It was the first time that I travelled to the highest pass in Bhutan, and probably the first time that I ever crossed the tree line, while still on land. And this is as legitimate as my adult memory allows it to be. It was also the first time that I had ever driven that route. Continue reading The murmur of Prayer Flags
Stop! Don’t Frisk.
When I first read about the frisking of youth after 10PM if found in groups of more than two, I didn’t think it would be too bad. Especially, after I saw some pictures of weapons seized by the cops.
Then I went out on a weekend after the rule came into place, and I didn’t quite like how I felt when I came out of the club. On the one hand, you have the owners of Viva City gifting you a “forever unconditional access” card to the club ( their gift had/ has me floored) inviting you to come out as much as possible, and on the other hand, you are stressing out about being frisked. We were in a group of five that night- all adults, but we could have been “mistaken” for youth.
Who decides?
Husband to be compensated when wife is raped: Coming to terms with a side to Bhutan I don’t like
“If found guilty, the offence would be graded a fourth degree felony, and the men will also be liable to pay compensation to the husband.”
I cannot believe I just read this line in Kuensel. This was stated by the newspaper’s sources (the police) and I cross-checked the Penal Code to ensure that this was true. The men are to be charged with, “Rape of a married woman”.
Maleficent-Love Guru for girls and women
I thought Maleficent would be fun, and that Angelina Jolie would be “productive of harm or evil” as Merriam-Webster, helpfully explained. My friend and I did imagine our own ending fifteen minutes into the film, inspired by its subversiveness and by subscribing to the school of Frozen thought. We didn’t do too badly! This is another story that emphasises how important solidarity among girls and women is, but more importantly that true love does not have to be between a man and a woman.
“There is nothing like True Love”, says a cynical and hardened Maleficent. But, she is capable of true love even after her heart is broken.
“Gazoom” has given me a reason to smile ☺
I went to watch “Gazoom” today. No expectations. At all. At the end of almost 150 minutes, I left the hall with a warm and happy heart. The film did not disappoint. At all.
You are what you eat…from your TV platter
It annoys me that young Bhutanese kids watch a lot of cartoons dubbed in Hindi or in Hindi. I get annoyed not because I believe that the ideal situation is where Bhutanese kids only watch cartoons in Dzongkha, I get annoyed because they do not have a choice.
Or so it seems. Continue reading You are what you eat…from your TV platter
Sherubtse’s filmmakers
The “Sherubtse film industry” has produced about 14 films, so far. This is a group that is constantly changing. Constantly growing. Members have no real experience in filmmaking and no professional equipment. They have, in fact, been sharing/passing down a Nikon and Canon camera (over the years).
Bhutan’s Youth-Friendliness
Are there enough youth-friendly spaces in Bhutan? A straightforward question which, unfortunately, did not elicit a straightforward response from me. Instead, the question turned into my shadow and finally into this: Continue reading Bhutan’s Youth-Friendliness
Finding Me
Finding Me
In the woods
sky above and ground below
feet on a dying tree.
Thirsty leaves drenched
in the wetness of the sky’s love.
Fingers trace a throbbing vein,
brown, green, and the space in between
filled with lines and letters
words and pictures-
characters of a film.
Breaths of time
Sighs of decay
in the moment
trapped…
between here and there.
Stillness between heartbeats
punctuating fleeting permanence.
Have I found the face of Life
Or the soul of Death?
when I think of Her
I think of her
and she laughs at me
from among those sunflowers.
Her hair blows across her face,
her moles are tickled.
It’s in those freckles.
Or the twinkle in her eye.
Her heart is simple.
Honest. Open.
Free.
I wonder
when I’m gone
If
You will think of Me?
GnH (gay n happy) in Bhutan
D is a very good looking 6foot 21 year old. He is intelligent, driven, and also very funny. He wants to be a civil engineer. He is also gay. He is, in fact, the first Bhutanese to tell me that he is gay.
