Why Not to Sign ‘Let’s Bring Sonam Home’

The Bhutan Employment Overseas (BEO) which was renewed by the government in the year 2018 was unlawfully as per the Anti-Corruption Commission’s finding. The Bhutanese wrote that BEO’s so called ‘Learn and Earn’ resulted in 2 deaths, 2 paralysis, 2 mental breakdowns, 30 TB cases and 1 coma (Sonam Tamang) beside monetary fraudulence. 593 students and their parents hired a lawyer named Ngawang Tobgay whose investigation leads to arrest of 2 owners of BEO. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs even asked the Labour Ministry for a clarification on about the Director General’s letter to Honorary Consul in Japan regarding Sonam Tamang’s case. The BEO’s ‘Learn and Earn’ turn out to be one of the widely discussed topics on social media.

27 year old Sonam Tamang who graduated Business Studies from Gedu College in 2016, the same year when BEO was established, is in Coma as a result of ‘Learn and Earn’ program. As per her brother’s statement she was kept inside an intensive care unit of hospital at Fukuoka from the time when she suffered from TB and Meningitis. Since government decided to pay Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for only 20 days to the mother and brother of Sonam Tamang, Namgay Zam, the Executive Director of Journalist Association of Bhutan (JAB), successfully collected Nu. 1.8 million and 2475 AUD after launching a fund drive in social media to support the spending of patient’s family while in Japan. On reaching to Japan, the story had an ugly twist when the victim’s mother and brother were under the surveillance of Support for New Departure (SND), the partner agent of BEO.

More to be worried is not how Sonam Tamang’s mother is in Japan, but the recent online petition ‘Let’s Bring Sonam Home’ targeting 5000 signatures. As of now (11:46 AM BST, 07/08/19) 2984 people signed and the count is climbing ever hour. Bhutan annually refers about 700-800 patients to Kolkata and about 300-400 to Vellore due to lack of specialized care center (Kidu Foundation, 2019). So, how can one think of flying her back home when 99.9% of her brain cell was declared to be dead? Do we have required medical technology and professionals to save her? If not, why sign a petition? Forget about the advance technology, JDWNRH, the country’s only National Referral Hospital is in short of bed and space. And do you still want to bring Sonam home? As per Kuensel, a man evacuated from Japan to India paid USD 170,000 (nearly equal to 11.85 million), and image how much Bhutan has to pay. The money for hiring air ambulance can be used to pay the spending of patient’s family in Japan. For the fund drive, Namgay Zam consulted Sonam’s mother and how come without even knowing the wills of her family signed a petition to bring Sonam home under such medical condition?  “I wish to bring her back home like how she came to Japan without any sickness. I would be happy to bring back Sonam fully recovered,” is what Sonam’s mother said to The Bhutanese over the phone.

Having read the petition, Ngawang Tobgay, the parent’s committee lawyer has written to the one who started the petition on why not bring Sonam back home but from thereon the former gets dragged on social media. But more disturbing is the Facebook post by the petition signer which reads “A newspaper has reported that Dhan Maya’s wish is to treat Sonam Tamang in Japan. Cheers. The petition will stand and be submitted to the government for other aspects of the petition.” Really? There is a word 'compassion' which if applied in wrong place at the wrong time will bring grave result. What is compassion? Who is compassionate, Namgay Zam for fund raising or she for ongoing a petition even after knowing the wishes of the patient’s mother. Let the compassion not be of sheep’s horn. Japan is best for Sonam than Bhutan, so please don’t support and sign such petition to bring her back home. I pray for the quick recovery of Sonam.

link of the petition for kind reference

https://www.change.org/p/government-of-bhutan-let-s-bring-sonam-home?recruiter=159647289&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=f622bda9-11f1-4d93-b163-56fc515aae51&utm_content=starter_fb_share_content_en-us%3Av7&fbclid=IwAR2rgceBvv7upyas-z5_UtB6ftVyEafHlnLVV88G6Oox-OUtsZs1_qtAT9Q&use_react=false

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World Ranger’s Day

They climbed through deep snow & reached high in the mountains,

Where airs are thin & grounds are freezing.

One was making the rounds for caterpillar fungus & the other was counting the big snow cat.

But the two heroes of the woods couldn’t make their way back home, for they were consumed by the mountains.

No more to be seen or heard, the most beautiful souls gave away their lives to guard riches of the nature.

They drove through the heavy rain & reached low in the foothills,

Where rivers are swelling & grounds are scorching.

One squad of ten men was returning to their base & other of six was making the regular rounds.

But ten heroes of the woods couldn’t make their way back home, for the Guerrillas took them by surprise with a booby trap & bullets.

No more to be seen or heard, the bravest hearts fought until their last breath to guard riches of the nature.

They hiked through the thick cloud & reached in the center of dense woods

Where cliffs stand thousand feet tall & the sky is darkening.

One was looking for the safest route & others were reading the signal

But one hero of the woods couldn’t make his way back home, for he went tumbling down the cliff.

No more to be seen or heard, the dedicated leader of the squad was buried when guarding the wild riches.

No matter in which cardinal directions they dwell, the stories of fallen & standing heroes of woods are of sad and subdued genre.

Being outnumbered sometimes they were pelted with stones & threatened with knives by poachers & loggers.

Being not equipped well sometime their lives are taken away by the wild animals they protect.

However, they have no time to look back into the lowliness of past.

For the glory of future they have to guard the garden of wilds

Footnote: In the year 2019, Department of Forest & Park Services detected 1911 numbers of offences of which illegal logging was the highest with 795 cases. In so doing, Rangers, the front-line conservation heroes faces life threatening challenges from harsh environments, wild animals and the poachers, smugglers & illegal loggers. In the past two decades, about 21 Rangers died and 11 were injured in line of duty. 

According to Ranger Federation of Asia, over the past nine years, 871 Rangers were killed around the globe when protecting the nature. So, I being a member of Ranger family pay a tribute to all the fallen and standing heroes of wildlife on  ‘World Rangers Day’ which is marked annually on 31st of July.

Fig: Patrolling across the country

Fig: Wildlife rescue & medication

Fig: Some of the forestry  related offences 

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Drametse Lhakhang

Drametse, the peak with no enemy has a monastery resting on the shoulder of steep slope, and is eighteen Kilometers ride from the junction of Monggar-Trashigang highway. The sixteenth century monastery houses the relic stupa (Kudung) of Jetsun Ratna Dharma alias Ani Chorten Zangmo who is to the date acknowledged as the essence of hundred thousand sky-walkers. She was also known by the name ‘Ache Rinchen’ in the writings of Terton Padma Lingpa. The Ruby Rosary; activities of three incarnation lines of Padma Lingpa, which was published in the year 2011 reads that Ani Chorten Zangmo was born to Dungsey Tenzin Choegyal, the son of Gyalsey Sangdak, and so unquestionably was the great granddaughter of Terton Padma Lingpa. The famed hagiographical works of 3^rd Pema Lingpa, Kunkhyen Tsultim Dorje, and the wooden block entreaty of Ani Chorten Zangmo also support the claim. 

She was married to Yeshe Gyalpo from Sumthrang Choeje but having been sick and tired of the cyclic existence, she renounced her family whom she thought were the obstacle to the enlightenment. The other version says that she fled from Bumthang to escape the repeated marriage proposal from the son of Chhokhor Deb (chieftain) Kunthhub. Her brother Chung Kunga Nyingpo and a small number of attendants escorted her during the escape to eastern region of Bhutan. On reaching at Aja-Nye the shell trumpet when blown gave a trifling sound and thereafter the place was named as ‘Dungkhar Choeling’.  The caravan of aforesaid travelers then reached at Brahmitse, the peak which shelters the tribal community of Tawang. In line to the predestination, it was at Brahmitse, the present-day hermitage at Drupchhu where the shell trumpet produced melodious sound. The place from then on became to be known as ‘Drametse’, which literally means the peak with no enemy; a state of total freedom of distraction to pursue dharma.

After a decade and three years of mediation at Drupchu Goenpa, Ani Chorten Zangmo and Chung Kunga Nyingpo established Thechog Namdrol Ugyen Choeling Lhakhang at Drametse in 1511 AD. The oral history says that during the groundwork of the Lhakhang, Ani Chorten Zangmo through her wisdom eye saw a human size caterpillar under a big stone. After eons of suffering under such hell and due to ripening of good Karma, Ani Chorten Zangmo liberated the worm by conducting bonfire ritual. The Lhakhang having been consecrated became the place of worship where thousand petals of Peling tradition blossomed. During the late 16^th century, Chung Kunga Nyingpo’s son Tenzin Jurmey Dorje and grandson Kencho Tenzin extended it into three storey monastery representing three bodies of a Buddha; Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. The upmost floor has the chapel of Pekar, the chief spirit all the Gyalpo class, and in a different chamber has the five sisters of long life. The middle floor has shrine of Palden Lhamo, Tsuimar, Hayagriva, Zhabdrung, and a room of Sutra & Tantra. The ground floor has Guru Rinpoche’s statue and snow lion throne of His Holiness Lhalung Sungtrul Rinpoche, the 11^th Padma Lingpa.

The riches of the monastery include relic stupa (Kudung) of Ani Chorten Zangmo, horn of a horse, the crystal bottle with water said to calculate apocalypse, golden vajra, sacred oyster, Astadasahasrika-prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines) inscribed with golden ink,  and skull (kapala) of Dakini with self-arisen syllables ‘Om Ah Hung’, etc. History of the Dakini kapala dates back to the eighth century. The queen mother had her last breath during the labour but the child was found alive when about to cremate. She was raised by the monkeys, and even developed webbed hands and feet indicating the enlightened characteristic. She was known by the name Sakya Devi and was Guru Rinpoche’s first consort from Nepal. After having received the secret and sacred initiations from Guru Rinpoche at Pharping, she remained as yogini until her nirvana. Her Kapala (skull) was at that time concealed as a treasure at Samye only to be unearthed by Terton Padma Lingpa. This treasure Kapala was later received by Ani Chorten Zangmo as a share of birthright from Tamzhing Choeje and was carried to Drametse during her escape.  

After Ani Chorten Zangmo passed away into small rainbow body, her son (from the marriage with Yeshe Gyalpo at early age) Dhungsey Choewang Dargay started ‘Drametse Choeje’ which blessed with the birth of two successive incarnations of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel; Zhabdrung Jigme Norbu (1831-1861) and Zhabdrung Jigme Chogyal (1862-1904). Prior to the two incarnations, Zhabdrung Jigme Drakpa (1791-1830) was also said to be born at Drametse but his lineage from Drametse Choeje is yet to be known. The Choeje however was ended with Choeje Tenzin as the last heir.

The monastery is also renowned for the origin of twenty one chaptered drum dance of Drametse (Drametse Ngacham), one of the UNESCO’s ‘Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible World Heritage of Humanity’. The orchestra of this mask dance is made of sixteen dancers wearing different masks of real and mythical animals; snow lion, garuda, dragon, yak, leopard, goat, snake, raven, horse, owl, stag, pig, dog, bear, tiger, and ox. In one of the visions of Chung Kunga Nyingpo, the drum dance was initially performed by celestial beings to welcome him at ‘Copper-Coloured Palace’ of Guru Rinpoche. Chung Kunga Nyingpo passed down the choreography of this drum dance at Drametse and in so doing gave it the name ‘Drametse Ngacham’.

There are countless riches, colours, and legends at Drametse which if put on paper would take days and months, so why not stopover at Drametse and walk around to experience its richness? The 5^th, 6^th and 10^th lunar months are the Grade ‘A’ holiday time for you will be able to witness Trelda Tshechu (honouring ceremony of Guru Rinpoche’s Birthday), Tordok (The burning of evil effigy for good harvest and wellbeing of the community), and Kangso Chhenmo (bonfire rituals during the festival eve)  respectively. 

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