ARTICLES ON BHUTAN

 

 

Bhutan- On the wings of change

Bhutan is a unique land in a unique time. Having survived the centuries by maintaining a distinct identity, the kingdom hopes face the future by drawing on its past.
Change, represented by the powerful force of today’s globalization, is a threat for a small country in a big world. And,   that change is inevitable. Bhutan hopes to survive by clinging on to age- old values that the rest of the world has lost. Television and the internet was introduced for the first time in 1999, and in 2005, a record 13,626 tourist visited Bhutan.
Bhutan took a momentous step in 2008 and made the transition from a hundred year old monarchy to parliamentary democracy. The 6,72,425 bhutanese people elected a new government in march. And, in July, the King of Bhutan, the elected members of parliament and the national council adopted and signed Bhutan’s Constitution.
In the words of His Majesty King Jigme Gesar Namgyal Wangchuk, the power that the people reposed in him and his forefathers has now been handed back to the people.
His Majesty took over the mandate of the state in December2006 from his father, the fourth King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk. The coronation of His Majesty the fifth King of Bhutan took place in November 2008 in a sacred ceremony followed by nationwide festivities as Bhutan and its people celebrate 100 years of phenomenal growth under the Wangchuk dynesty.
Bhutan knows that to leap into a new page in history will not be easy. That is why the kingdom stresses, more than ever before, the need to maintain its pristine environment, its rich culture, and a sacred heritage that influences the daily lifestyle of the people.
That is why, Bhutan is different world today. The majestic snow-capped peaks are unclaimed because they are considered an abode of God; the forest cover is rich because the people see plants and animals as important life forms. The people consider their unique identity their strength.
Like the country’s clear sighted “high value low volume” tourism policy, modernization is carefully planned and controlled to avoid the ravages of material development. The priorities are cautiously mapped so that progress is a balance between tradition and modernity.
All this is conveyed in a development philosophy inspired by King Jigme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan and known as Gross National Happiness. Gross National Happiness is a profound message to the world today, a world where people are said to have lost their souls in chase for material comfort.