Life in the fast lane

If you remember what Virus (Boman Irani) said in 3 idiots, “Remember life is a race, Agar teez nahin bahgo ghe toh koi tuhme kuchal key agay nikal jayega”. Drawing from this famous speech in the movie, look around you! Hustle and hurry, is the new normal. Stay home stay safe-doesn’t really get into the heads of people. Every evening as I bid my time off to the days work, I see lots, literally lots jogging and solo walking. This Covid thing has made people come out in the evenings and all too much worried about health. That is good news by our standards, at least!

Initially, masks and sanitizers were in trend now only countable are seen with those. The weekend crowd has increased in numbers and the cars as well. I sometimes wonder if Covid 19 stay home, stay safe should have been for cars explicitly. Shops are now beginning to open up and youngsters have come out. This only means the covid-19 fear is loosening at least in Thimphu. I hear places other than the capital are strict with the government law enforcement. The cars outnumber people in all places.

Parents want the schools reopened, officers want to resume their tours, Facebook users here wants the Drangpon’s wife punished, many accuse the people patrolling our nights of knocking unnecessary doors, the price of smoke has sky rocketed a 120 Nu. pack now costs 380. A man with a sack full of it was apprehended near the CFM, while the SJ Dzongkhag has allowed the import lawfully and legally.

All the more, cars predominantly tops life in the fast lane. Parking has become a new hassle once again and the talks of cars is the new trend once again. Cars on the roads are increasing by the day when covid-19 positive cases are also increasing by the day.

Come on folks, make it slower! The only good thing that has happened for now at least is the fuel price, no wonder the Lungtenzampa parking has expensive cars with teen drivers in the evenings congregating. The so-called patrolling doesn’t see them. Our country now is a driving culture with all of us loving cars. No wonder the Americans coined the expression ‘Life in the fast lane’. They also coined another ‘fork in the road’ for everyone to learn and not repeat what they regretted doing.

‘3 idiots’ was for entertainment, ‘stay-home stay-safe’ was for safety and well being of everybody, life in the fast lane was for the westerners and not for us because we surely will hit fork in the road. We must decide to stay in the fast lane or slow down to possibly have a longer and meaningful life. Some never listen and some never learn. For those in the fast lane, slow down a bit before you hit the end of the road.

PS# This update was inspired by the late Glenn Frey’s song, Life in the fast lane from the Eagles. RIP Glenn!

A conscious attempt to honor our oneness for Covid-19!

Spirituality and thinking about self-reflection come once in a blue moon to me. I am being honest in my time for spirituality and I appreciate the ones who do it religiously and hence the maxim-do it religiously.  Now that some professional work is at ease for now, we sneaked some time as suggested by Ata Apple to the Tango University of Buddhist Studies, Dordena for a special three-day ཚེ་དབང་། 

There, we had the opportunity to be in the audience of both the Je Khenpo and the Gyalsay Trulku. A blessing perhaps for some spiritual cleansing in these times., the Covid-19 times. I am sure people will make visits and remember folks today is Day One. Also, in attendance was one of the Four Lopens, pardon me I forgot which of the four.

Be mindful of the Druk Trace App and to maintain some physical distance as well because, the men in blue keep a close watch on the line, sanitizers and the gun- like digital Thermometer. The three-day long Tshe-Wang is presided over by…you knew it… (in the first sentence, 2nd paragraph!)

After the audience and after some prostrations, we went round the whole sanctum-sanctorum only to be met by this smiling girl. Tshering Pelden and she is one of the youngest bloggers in Bhutan. She blogs at www.peldenwrites.wordpress.com. So, just a reminder to those who seek spiritual solace to make a visit to the Dordena University and I am sure you will. Until then, stay-safe and wash your hands. I now see the hand washing trend diminishing than when it appeared first. Well, do make a visit as we consciously  attempt to honor the oneness of being uniquely Bhutanese to fight off the dreadful Covid-19 pandemic. 

Once again stay-safe folks.

Weekend Worthy of a Hike

Hello Everyone! I didn’t stop blogging or writing for that matter but took a year long vacation from writing. Just this weekend I paid a visit to a site where Guru Rimpoche is said to have meditated for some time. It is called Dom Tshang as in Taktshang. I hope the name’s correct.

I was there at the invitation of my friend Yeshi and family. I have been a Thimphu resident for 5 years now and I have never been to Bjemina except on one occasion to the hospital. I read about the stone quarry and brick factory mostly in the papers and that was it.

The way up!

Entrance to the Ney

Well, what am I doing here? I volunteered for the video lessons for e-learning and now that’s being done already, I and a couple of teachers are working for SIM-Self Instructional Materials. These are for the children who do not have access to BBS TV or the internet in these dreadful times. I mean these Covid-19 times. Amphan did severe damages in the Indian sub-continent as per the news and here, incessant rains made people stay indoors. We are about to wrap-up the SIM and works related to it are becoming lighter by the day-becoming lighter is an understatement though.

Yeshi and Family

Yeshi and his family had some pork curry made and after devouring a plateful of the sumptuous lunch we headed for the Ney. Here are some picture of the weekend made worthy of the hike.

Prayed for those 24 affected in the isolation room and also for those affected by Amphan. While climbing down, calls after calls from one like minded colleague made me reach my station in about 25 minutes. Waiting for me there was a bottle of Scotch and some beers. What an ending to a days fatigue?