He can strum the dranyen or play tunes on the keyboard; he can cook Burmese soup or your favourite ema datshi.
Dophu Wangchuk
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Dophu Wangchuck, 22, can do almost everything but write. He is one of five Bhutanese, according to a psychiatrist at the JDWNR hospital, who suffers from the “writers cramp”, an inability to write.
Dophu Wangchuck was considered a bright student back in his school in Gasa. One of the toppers in the class, he was aiming for a career in the sciences when it all began.
When he was in class VIII, he found he could not write with his right hand. He switched to his left hand although he was “too slow at taking notes”. Two years later, in class X at Motithang High School, the left hand also failed.
He was devastated. He even contemplated suicide, abusing drugs and alcohol. “I had lost hope,” he told Kuensel.
Luckily for him, his physics teacher advised him to consult a doctor. Dophu has been seeking treatment for over eight months at the JDWNRH, and he feels he is getting better.
“I will rejoin class X in March, 2003. I am going to be a gynaecologist”, he said.
“Teachers can shape the outcome of a students life”, said Dophu, smiling.
By Sonam Maekay Penjor