LIGHT OF EDUCATION IS LIGHT OF GOD

(MY EXPERIENCES IN BHUTAN AS A GUEST OF HONOUR – A NOTE OF GRATITUDE)

“O Lord, I thank you for manifesting your glories and grandeur through His Majesty, the King of Bhutan!”

 I offer a myriad of salutations to the King who is known to be the embodiment of the Lord Himself. This is according to the great masterpiece, the Bhagavad Gita.

Bhutan is known to be the last Shangrila (The last heaven) on the earth. The Royal Government of Bhutan under the command of His Majesty the King testified and reflected that light through the different divine events of their Teachers’ Day- 2018 and the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Indo-Bhutan Friendship.

Though my venture to describe the glory of the dual celebrations resembles an effort to measure  the height of the sky, I am passionate to share with my brothers and sisters across the globe the  great experience of the celebrations and the incredible honour and hospitality we received as guests of honour. Cicero said: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues; it is the mother of all...” I saw Cicero’s words come true throughout the celebrations. This year’s Teachers’ Day, May 2 in the kingdom was special – it coincided with the 50^th year-anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan. The day was organised so as to honour, appreciate and acknowledge the Indian teachers who served in Bhutan. The very purpose of the special celebrations speaks volumes.

 As educators, teachers in Bhutan have always enjoyed high esteem and acknowledgement in the eyes of the kings and the people. So, 50 retired Indian teachers who had served Bhutan were invited to the celebrations. I was privileged to be one of the 43 Indian guests who attended the august occasions in Thimphu. Everything in Bhutan is amazingly hospitable to all living beings. So was the Bhutanese warm hospitality to their Indian guests. It has been an incredible gesture that the Royal Government under His Majesty’s command took deep care to trace and invite even those teachers who had gone on retirement more than two decades ago. Among them were the Keralite veterans: Mr. Krishnan (87), Mr. K. P. Nayar (83) and Mr. Kaimal (79).

 All the teacher-guests were honoured to arrive by air. Those who opted to travel by surface transport were provided luxury vehicles to reach the capital.  The guests felt to their marrow the fathomless love, care and cordiality in their hosts.

I am tempted believe in Lord Anukul Chandra,” We don’t go to heaven, but bring the heaven down to the earth.” Now and then amid the celebrations, I wondered whether human beings can love and respect one another to that extent. The week-long experience of the Bhutanese hospitality has been my greatest education as of today. The tonic of love and balm of honour can create heaven everywhere. I now, a month later, feel rejuvenated and revitalized by the elixir of Bhutanese love. Bhutan has given me a lot more in a week than what I could have given to the kingdom in twenty seven years as a teacher.

Irrespective of age, gender, family background and social status etc., every human being needs the intangible food of high self- esteem in order to keep the flame of life burning. The Royal Government of Bhutan’s rain of appreciation, recognition and honour on the teachers has nourished our self-esteem.  I am sure every one of us, the guests of honour from India as well as our Bhutanese counterparts went back home with a renewed vigour, zeal and enthusiasm to resume life and our work afresh. As Dale Carnegie in his ‘How to win Friends & Influence People’ wrote: We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees, but how seldom do we nourish their self- esteem? We provide them roasted beef and potatoes to build energy, but we neglect to give them kind words of appreciation that would sing in their memories for years like the music of the morning stars. May 2, 2018 testifies that Bhutan understood Carnegie.

Some of the highlights that touched me intensely are:

(1) After the invitation and our acceptance, the officials concerned kept constant touch with us and kept inspiring us into our preparation.

(2) On April 30 in the morning three of our hosts - Mr. Tshering Penjor accompanied by Ms. Meena Subba and Ms. Tshering Chezom received us at the Phuentsholing gate with khaddar as we stepped into the dragon land.

(3) It was marvellous that our route permits flowed into our hands with no hassles in about half an hour, and we felt dignified.

(4) Before the start of our Thimphu-ward journey, we had a grand lunch (with divine love added) in a five star hotel.

(5) At Thimphu, we were received with khadar by a group of Dashos and some other dignitaries at Hotel 89, a luxury hotel, where we received superb accommodation and meals. Our daily menu catered to the different taste buds from different parts of India.

(6) The care and guidance from Mr. Chhimi Tshewang and his team for our safety and security were so touching –as if we were in a school hostel being looked after by a strict warden or matron.

(7) Hotel 89 was a mini India - the forty three guests of honour from different parts of India, mostly from Kerala, gave a unique experience. It was a great gift for me to meet some of our Indian brothers and sisters from the states I never visited. I might visit those states through their company and love.

(8) We were given red carpet reception and seated at the highest gallery in the crowd of thousands of people for the Teachers’ Day celebration at the Changlimithang stadium.

(9) The splendour and elegance the entire ground wore on the occasion is beyond description.

(10) Throughout the celebration, the Indian teachers’ contribution to the education of Bhutan was repeatedly broadcast, acknowledged and appreciated. To my ear it sounded like a divine voice of gratitude and love from heaven.

(11) Everyone of us was privileged to be blessed by His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen’s greetings, glances and good will.

(12) We were awarded souvenirs and certificates of commendation by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Mr. Tshering Tobgay.

(13) We also received a royal watch each from our beloved King as a token of his appreciation and good will.

(14)We were privileged to have a photo session with His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen.

(15) We were granted opportunity to travel to and fro by air.

(16) We were honoured to be in the TAJ HOTEL for a high tea and to have an audience with His Majesty the King.

(17) A grand dinner was hosted to us in the Royal Banquet Hall, along with Ministers and Dashos.

(18) We were honoured by a royal dinner at HOTEL DRUK. The menu included more than thirty dishes and delicacies.

(19) Some Ministers and Dashos came to the Hotel 89 to offer their gratitude and honour to their teachers.

(20) After the daily official schedule, dozens of students came to the hotel at night to meet their beloved teachers, offer their honour and tokens of gratitude. I was so excited by the wave of love from the students and friends that I was willing to stay awake the whole night to meet them.

(21) There was a rush of students and friends, who wanted to take us around the town, to their houses or to some hotels. But I failed to entertain their requests for lack of time.

(22) It was so exciting, ennobling and rewarding to see many of my students as doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs and so on. I was in an awakening realisation that my little services to the little children as a little teacher bore amazing fruits.

(23) Laughter is known to be the best medicine which is on wane in the modern world. Bhutan is still an OASIS of laughter where people laugh lavishly though they are also not free from the thorns and thistles of life. I could nourish my soul a lot with the exchange of hearty laughter with our hosts.

(24) I am glad that under His Majesty, the King’s command the Royal Government of Bhutan is going to organize another august occasion this year in India in order to honour and acknowledge the rest of our Indian brothers and sisters who served Bhutan as teachers but could not be in Thimphu for the laurels. What a splendid gesture of gratitude and good will! I request our Indian friends to register your name with the Bhutanese Education website link for the upcoming event.

There is a popular adage: Humanity is the mother of all religions. Swami Vivekananda said, “Realize divinity within humanity.” In line with the above philosophy, Bhutan is indeed the last heaven on the earth where humanity receives utmost priority.

May 2 thus was a thing of beauty and so it is a joy forever. We should cherish the memory but work for further regional collaboration in education. Forty three experienced teachers form an indomitable pool of expertise. These wise men and women know Bhutan’s strengths, challenges and potentials as many may not know. They who rocked the cradle of education perhaps know her pulse enviously better. The mother who fed the toddler might surprise its father in the evening with stunning revelations of the toddler’s potentials, some feeding techniques that worked, some subtle reinforcements that motivated and so on. Thus, this is a historic moment in Bhutan’s educational march, when Bhutan can whip up waves of discussions, deliberations and seminars at times in India and other times in Bhutan on how to fine tune her educational initiatives and prune anomalies if any.  Video conferences and email exchanges with the venerable educationists are worth trying. My grateful heart cannot envision less than this.

PALDEN DRUKPA GYALO!

BHARAT MATA KI JAI!

---------------------

Santosh Chowdhury (Apchi sir)