Mixed Bags Of Learning - II

"Sir, would you like to buy a bicycle?" came a raspy voice of my vice-principal.

 

Bicycle 🚲 Biiiicyccccleeeeeeeeee 🚲🚲🚲

 

I never thought of it. Not even in my forgotten dreams. However, it was a good idea to experience a new thing in life.

 

He took long to convince us on the benefits and goodness of cycling. On the other hand he cleared that all the bicycles are used by tourists. He also reassured us that it should be like a new one. "Trek Company" is famous for bicycles. He excitedly said, "it is not only cheap but also versatile, smooth, comfortable, lightweight and has an attractive design".

 

I quickly checked the "company" and "brand" on the net. I have also checked its market price, design, height and other accessories. It was appealing in design and seems sexy to give a try once. 

 

I shared my plan with my wife. To make our conversation short and easy, I told her that the company is offering at a cheaper rate and the bicycles are all in good conditions. She agreed on my choice. I thanked her in silence. 

Next day after a discussion we ordered five Trek Bikes; two "Marlin 6", one "Marlin 7" and two "xCaliber 7". The seller assured to send by bus service. After making all the deals, we made an online payment.

 

As agreed, all the five bicycles have safely reached our place. We all were excited! 

 

As I started to learn a few baby steps, some of my friends were already enjoying the full strength of their bicycle. Some of them seemed really good. I saw two of my friends flying in the air with their Marlin 7. 

I got a lot of help, support and encouragement from all my friends which made my bicycle journey easy, comfortable and lively. I didn't feel any odd. Thanks to all of my friends. Some have even supported my bicycle while I learnt to balance my body and paddling. After their help and support, I took a full charge to learn with courage and determination. I had several cuts and scratches on my legs but that did not matter much in my bicycling journey. I did it. I wanted to desperately ride beside them, perhaps, along with them. 

                                             ***

First day, I almost paralyzed my butt and hands. On my second day, I could balance my body and give a few rough paddling. On my third day, I could give better body balance and give more paddling. And on the fourth day, I became quite confident and could independently ride around. I have not only slammed my legs with my pedal but also hurt my butt so much with the saddle. Indeed, my bicycling journey was initially quite crafty but very adventurous, special, unforgettable and indelible in my whole life. 

 

I still have so much to learn and sweat.

Mixed Bags Of Learning

Lately, I have been engaged with many activities. Perhaps, I am learning to stitch lots of different skills altogether –basketball, bicycling, reading, gardening, planting, cleaning, washing and even sleeping. 

 

However, above all these activities, let me share my few weeks of baby steps in basketball. While one time, I had twisted my thumb and another time I had jammed my index finger. It was horribly painful but learning was fun. 

 

It was only in my high school days that I came across this sport. Till then I have just participated in a few inter-class competitions and played a few other games, all "hum-drum". I never thought basketball needed such time and space to learn. As I grew up with the mindset that "academic" is the only means of survival. And never thought that basketball would be this attractive and fun to play and be around with the company of many friends.

 

I always grew up loving this sport. However, I have never got a chance to train myself. I never went deeper to learn the art of this sport. I realized the beauty of this sport during my late high school days, when one of my best friends got many girlfriends and admirers after the inter-class tournament. Throughout my career, I have seen the power of these games, and unite people like no other thing. There is no bar for country, region, race, gender, community, rich and poor. 

I feel sad thinking about my past school days. There wasn't anyone who encouraged and told us the importance of games and sports in life. I am learning all the way from very basic and it's something very odd and tiring at this age. It is not easy to pick up the skills required for the game. Three weeks down, and I have engaged myself seriously into this sport. Slowly I am learning to adjust myself and learning to enjoy the beauty of this sport. Thanks to the online tutorials "Youtube" for a great learning platform and inspiration. There is nothing impossible today. After going through serious practice and online tutorials, I am feeling better, confident and fit. So far I could loosen my belly size and I am expecting this trend to go -beyond. Initially, it was difficult and odd to learn very strange moves but things are improving everyday. However, despite many odds, I have learnt to live my life in a meaningful way. 

 

I practice twice in a day –1 hour each in the early morning and evening.  

 

So far I have learnt some basics in ball dribbling/handling, crossovers, jab, layups, ball balance/controlling and few faking moves. Furthermore, I have also learnt to organize good games, develop hand/finger power and study the opponents. I am still a beginner. 

 

I wish our curriculum had some chance to include a curriculum that focuses on wholesome development. 

I wish more elite (rich) could come up with a sporting academy like most of our private schools, so that our youth get more opportunities to learn and be themselves.  

I wish our curriculum would be like ZEBRA and not like CROW. Games and sports, entrepreneurship, communication skills, tech savvy, cooking, saloon and self-management are overly becoming more attractive jobs in the world today over 9-to-5 jobs. We must ignite the curiosity in learning in our young kids right from the nursery age and not when they attain 17 years or so. 

 

We don't just want our kids to fill up the gap and present themself. We need mixed bags of learning that will secure our nation. This is how we make our nation great. 

 

Three weeks of running after the ball, often twisting and turning the fingers has so far produced little that I can be proud of myself. 

Story of Aila Tshering

It was late autumn of 2014 when I first met Aila Tshering by the roadside. Thereafter, I met her several times during my bird watching expedition. 

Aila Tshering back in 2014-2017

Aila Tshering back in 2014

In a matter of a few years, she became really weak, fragile and in fact old. She is one of the elegant and attractive women I have met around the village. Back then she was strong and talkative. Now she has not only lost her weight but also became forgetful and lost her eyesight. It is equally sad to see that all her hair had turned grey. She can't remember the stories we used to share by the roadside. Perhaps, she used to be my Huckleberry Friend then. 

I used to ask questions on "Birds."

Her answers used to amuse me a lot "the number of birds have declined so much from her childhood days", but she didn't know the reason for it. 

I have shared a few importance of birds to farmers. 

 

Aila Tshering is now 78 years old. She is a tall, fair and beautiful woman with a great personality, to whom I used to share my wilderness so much.

 

However, quite early in her life, she got divorced when her late-son was not even 2 years old. Through all thick and thin, she had sailed well in life; she protected all her property. She continues to live a very independent and a strong life. However, the second phase of life came even harder when she lost her only son who was in his mid-twenties. His death appeared so shocking and at the same time heartbreaking. Since then everything collapsed but not her perseverance and acceptance of life-and-death. Despite all these sorrowfulness in her life, she continued to live each moment of her life meaningfully.

 

However, after a few years of such intense hardship of life spent all alone, the news of the death of her ex-husband shocked and aggrieved her further. Thinking of the past memories and –promises made in heaven have perhaps made her mourn for a couple of days. 

 

                                                       ***

This time I met Aila Tshering-My Old Huckleberry Friend in a different situation. She became very old now. 

 

Once a pretty and fit woman, but now she isn't in a position to keep herself fit and can’t even maintain her poorly built small stone house. She lost all her strength and courage but not her beauty. She does not have anyone to call her own son, daughter or husband. Her house needed a desperate repair. There are two choices -repair an old house or build a new one.

 

To give her shelter and let her happily enjoy life, Dasho Dzongda and his team decided to build a small bamboo mat house for safety reasons and limited time (as summer isn’t very far away).   

 

When I joined the team, the volunteers and DeSuups had already completed around 60 percent of the work. They have already given a promising structure of Aila Tshering's home. Our team continued the work to give a final touch. After two days of intense sweating, we could give the last touch to Aila Tshering's home and finally we could make her smile.

 

As I sat for a quick tea break, I chanced up to listen to her feelings. She already felt happy and lucky. Nevertheless, she feels the past few years have been rather quite hard since her health has deteriorated. 

 

                                                         ***

Her house is located a few meters below Zhemgang-Trongsa highway, which is approximately 12 km towards Trongsa from Zhemgang town. One can spot it on a gentle slope of Pam village under Trong gewog with a majestic view of Tingtibi-Trongsa highway and the East side of the famous Reotala through the little caving window of her new home. One can also have a chance to experience the fresh breeze that rises from the confluence of Wangduegangchu and the Small River that dwells through the valley. Below is the beautiful and fertile valley of Wangduegang and Nimshong village with giant black-mountain as a background, high Kango Pang mountain rises from the base of Mangdechu on the face opposite of her front door and Dangkhar village slightly uphill South. That is where Aila Tshering lives all by herself but so peacefully worshiping the local deity.

 

                                                       ***

Although, one of her cousins from her mother’s side is supposed to look after her legally for assuring all her property but time and situations of him did not favor all time to be by her side. They seldom meet and talk to each other. Along with him, Dasho Ama looks after her welfare. She visits on weekends with some homemade foods and other edible items like rice and cheese. She also washes her clothes and helps her bathe. 

 

I would like to thank Dasho Ama for educating her on how to use the toilet and maintain good sanitation. My gift of a SATO pan toilet was surprising but a promising one. As we finally bid goodbye we also promised to visit her sometime and help anyone like her in the Dzongkhag. It was also a great moment for all of us to help and serve such elderly people. This is how we must build a nation together. 

 

We did everything we could to make her happy, safe, secure and comfortable, like anyone of us; she deserves love, care, compassion, kindness and support from all of us. Whatever may be the fate, rich or poor; she should be remembered forever for she lived her life honestly and sincerely. I pray for her good health and longevity. 

Dzongdhag conferring white scarf to Aila Tshering
for her new house, and we welcomed her inside her new home.

 

Dasho Ama educating her on my SATO pan

Final touchline TEAM, and Dasho Dzongdhag

Photographs Of Second Royal Baby

30^th May (11.01 PM)

Long been silent for the birth of Second Royal Baby due to COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, everything is in very rattling manners – bad economic situation, business closed, education shut, public in despair, a health worker in danger and government anxious.

Deep inside of me is burning and longing to see the Kupar of the Second Royal Child. Every time I surf through my FB expecting some updates on the Royal Baby's photograph. 

For weeks, I have been engaged with the book "under the holy lake" by Canadian author, Ken Haigh, who has once worked as a high teacher around the late 1980's in the eastern region. He has described his 2 years stay in Bhutan and particularly of East so impeccably. 

It was almost 10:47 PM, I was reading through the last chapter and the last lines of his book, "…and yet for me, there is only one place: a green narrow valley in the eastern Himalayas, resting under the influence of a holy lake and an ancient tree, a place that was once my home and is no longer." 

I took the longest breath. Took a short nap. Lost in deep thinking, I thought of the past so much of what the author was trying to say and relate. Like him, I equally feel his heart through his beautifully woven travel journal of Bhutan. It is not easy after all; we all are perfectly the same human-being who do share the same feelings, and same-sized heart, although we come from different regions, have different color and belong to different races. 

After a few moments of flashback and quick nap, I switched onto my FB to update some evening news feed. As I scrolled down my FB, I came across His Majesty's Official FB page with the beautiful Kupar of the Royal Baby nicely wrapped in a beautiful silk brocade (Goetsen) warmed in the arms of the Gyaltsuen, another frame where His Majesty smiling at Royal Baby and our Gyalsay in such a adoring smile and a cheerful face, which shows the unity of the Royal Family. I gazed over the graceful Kupar of His Royal Highness for quite long. It made me smile and happy for the night. Sometimes, you spend a lifetime looking for something and never find it. At other times, that something finds you. And then it is printed forever with you. Such cute is our Royal Baby's face. I am simply lucky a thousand times!!!

Within a few seconds, as far as Australia and the US and middle east, the photographs of our Second Royal Baby filled with joyous lines and comments and best wishes for Their Majesties long life. It was such a relieving moment for all of us to have such an opportunity to see the face of His Royal Highness. Despite such a huge crisis and fear, we were pulled one step closer to unity and happiness. It is yet another milestone in the history of Bhutan. There is no moment like this in the history of ours.  Nevertheless, despite all the differences and pain there is a bond that always unites us is the humble and noble action of our Monarchs who always inspires us to live another beautiful moment of life. 

The photographs of the Royal Baby have charmed many hearts and inspired thousands of others to live every moment of their family life with love, peace and happiness. 

I join the nation in wishing Happy 30th Birth Anniversary to Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen on the 4th of June.