SAJAforum

BHUTAN: Coronation of a new king

While many Americans were celebrating a change of government in the U.S., people in Bhutan were observing the change of an era.

Nestled amid the Himalayas, the isolated kingdom of Bhutan celebrated the coronation of its new monarch Thursday. The Oxford-educated, 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was put into the throne by his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who ruled the country for more than three decades.

The young monarch, who is the fifth king of Bhutan, was crowned at the Chamber of the Golder Throne in the Fort-Monastery in the capital, Thimpu.

From The Times of India:

The palace was packed with hundreds of foreign dignitaries, including India's President Pratibha Patil, ruling party leader Sonia Gandhi and Bollywood stars. It was also surrounded by lines of jubilant locals dressed in their national costumes.

The new king has pledged to maintain his father's unique philosophy of improving "Gross National Happiness," and not common economic indicators, to ensure well-being in the "Land of the Thunder Dragon."

Watch the video on BBC.

The transition in the country's leadership might bring new changes to the country where people lived secluded lives from the outside world. Bhutan had no roads or currency until the 1960s and hadn't been connected to the Internet and TV until 1999.

ECONOMY: Gas Prices in South Asia

Did you know that the Nepalese and Sri Lankans are paying way more in gas prices than the Americans? Portfolio magazine has this cool interactive that tells you the gas prices around the world by region.

Check out the prices in South Asia.(Click on the Central, West and South Asia button once on the page)

Here is the complete list of prices:

Afghanistan: $2.30
Pakistan: $4.02
India: $4.94
Nepal: $5.51
Sri Lanka: $5.52
Bangladesh: $4.82
Bhutan: $3.91

For some reason, Portfolio does not have the Maldives on the map.

The gas price in the United States is listed as $3.73. The highest price is in the Gaza Strip ($26.5) and then the Netherlands ($9.97). The lowest price is in Venezuela ($0.12) followed by Iran ($0.41).

Note that not all the prices were recorded on a single month.

Please post your comments below.

BHUTAN: WSJ looks at Bhutan's Gross Domestic Happiness

Bhutan's Gross National Happiness has gotten some publicity over the years. Today, it gets front-page attention in the Wall Street Journal. From "Smile Census: Bhutan Counts Its Blessings" by Peter Wonacott:

THIMPHU, Bhutan -- If you're happy and you know it, and you happen to be Bhutanese, Karma Tshiteem might like a word with you.

Mr. Tshiteem is the new head of the Gross National Happiness Commission for the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. It's his job to figure out how to boost morale as this long-isolated country hurtles toward modernization.

Developed in the 1980s by Bhutan's fourth king, Gross National Happiness, or GNH, is a Bhutanese twist on Gross Domestic Product. Up till now, it has not represented an actual dollar figure, but rather, a fuzzy set of principles on the environment and culture. It has produced unique policies, such as a smoking ban, strict limits on deforestation and a dress code.

Now, GNH is about to face a series of big tests. On Monday, Bhutan will hold its first democratic election. That will install a parliament, pass a new constitution and dilute the powers of a popular monarch. Later this year, Bhutan plans to join the World Trade Organization, even though its industry comprises little more than high-end tourism and hydroelectric power.

[Read the rest of the piece here.]

In same edition of the WSJ, Stan Sesser has a piece about the official end of smoking in the kingdom:

As Bhutan sets about measuring the kingdom's happiness levels, one group might not be smiling: smokers.

Each year, countries around the world are putting more restrictions on cigarettes, heaping new taxes and health warnings on top of limitations on where they can be smoked and how they can be advertised. But Bhutan has taken the ultimate step -- banning the sale of all tobacco products.

Read the rest of the piece here. Post your comments below.

 

ARTS: Bhutanese art exhibit in Honolulu

The Honolulu Academy of Arts in Hawaii has put together a three month-long exhibition - "The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan" - where over 100 sacred items from Bhutan (which are on loan to the Academy by Bhutanese government) will be put on display.

From the exhibition website:

Visual expressions of Buddhism from Bhutan on view in the exhibition include painted and textile thangkas, sculptures, and ritual items. Works of art date from the 8th century to the 20th century, with especially strong examples of painting and sculpture from the 17th through the 19th centuries, a golden age in the Buddhist art of Bhutan. Works in The Dragon’s Gift were selected for outstanding aesthetic accomplishment and wide iconographic scope. Nearly all of the items in the exhibition required conservation. The Academy-led conservation program has already restored hundreds of works of art and is training a new generation of conservators, primarily monks charged with the responsibility of caring for sacred objects.

Here is an article from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin about the exhibition, which will include some of the oldest masterpieces from Bhutan's old Buddhist monasteries.

"Because the art of Bhutan is so poorly published, ours is the first attempt at presenting the kingdom's art history," says Stephen Little, director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, which organized the exhibit over a five-year period beginning in 2003. "When we started, we didn't know what would be in the show. We didn't know what was there. We were starting from scratch."

The exhibition is also planned for New York, San Francisco and couple of other international cities.

For more information on the gallery, exhibition and Buddhist art, click here.

BHUTAN: Bomb blast attempts to disrupt historic poll next month

It seems like the most peaceful South Asian nation could be slowly slipping towards chaos. Within weeks of a series of bomb blasts, including one in the capital city of Thimpu, Bhutan has been rocked by yet another bomb blast in the southern city of Samste.

Bhutan has geared up for elections after declaring a move towards democracy from the century-long absolute monarchy. According to Reuters, the bomb blasts are meant to threaten Bhutan's first parliamentary polls scheduled for March 24. 

The United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan (URFB), a newly formed armed group fighting for the rights of ethnic Nepalis exiled in 1991, claimed responsibility for the blast, warning of more attacks unless the March 24 elections were cancelled.

"It is the beginning of our struggle against the regime and it will continue till we achieve our goal," Karma, who identified himself as the commander-in-chief of the URFB and used one name, said in a statement.

Many ethnic Nepalis (also called Lhotshampas) who live in southern Bhutan, are not allowed the right to vote. Over 110,000 of these people are living as refugees in India and Nepal. Bhutan has roughly 675,000 people, according to a 2005 census. Asia Times reports that these bomb blast could be a simmering reminder of the refugee crisis.

Here is a website on Bhutanese refugees (maintained by PhotoVoice and Bhutanese Refugees Support Group).

URFB, Bhutan Tiger Force, Bhutan Maoists Party and Communist Party have been demanding the rights of ethnic Nepalis to vote in the polls.

Please post your comments below.

Earlier on SAJAforum:

• MSN's top place to visit in 2008 and a move to democracy
  

BHUTAN: MSN's top place to visit in 2008 and a move to democracy

We don't often get to post items about Bhutan, so it's nice to be able to post two positive news items about the Himalayan kingdom.

First, Bhutan (see official site) is listed as the no. 1 place to visit in 2008 by MSN in its "Top Places to go in 2008."

Cradled by the majestic Himalayas in a remote corner of Southern Asia, the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” has long held steadfast to its rich culture and Buddhist heritage. Though an isolated locale and high tourist entry tariffs (of up to $200 per person per night) keep crowds at bay, these factors have also permitted this last Shangri-La to keep its traditions intact. And, while the Kingdom of Bhutan is charging ahead into the 21st century (thanks largely to the advent of hydroelectric power), they consider happiness a better gauge of accomplishment, with a nationwide poll in 2002 reporting only 3 percent of the population feeling down. If the lush valleys and snowcapped mountains, ancient temples and monasteries, and expansive markets full of cheerful locals haven’t lured you to Bhutan yet, reconsider in 2008, when the 101st anniversary of the country’s monarchy will be commemorated by a year-long celebration.

If that's not enough to tempt you to pay a visit, here are some gorgeous pictures of Bhutan from the archives of National Geographic magazine.

Second, Bhutan is gearing up for the election of the upper house after declaring a move towards democracy from the century-long absolute monarchy. Last year, King Jigme Sigme Wangchuk decided to hand power to an elected government, shortly before he passed his throne to his Oxford-educated son Jigme Khesar Namgyal.

This news comes on the heels of the news from Nepal that the world's only Hindu kingdom is on its way to  abolishing its monarchy.

Post your thoughts below.

Earlier on SAJAforum:

• TRAVEL: Only one South Asian location in NYT's "53 places to visit in 2008"