The Watch Tower still stands Tall and Strong, though it has been turned into a Museum 

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Drinking, a to-do-away culture

It would have been an embarrassing for the Bhutanese team lead by the Health minister attending the 68th session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee meeting in Timor- Leste’s capital, Dili or the Bhutanese citizens should be. It may have been the wise though of the reporter but the kuensel read “ Tobacco use is culturally accepted in Timor Leste, just as alcohol is in Bhutan” . They are comparing our nation’s culture to what tobacco has done to theirs. So is it not time for us to learn? Bhutan, a small country, cannot afford to learn from repeated mistakes but be swift to discover from others’. Drinking may have been culture but the time has come for us to rethink our culture. During those days, drinking was culture, yet people rarely got sick form alcohol. The amount of drink was subsidized by the manual work they had to do. They had to work in the field, defend the crops against the animals, walk, carry and fetch. In short, everything was physical and ma...
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Luck and the Kharam Shing

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 Luck is what we think we deserve to have every time but it is otherwise. People seek interference of seen and unseen forces in hope to have the tinniest fraction of luck. Luck, in laymen term can be defined as absence of bad things happening. according to Chophel (2018),  Kharam means ‘together,’ reflective of the event’s communal nature. It is believed to have evolved from a Bön ritual, and includes a particular wooden structure marked by a phallus. The lucky phallus (Image:Google) In Bhutan, there is a special way to drive away evil and bring luck; having a kharam shing around. It is a phallus craved from wood. The size and the wrathfulness can vary from place to place. Sometimes it is painted on the walls of the homes. The idea may be taboo for the west but it serves a purpose here. According to Kinga. (2005, p.157), kharam shing offsets evil influences and empowers people. It is a common sight to see traditional houses decorated with the kharam . The culture is more e...
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Pemi Tshewang Tashi’s obedience in the context of Hierarchal and social Fabric of the Bhutanese Society.

Pemi Tshewang Tashi’s obedience in the context of Hierarchical and social Fabric of the Bhutanese Society. During the medieval era in Bhutan, different regions were ruled by lords called Penlops and zongpons. The three penlops were of Tongsa, Daga and Paro and the three Zongpons were of Thimphu, Wangdi and Punakha. They were roughly equal in ranks yet all yearned to become the Tongsa penlop for it was very coveted unlike other lords. Jakar Zongpon Choje Pem Tenzin bargained with Tongsa penlop Choje Dunkar Gyeltshen and central government to upgrade his rank from Zongpon to Penlop. The Tongsa Penlop sought the help of Wangdi Zongpon Andruk Nim who sent his chamberlain Pemi Tshewang Tashi and troop to Tongsa. Although he died, he gave birth to one of the best ballads in our country.The birth of the ballad is reflected in The ballad of Pemi Tshewang Tashi; A wind Borne Feather. Dasho Karma Ura’s The Ballad of Pemi Tshewang Tashi: The Wind Borne Feather is one of the fi...
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