathered at Stamford Hall in Ashton, Greater Manchester. Some of the members, specially living in Ashton, constructed Thaan (a temporary temple where the Jhankris revere their Gurus and perform the ceremony).

 Dilli Ram Pokhrel and Shiva Lal Dhimal, two Jhankris dressed up into their costumes and started the performance. After a short break, another Jhankrri Dik Bir Dhakal joined the duo and the performance continued for about six hours with a few breaks in between.

Several community members from different counties, present as audiences were seen chatting on several topics.

The topic they talked at length was taking the culture together in the new country along with integration and adjusting themselves in the new environment.

‘We have brought a new culture to the new home’ said Pandi Tara Nidhi Niraula, as he explained the reason why the event was conducted. ‘Our culture and tradition is our identity and should get continued in the best way possible’.

‘We made no sacrificial offerings but offered just fruits to the demigods’ told three Jhankris in the same tone.

The audiences were served with tea, juices and rice pudding.

Closing the event, Programme Director of the Association, Prem Giri, expressed gratitude to the community members who rendered support to make the Gurudham successful.

‘We are committed to preserve our culture and impart it to the future generation. The success of today’s programme has inspired us to do much better in the days to come’ said Giri.

He further added, ‘Each society is diverse in its culture and respect to any of its forms means growing every individual and society as a whole’.

The Bhutanese Welfare Association in the UK has been carrying out various religious and traditional events despite being one of the youngest diasporic groups compared to the Bhutanese communities in other resettlement countries.

Lexingtonion Bhutanese welcome 2013

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Two of the eldest members of Bhutanese community were honored amidst a function held on December 29 in Lexington, KY of the United States.

Eldest community members honored by guests and chairman (Photo : Tulsi Upreti / BNS)

Honored citizens were Mon Bahadur Monger and Hari Maya Dhungana, both in their eighties.

Coinciding with the celebration of New Year 2013, the program featured different cultural dances, songs and other performances.

Attending the program, Barbara Kleine , Director of Kentucky Refugee Ministries-Lexington expressed her best wishes and also thanked the resettled Bhutanese community for making Lexington a better place.

Meghnath Mishra and Amber Darjee anchored the program attended by some 150 community members.

Closing the program, Buddha Adhikari, Ppresident of Bhutanese Community of Lexington extended vote of thanks to everyone who provided supports for making the program successful.

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