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“Smile ...Stay calm..you are in the kingdom of
happiness” was a sign that welcomed us as we alighted from Druk Air
chartered by Makemytrip flying directly from Bengaluru to Paro, Bhutan.
The land locked mountainous terrain of Bhutan, with its breathtakingly
beautiful wide open valleys, fickle weather, pristinely perennial streams
flowing down the Alpine slopes alongside the highways leading up to the myriad
Buddhist monasteries at every round and bend, inhabited by the simple,
spiritual and ever smiling Bhutanese people... is nothing short of a heavenly
retreat for the leisurely, mountain loving, Ruskin Bond aficionados like my
family!!!
Bhutan with its picturesque Dzongs, vibrant arts
and culture, and its unconventional approach towards sustainability and
development presents a unique and interesting travel experience!! One can’t
compare Bhutan to any other commercially
popular tourist destination, especially with its high value and low impact
policy on tourism. Bhutan is only for the discerning tourist who loves to soak
in the local culture, take in the Buddhist spirituality, enjoy the altitude
changing landscape, and mingle with smiling and soft spoken, national dress
attired local population, and take a cue from the small yet orderly no-traffic-signal
establishment!
As we began the tour from Paro to Thimphu and then
from Punakha back to Paro , what struck us is the unified effort of the
Bhutanese in implementing and internalizing the national policy of Gross
National Happiness (GNH) encapsulating good governance, sustainable socio-economic
development, preservation and promotion of culture and environmental
conservation as four pillars of GNH. Whether it is their Vajrayana school of
Buddhist ideology symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion, or their love
and respect for their king seen in the umpteen
posters and slogans in praise of the People's king along with his family, or strictly
adhering to their national dress of Kira for women and Gho for men, or following the Bhutanese
architectural style in each and every structure that comes up or the friendly
tour guide and driver who was more than willing to open up on life and times in
Bhutan.......... we came back thoroughly enchanted with the land of Druk!!
As we made several stop-overs for shopping at the
Crafts Bazaar in Thimpu, local handicrafts vendors at the Tiger nest base, or
the quaint souvenir shops at Paro, my best souvenir has always been local
children's literature!
Amongst many, we picked up a book that best represents
Bhutanese culture and philosophy. "Heavenly Birds" is a book written
by Pema Gyaltshen , a popular children's writer who has authored many
children's books in Bhutan and the pictures by Chandra S Subba.
This story revolves around one of the most awaited migratory
birds of Bhutan, the black necked cranes that fly into Bhutan, particularly
Phobjikha from Tibet during the winter months. So fascinated are they with the birds, that the
Black Cranes are much revered and their migration into Bhutan is celebrated with the farmers waiting for the
arrival of the black cranes to sow their winter wheat. So much so that people
of Phobjikha have opted to create cable free skies for the black necked cranes!
In this story that doubles up as children's non
fiction on some interesting facts about black neck cranes, it can be seen how
the man-animal-aviary symbiosis is such an intricate part of the Bhutanese
culture.. "Thrung Thrung Thrung......" as the pleasing sound signals
the arrival of black neck cranes from Tibet into the Phobjika valley at the
start of winter, it also means it is time for the locals to plant their winter wheat.
As they spend their winter basking in the picturesque Phobjika valley boasting
of two main rivers, the Bue chhu and Phag Chhu rivers, (representing the snake
and the boar respectively) and the famous Buddhist shrine Gantay Lhakhang, the
locals celebrate their migration into the valley until February when it's time
for them to fly back to Tibet. The book also recounts a legend of an old crane named
Samdhen that is unable to make the journey to Tibet and a few craned decided
to fly to Tibet to get some salt for
Samdhen. As he lay motionless in the middle of the field, he was noticed by a
group of people who poured some water on the crane and with the additional aid of
salt from Tibet, Samdhen was saved. In appreciation for the help from humans,
the cranes formed a circle to perform their last dance and while flying out of
Phobjika, they circle three times above the holy Gantay Lhakhang. Aided with suitable illustrations, this is a story
that beautifully highlights humans living in harmony with nature, which is the
very essence of Bhutanese culture.
