Our nation and our people have a special reason to celebrate the moment this day. Our roads and our gullies are clean. Our traffic system is most efficient. Our schools and institutes have never looked so beautiful. Year 2015 is special for the Bhutanese. All is as it should be.

It is a special year for us all because we are celebrating the life of a King that shaped the face of the nation and gave pulse to its feeble heart. His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck had a dream, a dream most selfless and grand. The country needed a leader eminently capable of giving it a direction. It needed a leader who could bolster the security and sovereignty of Drukyul, god’s chosen land, our home. His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck gave us all.

Young as He was when He took over the reins of the country that had just opened up to the world beyond, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck exhibited extraordinary wisdom and maturity in guiding the nation’s march to progress. Challenges there were many. He confronted boldly and most successfully. In His reign that spanned more than three decades, Bhutan achieved phenomenal development in health and education, foreign relations and economy, and more.  Bhutan is what it is today, thanks singularly to the monarch most noble its people had.

That’s why we celebrate this day. That’s why November 11 has a special significance in the lives of the Bhutanese people.

November 11 is a day most significant for the Bhutanese people also because it is a day when His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck gave His people the supreme law to govern themselves. Power flowed from the throne and Bhutan become a democratic nation.  Change most momentous came. We showed the world that change in the system of governance doesn’t have to be destructive and painful. We showed the world that true leader gives to his people and do not take the right that is theirs.

Bhutan today is a nation that the world increasingly looks up to. Small as it is, Drukyul managed to build a face and heart that is the source of inspiration to neighbours near and far, nations big and small. Bhutan is a country that gave the world a development paradigm that does not ignore the happiness or unhappiness of a single citizen.

This day, the nation comes together to pay special tribute to a King who worked selflessly for the benefit of the country and its people. This day is a special day for Drukyul.