Lisa Napoli's Blog, page 50
May 23, 2011
Enforcement of national dress code in Bhutan
Written by Sonam Tashi
May 22, 2011:(Phuentsholing) As soon as the Phuentsholing City Corporation (PCC) gets directives from the ministry of home and cultural affairs, every office goers and shopkeepers will have to don the national dress.All the members of the business community including shopkeepers, corporate and private employees, and also those people who are at the managerial level, will have to abide by the rules which is likely to be enforced very soon.Living in a border town, the people of Phuentsholing have never strictly adhered to the rule of wearing the national dress. As a result of which it has become difficult to differentiate a Bhutanese from an Indian.
"To revive our fast fading national identity, this kind of rule is much needed," said an official from the PCC. "It will protect the sovereignty of our country."
According to the Thrompon of PCC, Tsheten Dorji is looking into the matter and hoping to enforce it soon with support from all the stakeholders.
When the four new elected Thrompons met the prime minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y Thinley told them to work on upholding the national identity of the country.
The Thrompon told BT that people should not be offended by the rules as it in the best interest of the country.
However, he said some of the business houses who have their own dress code will not have to abide by the rules.
Meanwhile, most Phuentsholing residents BT spoke to welcome the rule.
Sonam Dorji, a shopkeeper said though it will be a bit of a problem for shopkeepers to be in national dress the whole day, he does not mind the new rule.
He added that this will ease problems of tracking down people who are illegally operating businesses in Phuentsholing.
"Of late, even some Indians have started to wear Gho and Kira to deceive our officials who are on inspection," said another shopkeeper.
Since some of the firms will be allowed to carry on with their dress code, it wont be a problem for the industrialists with the enforcement of national dresses regulation.
But there are also some people who think it is not going to work. A hotelier, Karma, said it is wastage of time for framing and enforcing such rules.
He told BT that it will be difficult to work it out especially since Phuentsholing is a border town.
"There are thousands of Indians who come from across the border everyday and work in the town," said Karma. "The ratio of Bhutanese and Indians in the town are almost the same. How do we know who is Bhutanese and who is Indian?"
Apart from wearing national dresses, most of the offices, including some government offices, in the town do not have a national flag hoisted in front, which will make implementation a problem.
The Thrompon told BT that the PCC is planning to make national flag post mandatory in all the offices which have adequate space to improve the traditional look.
In order to facelift the architectural look of the town, PCC officials have been closely monitoring all the development activities.
PCC has made roofing mandatory and also there are about eight stupas being constructed in the core town area to give Phuentsholing a traditional look.
May 22, 2011
The father of positive psychology and his new book
The father of the "positive psychology" movement, Martin Seligman has a new book out, and the Economist reviews it this week. (Thanks, Aldis!)
Excerpt:
"He has uncovered various structured ways of perking people up, all of them, he insists on the very first page of his new book, "grounded in careful science". Much of this book consists of the results of various complex tests and interventions designed to reduce depression and anxiety and increase resilience and self-discipline. Writing a "what-went-well-today-and-why" diary for a week, for example, tends to lower depression levels for as much as six months, he claims.
"Flourish" represents a partial rejection of Mr Seligman's previous work, "Authentic Happiness" (a title he says was forced on him by his publisher). To focus solely on happiness rather than the more expansive concept of "well-being", Mr Seligman now says, is a form of "monism" that neglects important ingredients, such as "relationships" and "accomplishment".
Consider the decision to have children. Research consistently shows that parents are less satisfied with their lives than the childless. Yet the human race continues to propagate itself. Either, says Mr Seligman, we are "massively deluded" about the effects of children on our happiness, or we take more than "life satisfaction" into account when choosing to breed. "
His Majesty's Flawless Lotus
If you ever had a shred of doubt whether the Bhutanese genuinely revere their King, read this blog post about the upcoming royal wedding.
Excerpt:
"His Majesty is fearless. And in that fearlessness, we have a King that will always share everything that is dear to him with the rest of us – his proud and humble subjects. A man told me he did not know what it was but that he could not help but feel "very happy" about himself. I think he spoke for all of us. The reason why we could not quite pinpoint what that balm was is very simple: it was partaking in a historic moment wherein His Majesty, in opening his heart to us in the manner that he did, touched all of us in a spot that is so primal and intimate that communication is just a means to an end. And that end is something we all witnessed that blessed day. That love not only triumphs in the end but is a force so powerful that it mends, heals, and repairs anything and everything that is contradictory.
In a time and a place where cynicism thrives and negativity empowers all and sundry, it was a peerless reminder from His Majesty the King that there is so much good in this world, least of which is love, a feeling often revoked but seldom practiced.
And His Majesty has proved that he is love personified. The Dalai Lama always speaks of kindness as his religion whenever he is asked and prodded about religion.
We could say without any hesitation that in a way, the path that His Majesty walks on is simply, in a word, love. And love does make the world go around. "
May 21, 2011
Shangri-la @ #PrairieLights in #IowaCity
Fighting climate change the Bhutan way
A great and distressing story by journalist Aby Tharakan about the sometimes perilous fight against climate change in Bhutan:
Thai take on the just-announced royal wedding in Bhutan
They sure love His Majesty the King in Thailand, as evidenced by this Bangkok Post write-up:
From prince charming to a king of hearts
The Bhutanese monarch who 'wai'ed his way into the affections of Thai people announced his wedding plans in a low-key manner, focusing his energies instead on pushing democratic development forward in his sleepy kingdom
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local...
Ciao Italia radio
Listen to this show in an hour. I'll be on it discussing Shangri-la
And my Italian heritage:
… over the Internet at our live streaming link,www.ciaoitaliaradio.com orwww.WCBM.com. Remind them that we are East Coast time and it is an hour long show. Hopefully, you can hang on the line with us the whole time.
Ciao,
Joey Bo
May 20, 2011
Shakespeare Club/Rancho Cucamonga
This club has met for 98 years continously. I had the privilege of addressing them today.
One lady told me these clubs began ages ago so women could meet and discuss books and ideas. In the days before education for women was typical. An amazing experience to speak to such an intelligent and well-traveled group.
Common Ground, #Bhutan, and the soil of 192 nations
An artistic project to collect soil from each of the world's 192 nations and mix it up into an artwork; this write-up is about….Bhutan.
Mountain echoes literary festival in Bhutan
Mountain Echoes: Bhutan's Literary Festival
By Margherita Stancati/WSJ
It's not often that royals attend festivals, but Bhutan's Mountain Echoes literary festival, which kicks off Friday in Thimphu, is a notable exception.
Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck will be taking part – and not just for the inevitable inaugural address.
She'll be participating not only in her role as one of her country's top dignitaries, but also as an author. Her book – "Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan" – will be the starting point for one of the festival's highlights: a conversation between Her Majesty and India's ambassador to Bhutan, Pavan Varma. After their session, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck may also make an appearance.
The festival, which takes place against a Himalayan backdrop in the country's capital, will last until May 23. Now in its second edition, the aim of Mountain Echoes is to showcase Bhutanese literature and poetry and to provide a forum for Himalayan culture more broadly, says Mr. Varma, who conceptualized the festival.
Strengthening cultural ties between India and the small Himalayan kingdom was part of it, too. "While politically and economically India and Bhutan are already exceptionally close, I wanted to create a space for people-to-people interaction. This is something governments often take for granted," he told India Real Time on Thursday.
Bhutan may not be an obvious place for a festival. The Buddhist parliamentary monarchy, famous for its Gross National Happiness index and for its dress codes, which require all nationals to wear traditional Bhutanese robes, has a population of around 700,000.
But Mr. Varma, an author himself, said he was so impressed by the wealth of literary talent in the country that he felt that building ties between Indian and Bhutanese authors could be a mutually enriching experience. Of the festival's roughly 50 authors, the majority are Indian.
Namita Gokhale, co-founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival, has even more lofty ambitions for the festival: She hopes Mountain Echoes, which she helped organize, will promote a pan-Himalayan culture. "Mountain cultures have a unique resonance, and the Himalayan regions, irrespective of nationhood, share a geographical, ecological and cultural continuity which spills over into development and environmental issues."
Mita Kapur, a Jaipur-based literary agent who also organized the festival, said the founding theme – mountains – has inspired literature in the Himalayan region across genres. "Mountains lend themselves from many genres – from folk tales to science fiction," she said.
This year's edition includes several sessions that focus on Bhutanese literature, including one dedicated to writings in Dzongkha, the national language.
Other panels – such as the one on "Myth and Memory" – will look at another aspect of Bhutan's culture: its symbols and legends.
Contemporary issues will also be addressed. For instance, Tshering Tobgay – prolific blogger and leader of the opposition's Peoples Democratic Party – will be discussing Bhutan's thriving social media scene with speakers including former publisher and author David Davidar.
The session on women will see Shobhaa De, who penned the likes of "Socialite Evenings," in discussion with Lily Wangchhuk, a Bhutanese author and entrepreneur.
There will also be sessions on preserving cultural heritage, on the Bhutanese food industry, on Buddhism and the environment, and one on textiles called "Crafting Identity."
At the festival there will be workshops too: Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, famous for his recent Bollywood hit "Jab We Met," will be hosting Saturday's one on scriptwriting.
