Travelling is more than just riding on the bus......

Lotus Temple

Taj Mahal

"People who don't travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what is in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live," Martin Yan quoted. And this is what I also believe to be true because as we travel around the different places we come to see different views of the universe and we also come across various kinds of people and their lifestyles and cultures. So let me share my experience of a 5 day trip to Delhi.

Though I was bit scared of getting car sickness, I reluctantly consented to join few of my colleagues on trip to Delhi after our exam because I didn't want to be the black sheep among the friends. As we all agreed with the decision, we started our journey on 22nd December to Delhi. Our main purpose of the journey was to visit Taj Mahal, Lotus temple and the Indian Gate. After our arrival in Delhi, we settled for a few days at Tibetan Colony renting a hotel. Our stay there at Tibetan Colony gave us a feeling of being in our own country Bhutan since Tibetan people are more or less similar to Bhutanese race and share similar cultures and religion.

But as we step out of that place and go around, we could see beggars and homeless people in a worse condition, worse than the animals I can say. Some beggars were hand-less, some were leg-less, some were cloth-less, so on and on that I can't explain in words. I even saw a few people sleeping on the ground and around them were waste materials, dogs, monkeys and all. Moreover, they were with only a very thin cloth piece in such a harsh winter season. Can we survive in such condition if we were one of them? This question has hit my mind as soon as I saw such pathetic people. Likewise I saw so many people in such animal-like situation and we can't even look at the faces of some people. What I realized upon seeing such people was that the Indian government has got lot to do to enhance the livelihood of their people.

Indian people are cunning, deceitful, lairs and pesky. These were what I learnt from my trip to Taj Mahal, Lotus Temple and Indian Gate. Shopkeepers on seeing our new faces increase the rates of  stuffs. Drivers had cheated us many times. We even had to quarrel with some drivers and shop keepers when we knew that they were deceiving us. And on our way to Tag Mahal, one man entered into our bus and proclaimed himself as our guide without prior information from the agent. He was speaking so many things in Hindi and we barely got what he was speaking. After sometime, he began to collect money from us. 10 rupees each from Indian passengers and 20 each from us as we were foreigners. Afterwards that man disappeared without our notice and another man replaced him. That new man also started to speak ceaselessly in Hindi. But luckily that man didn't collect money from us. So, I thought that is how they make money simply by lying and cheating people.

Although we had been cheated and lied for several times, we are satisfied and elated by reaching Taj Mahal which has been our dream for so long. Moreover, it was a new experience and new knowledge for me and for my friends too. We shared both success and failure, happiness and sorrow and smile and frowning. Above all, travelling is window to the outside world.

we are the architects of our own lives.....

We are the architects of our own lives. We need not hire neither a professional architect nor a proficient mason to build our lives. For, none of them could shape our lives the way we wanted but except ourselves. We, ourselves can mold our lives in any ways we want it to be like. Though there are some determinants of our lives but they play only minor roles in our lives. The real and powerful determinant is our own mind which is in deed a king of our physical bodies. So, it is entirely in our hands as how to lead our lives-in better way or in worse way.

Yes, there are also some important factors which I would say external factors like love and care, career counselling, compassion, elderly advice etc...which affect one's life and direct to the right track but if our mind is non-reactive to any of these determinants and if we be obstinate then we will remain at our normal position only. Therefore, everything has to be dealt with our mind. But I don't mean that we have to totally give ourselves to mind and let mind drive our lives. No. we should not entrust everything on mind because mind is good master as well as a bad master. If we let our mind rule ourselves then it might even put us in jail sometimes. Mind is so dangerous at times. So, it is awfully essential to curb our mind and make it to function in a meaningful way.

In our life time, some people will come as blessing and some as a curse. We may encounter people of various kinds. Some may aid us in climbing the ladder of success while some may pull us down from getting to the top ladder of success. But let it be. We should be the person we were before. Their curses and supports should not be the sole reasons for our accomplishments and failures because as I mentioned at the beginning we are the architects of our own lives. Nobody can bring a total change in our lives though others can bring some tweaks in our lives. Failure and success are like two sides of one coin. For they always go hand in hand. In deed, failure is a stepping stone toward success. The author,Jack Canfield has rightly quoted," Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try".

" Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go,no one else", Les Brown(author) said. As rightly quoted by Mr. Les Brown, it solely depends on oneself on how to lead one's life. There is no any impossible thing in this world. Everything is possible if we really endeavour to do. If we think we can do, we can and if we think we can't then we can't. This is how possible turns into impossible when we don't even dare to give a try. If we fail without even trying it once, we will regret later and get disheartened but if we fail after try then we will not regret and have a sense of satisfaction as we had tried once. So I would like urge all my friends to be the good architect of one's life and build a life beautifully and meaningfully.

An ideal friend..

 William Shakespeare has rightly said,"All that glitters are not gold" So are our friends. Friends are many but not all friends are ideal/true friends.  It will be a great fib if someone professes that he/she can live a life without friend/friends because friends are indispensable in our lives. we need friends in every journey of our lives. But as I have mentioned above, all friends are not ideal, we should be selective in choosing friends as friends are of many types. As our life  is an endless journey, we are bound to come across any kind of people. Sometimes we may encounter with good people and sometimes with bad people. But we can't be sure of their goodness and badness at the first meeting because people are like a mango fruit.

When I say people are like a mango fruit, I don't mean to say people are as sweet as the taste of a mango fruit. No!..I have just exemplified with a mango fruit because it is said that it is really difficult to know whether a mango is ripen or not. Some mangoes may seem to be ripen from exterior  but inside it won't be ripen. Some mangoes would be ripen from both outside and inside and some mangoes may seem to be unripened from outside but inside it would be ripen. Like wise some people may be good from outside but bad inside. Some may seem to be bad from outside but may be good inside and some may be bad from both outside and inside. So we can't judge the book by it's cover. We will only know by its content how the book is.

So  how can we define an ideal friend?, I know we all may have our own perceptions and concept of an ideal friend. But for me, an ideal friend is simply a true friend. An ideal friend is one who walks in when rest of the world walks out and stays with us in all times our our lives. A friend who does what we do and who nods when we nod is not an ideal friend. An ideal friend is the one who witnesses while we are doing and guides us and corrects us when we are doing wrong doings. 

An ideal friend is the one who is honest, flexible, friendly, optimistic, reliable, loyal, generous and sincere. An ideal friend will not look into our family background, rank or status. He/she will simply love us for what we are and how we are without taking into considerations all those aforementioned factors. An ideal friend will also reveal all our goodness and badness without keeping it stifled. Hence, an ideal friend is a true mirror of our lives. He will tell us when our face is dingy. An ideal friend will never deprecate whatever we do, rather he will exalt our efforts and encourage us to keep doing. An ideal friend will never break our trust and betray us. But an ideal friend is hard to get in reality.  

So lastly, but not the least, one true friend is worth a thousand relatives.

Corruption...

For so long I have been conceiving that HIV/AIDs is the most fatal disease though there were also some deadly diseases like TB, plague, chicken pox, measles etc, But fortunately with the rapid proliferation in medical science and scientific technologies, all these horrific diseases- some of them were able to be eradicated while some of them have become curable and avertable. But as I mature both physically and psychologically, I come to a realization that  those aforementioned diseases were

not really the deadly diseases since they are either curable or evitable.. There is one disease which, neither a doctor can treat, nor a saint can cure by his rituals. And it carries a chain of dreadful effect on the society, nation and the people.  Do you know what is it??? It is none than the"Corruption". I personally feel that we should be more afraid of this disease than aforementioned diseases.

So, what actually means Corruption??? I bet, different people will give different views on it if I am to go on asking person to person. But generally, 'Corruption is  defined as, the perversion of entrusted power for private gain'. What leads to corruption?? You may tend to ask yourself when you see the word" Corruption". Well, as I went through one article on this subject, I saw there are three  main factors or instigators. They are:
1. Bribery
2. Embezzlement
3.Favoritism.

Corruption prevails every where ranging from small society to a big nation, but mostly corruption is deemed to be prevailing among the civil servants, especially the politicians. It is not a simple thing. If it is left unchecked, a grand corruption can even make our people and the nation destitute in a long run. Corruption happens out of one's insatiable greed and desires and mishandling of one's own power and the resources.
Nobody is born corrupt but every one become corrupt. What makes a man corrupt??. The first and foremost thing is ' temptation'. This temptation will lead to corrupt mind.Now a man becomes a man with corrupt mind. So this corrupt mind will instigate a man to indulge in corrupt activities. Now a man becomes a corrupt man. So this corrupt man will definitely abet other close friends and conspire to involve in corruption. And gradually the number will go on increasing creating a corrupt society. This is how ' corruption' strews all over the community and nation as a whole.

Our country, Bhutan is considered to be one of the countries in the world with least corruption. But I don't think it is true because I can see corruption everywhere, at every level of position, be it small organisations or big organisations, be it prime minister or peon,everywhere is corruption and everyone is corrupt though there may be some who are not corrupt.. I don't see equality and justice in our country also.

we can't put an end to the corruption but we can jointly alleviate it to the minimum. So let's  join our hands together and confront this disease, so- called corruption by adopting various tactics. If every one leads a selfless life and be dedicated to what we do, then I think corruption will no longer remain with us. Let's wish for a corruption-free country and strive towards making our dreams come true. "Say No to Corruption"

Abortion and abandonment of babies by their mothers....

pray for this child.

Your parents and my parents are the best of the best in this world. For they have been loving us and caring us with their whole hearts since our entrance into this beautiful world besides having given us the most precious gift-a life!. Not only did they give us a full and happy life but also sacrificed everything for our goodness. Together, they have undergone the phases of weariness and exhaustion as to make our lives a better life. How fortunate we are to have such loving parents! We ought be grateful for our parents. All and above, we must be prideful for having both the parents.

But not every parent is as  loving and caring as mine and yours. Not every kid is as fortunate as you and I. For, there are thousand and thousands of babies who are being abandoned by their parents-some at very young age and some,as soon as they were born. And it is really disheartening to hear and know such heartless acts. There are so many cases of child abandonment and abortion worldwide. And it is more hurting to know that our younger ladies regardless of educated or uneducated are the ones who do these two atrocious practices. These are not only the serious crimes but also it is against our religions and human values.

We all have a conviction that life is so precious and is hard to get. But now in this contemporary world, life is becoming one of the worthless items where we can find in the garbage, drains, toilets, bags and all. And also birth places are gradually shifting from hospitals and homes to toilets and the streets. Moreover, it is also beyond our imagination, a mother murdering her own baby. Such things are sheer insanity and craziness. For instance,there was a school girl,who the policemen found out a dead body of a baby inside her carrying bag. She was found to have killed her new born baby. she was not the one who did such thing. There were so many like her where some has delivered the baby inside the toilet and flushed away, some has dumped into the drain and some has just left in an open area. There are so many such cases all over the globe.

I am sure you will be appalled to know some of the following such cases which are recorded in 2013 by the LifeSite News.

• October 17 - A 17-year-old girl is stopped at a Victoria's Secret store in Manhatten for suspected shoplifting, and admits that in her bag she has the body of a baby that she gave birth to the day previous. 

• October 11 - A newborn baby is found, bleeding but alive, abandoned on the concrete in the back yard of a house in Queen's, New York. The baby survived. 

• September 19 - The body of a baby is found at a garbage dump in West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom.

• August 28 - A woman gives birth in a bar bathroom in Pennsylvania, stuffs the baby in the water tank of a toilet, and then returns to the bar to watch a fight on TV. 

• August 7 - The body of a baby is discovered at hospital rest room in Texas. 

• July 9 - Police discover the body of a baby abandoned in a diaper box in the bushes at a public park in Roseville, California.

These are the only few out of many. According to the survey, it is found out that the main reasons or the causes of such practices are: teenage pregnancies and the poverty. While there could be also other reasons. So, it is not only the girls to be put at blames. We are also responsible for it and also it is our responsibilities to culminate and curb such inhuman practices. Together we can make this world a better place to live in and let's value the preciousness of one's life. May every child live a full life and may every mother or parents give their kids a boundless love and care. 
Today as I went through BBC news as I do normally, I came across a news where a mother has dumped her new born baby into the drain and she ran away,in Sydney. So, I became quite emotional and thought of sharing my views thinking that it is worth- sharing.                                                                             

As the examination approaches....

As the examination approaches, my mind doesn't rest in peace. Upon thinking of it,drives me insane not knowing what to study and which one to study. I may not be the merely one who is undergoing such distracting stresses. I am pretty sure almost all the students across the globe must be going through the same phase at this time of the year like me. I can't say about others but in case of me, I don't feel like studying when there are so many things piled up to study. Sometimes I feel like discarding those lengthy notes given by the lecturers and also it drags me into frustration and irritation. You know guys? when there is no much time but so much to be done within that short period of time, things get really messed up and we feel like going crazy. No matter how much we endeavor to swallow in the knowledge, it hardly makes difference because rather than learning and knowing better, last moment preparation just bemuse us and let forget even those already learnt ones. But some say that last moment preparation is helpful and makes a vast difference. May be this is because we people are gifted with variant capabilities and brilliance. But for me, it only drags me into confusion. So I never prepare at the eleventh hour.

Although we are accustomed to doing examination, fear,tensions and confusions  still dwell within us. We are totally incapable of getting rid of those three destructive and distracting elements. One stupid stuff we all do at the point of examination is that we work less and develop more devotion to god which we would hardly remember god in other times.But we all know that god helps those who help themselves. Whether we worship to god or not, god will be always with us, guiding us and defending us knowingly or unknowingly. God will play miracle on those who are diligent and determined people.
 On the other hand, examination is really a killer of peoples' happiness and peacefulness especially of those students. I occasionally used to squander my spare time just wondering how many examinations do we have to do? I already have started to develop aversion to it and got fed-up with it. Though it is crucial part of my life, I despise it for depriving my human right to be ecstatic. I perceive that examination is  both the punishment and gateway to the happiness and success. Punishment, as it tortures us while preparing for it, and gateway to happiness, as we get a good job thereby we get to live a happy life if we can get through examinations.

So, our lives are full of examinations and we have  to confront it whether we like it or not, or whether we are capable or incapable. Examination is however one of the most essential ingredients of our lives...Good luck to all my buddies worldwide.

Long live our Fourth King

My king, my lord,

Long live our king.

On this so momentous occasion of your 59th birth anniversary
I, your humble and a responsible citizen
With utmost devotion and solemnity
Hereby wish you a very" Happy Birthday"
Fifty-nine is not a number of years you have grown old,
It is the years of peace and harmony
That  your nation and denizens lived under your impeccable regime.

your existence was indeed a blessing in disguise for us.
Breaking through all sorts of barriers and confrontations
You have brought our nation far to this stage
Where your people are known by your prestigious name
And your nation by your profound and holistic
philosophy of GNH.

By your visionary insight and anticipation,
You have opened the door to the outside world,
Not with the deliberation to give them our nation's sovereignty and independence
Rather to build unbreakable bonds  and bring in an amazing upswing
To his people and the nation. Thank you my king. you are our god.

To the land of this Thunder Dragon,
 You are the epitome of all aspects of words and deeds
And we shall follow your trail till the end.
Your words of wisdom shall always remain imprinted indelibly in our minds
Your marvelous deeds shall be invariably venerated.
May you bestow us with wisdom and potency
To grow and walk to the world of perfection.
 May you live for eternity and guide us your way
And make us all as good and productive as yourself.
Long live our king!!!...We all cross our fingers for your longevity and well-being.

                                Thank you