Opinions

This infamous greeting, redundant as it is, was made infamous during a time of innocence. But not easily gone, the greeting still greets the streets. With the new millennium, a crop of so-called educated-elite began ridiculing the obvious. But stubbornly, the greeting persists. The once informal and polite marketplace greeting …

Introduction The High Court of Bhutan completes 50th years of its glorious existence this year, the year of Fire Female Rooster, 2017.  His Late Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, among many institutional initiatives and reforms, established the National Assembly in 1953 and an independent judiciary with the …

One man’s view on why Hindus in Bhutan are becoming an embarrassment to themselves, and why the Hindu Dharma Samudaya must aim to cultivate a ‘one Hindu’ community Generally, I strictly avoid both private and public meddling in the matters of religion because I consider myself too secular to dig …

In 1996, when I was selected to study medicine in Myanmar, people congratulated and advised me to work hard and serve the country well. It gave me a sense of pride and responsibility. I trained well, came back, and did my best. Then in 2006, I went to Sri Lanka …

As we go through the fog of modernity, confused by threats of war, toxic politics, terrorism, tech-led job disruption, natural and human disasters, what is the right development model going forward? In the post-Second World War period, development was defined by the US led Bretton Wood multilateral institutions framework, comprising …

JICA has been working for long with the Royal Government of Bhutan in the decentralisation process, placing strong emphasis on human resource development. Currently, JICA cooperates with the Department of Local Governance (DLG) in implementing “Support for Community Engagement in Local Governance (SCLG) Project” with three target dzongkhags. In order …

Whether you live in cities or in a rural Bhutanese village, the ability to shift through information and evaluate media messages is an important skill in 21st Century. Digital revolution has made it even more critical. The explosion of digital media and social networking platforms has transformed citizens into publishers …

Aum Sangay Choden was in labour that night. Fire broke out on the second floor of her house. Before the blaze spread, she found time to gather just the clothes she wore and haul herself out of her bed to a neighbour’s house.

The story of Asia today remains very much one driven by its largest nations and economies. An increasingly assertive China, a slow-growing Japan, a rising India and a still emerging Indonesia dominate the headlines, along with mounting tensions from the Korean peninsula.

Is Bhutan trapped by aid-driven climate smart agriculture talking only about value chains and markets? Can Bhutan fulfill the dream of achieving food-self sufficiency without investing in healthy soils and healthy waters?