LIGHT OF EDUCATION IS LIGHT OF GOD

Dear Cheten Zangmo & Tshewang Tashi,

I can’t thank you enough for your love and kindness in offering us the wonderful opportunity to meet you yesterday, Saturday 4 January 2017, on your way back to S/Jongkhar. Your sense of gratefulness signals your further rise in life. Lord Anukul Chandra said: If you want to be great, learn how to be grateful. Cicero said: Gratitude is not only the greatest of all the virtues but also the mother of all the rest.

I felt ecstatic by the loftiness of your attitudes, gratitude and humanity. You have truly blossomed into ideal Bhutanese citizens, perfect Buddhists, worthy children to your parents and exemplary parents to your kids. As your teacher I feel so rewarded by the height you have gained in material as well as spiritual world.

In your life I can see the tangible reflection of the adage: “ More than your aptitude it is your attitude that determines your altitude.” So far, you were learners and I was your teacher but inspired by the virtuous life you are living, henceforth I will be aspiring to see the manifestation of my teachers in both of you. I wish to see more good practices in your life and want to feel ignited and elevated. Today as I was drinking water in the tumbler you have presented to madam, my wife, I exclaimed,” Always I must drink water from this glass because this tumbler has the holy touch of the holy hands of my students from the Himalayan kingdom which divinizes the water and helps elevation of my spiritual being!”

I congratulate and appreciate both of you for the way you are supporting and caring each other in good times as well as hard times. A scholar said,“ If a father wants the well being of his children, he should love their mother; and if a mother wants the well being of her children she should love their father.”

Cheten Zangmo, I am glad that by the lofty will of our Supreme Father I was blessed to be the first person to board your newly purchased majestic car and privileged to have prayed sitting in your car for the well being of you and all other sentient beings. I understand this car God has blessed you with through the benevolence of the Royal Government for a noble cause for which you should always remain ready to listen to His direction through your conscience. I pray that the Omnipotent blesses this car to be used in the services of the students and the poorest of the poor in their dire needs. You must always maintain your purity, sanctity, divinity and humanity in your day to day thoughts, words and actions as you have been doing since your childhood. In the school and the classrooms you must see the Divine face of your God on the faces of every student and treat them and teach them accordingly. For a teacher the best place to serve God is the school and the best way to worship God is to serve the students with love, compassion and devotion.

In the divine hour of the dawn of my supreme moment in your car the most striking memories and incidents of your life that brought you fortune were flashing upon my mind and echoing in my ears:

1. You ushered in a new era for girls at Tsebar Pry School in 1990 by breaking the tradition of girls’ early marriage and by becoming the first girl to complete Class SIX with colouful result by virtue of your holy character and unflagging will power. Still now the memory of we teachers’ celebration about your victory is vivid in my mind.

2. When you were in Class TEN, having nothing else, your father sold his last means of earning and survival, the faithful horse, which he had loved and cared so much, in order to afford your pocket money at Khaling School. I am glad that you have become worthy of your father’s love and sacrifice.

3. When both of your parents were preparing for your entry into the matrimonial life, you opposed to their proposal and said, “Without Chowdhury sir’s permission and presence I cannot enter into the matrimony. Sir is in India on winter vacation. We must wait till his return.” So faithful and devoted you were to your teacher. Even God must have been overwhelmed by your astounding devotion to your teacher. So today you are blessed with all kinds of God’s gifts for a happy, healthy and holy life.

4. When you had discontinued your Teacher’s Training at Paro for your first child birth, we all were disappointed. Your late father had bemoaned and despaired: “Sir, abhi to saab asha bharsha khatam ho gaya. Aur keya karega, abhi hamara larki Chhana Dorji ka dokan dekbhal karega aur uska bachcha palega.” (Sir, all hope of my child’s career is lost! What to do now my daughter has to spend her life looking after Chhana Dorji’s shop and her child.) But God was on your side. Your first child birth has brought about 180 degree turn in your life. You must be remembering how magically you were offered opportunity by the TTC Director to rejoin the training in response to my letter wherein I had presented the complete heart rending story of the hardship of your life to the Director. Since then there has been new sun in your life.

Congratulations on your second child’s victory as the school topper in Class TEN Board Exam. I see many more prizes from God on both of you for your virtuous life and living. May God enlighten your minds!

 Your teacher,

Santosh Chowdhury(Apchi sir)