Jaigoan, a crazy little town

After about 5 long years it dawned to me that I had driven my SUV long enough. I needed a new car to brighten my hardened soul after bumpy rides through out Bhutan. Within a week of this thought i was driving to Phuntsholing (Bhutan's border town with Indian town of Jaigoan).

With the recent road widening and construction the road is as bumpy as it can be. When it rains its even worse. In some places the whole mountain has given way to huge landslides with narrow roads hanging precariously on the cliff. Passing these slides, any Buddhist would chant a few prayers, is quite scary.

Starting early, I reached Phuntsholing early. After placing an order for my car i had nothing to do so i slipped across the border. With Bhutan gate in the middle and a narrow drain in between the two towns are shoulder to shoulder with each other. If you take a step forward you will be in India and a step back you will be back in Bhutan.

From a dingy shanty town Jaigoan has grown to a bustling town with shopping Malls, movie theaters, fairly good restaurants and amusement houses.

Jaigoan has always amused me. As a little kid, holding my father's hand i went with him to this town for our annual shopping. Then i liked the streets lined with vegetable vendors, cobblers and rickshaw pullers who tugged at my sleeves for a cheap ride. "You have to bargain till you feel the itch in your nose" my elders said, and its true. The shopkeepers mark the price based on your appearance. A smartly dressed educated-looking person will be announced a reasonable price while a rustic country-type potato grower will be announced double the actual price knowing the fact that half the price will be bargained.

End of the day most return home triumph after having bargained so much.

I loved street magics and the snake charmers. I would have stayed the whole day watching them but my dad was always in a hurry. There was always something happening here. Animals trainers would make their animals entertain the passing crowd. Monkeys and bear danced while low tight-rope walkers showed theirperfection.

I always carried few coins with me so that i could throw some to the snake charmer who said it was for the "milk" for his snakes. I never grudged throwing few to the monkey trainer too.

Even today, Jaigoan has changed a little in spirit though it has become more polluted and populated. Some say "beside your mom and dad" you can literally find anythng here. And its true, from branded denims to designer jewellery, from great Indian sweet meat to the street "Pani -Puri " (a small puffed bread which is dipped in tamarind and rock salt water), almost everything is found here for every pocket.

The streets are strewn with litter and the Cow (Goddess of wealth) freely roam the streets ravaging on the garbage.

So, everything co-exists here animals, garbage and humans.

I could have gone on and on about this town but i would like you to enjoy some pictures




















Bhutan Gate standing proudly on the border

Bhutan And Swiss Soccer Match

Football (soccer) is one of the favourite sports in Bhutan. People enjoy playing and watching it. Since the introduction of western education football has become a part of a school co-curricular activities.

On September 27, 2009 a friendly match was played between the Bhutan national team and the visiting Swiss team.

The match was not as expected. The visiting team was weak and the match one sided. Initially the Bhutanese team in nervousness could hardly tackle the ball. Their moral booster was Passang 's (striker) easy gole in 20 minutes of the first half. With 1-0 lead the Bhutanese team had full control of the game. Then a succession of goles were scored by the Bhutanese team. Bhutan won the match with 5-0 lead.

Few years back Bhutan and Monserrat the last two FIFA ranked countries played a similar match and Bhutan come out victorious thus climbing the FIFA rank.

Below are some pictures from today's event:


Swiss team spectators


Match in progress


Bhutanese team


Army band

Strong Earthquake Rocks Bhutan

A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale according to United States Geological Survey rocked Bhutan at around 3 pm on Sep 23. The epicenter centered 180km east of Thimphu in Mongar, a small town in eastern Bhutan.

The earthquake destroyed houses and monasteries. Lhuntshi Dzong, one of the oldest forts in the east has been severely damaged by the quake. The total estimate of the damaged is yet to be accessed by the district local Government.

Four labourers working on the road lost their lives when boulders and trees came hurtling down the hill killing them on the spot. A severly injured woman who was taken to a hospital succumbed to her injuries there taking the death toll to 5 people.

In Trashiyangtse, a small town in the east people ran out of their houses when they felt the tremor. While only few people in Thimphu actually felt the tremor.

Earthquake of similar magnitude was felt in early 20th century.

Bhutan lies in the earthquake belt making it vulnerable to earthquakes of even bigger magnitude in future.

Bhutan village festival

Bhutan Festivals are unique and a great time for tourists and the locals alike. Its a time when the villagers leave behind their back breaking work and gather to have fun and cleanse their sins.

Festivals in Bhutan are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals. Foreign travelers are struck by the scale and multiplicity of Bhutanese festivals that have evolved in the society. Fairs and festivals are moments of remembrance and commemoration of the birthdays and great deeds of gods, goddesses, hero, heroines and saints.

Hongtsho, is a small hamlet about 20 km away from Thimphu (capital city). Apples and potatoes are the major cash crop here. This hamlet has a population of about 500 hundred people. They have a small community school, an out reach clinic and few shops.

Every year on the 15th day of the seventh month on the Bhutanese calender a small festival is celebrated here to please the protecting deity of the hamlet. People make offerings in the temple and receive blessings. Mask dances and folk dances are performed by the villagers.

Below are some pictures from the festival



Enjoying their lunch


Young monks witnessing the festival


remembering their yester-years


mask dances


A dilapidated house, people still live in it.


mask dance


festival clown entertaining the crowd


The festival ground.

Laya, a remote village in Bhutan

Laya is a remote village three days walk from a motor able road. People living here are nomads and rear yaks. During summer these nomads go higher up the mountains looking for good pasture. When the winter sets in and when the ground is covered in snow they move down to low lying areas where they can still feed their yaks.

Laya is a trekkers paradise. The breathtaking views and the enchanting people have left a lasting impression on the minds of the many.

Below are some pictures from Laya


Laya-cherub


weaving hats


high altitude flower


churning milk


Stairway to heaven


The silver meandering river



prayer flags on the mountain to please the dieties.


This must be a heaven


Houses in Laya



A bridge over a small river


Ferrying goods

Khuru, popular dart game played in Bhutan

Khuru is a favourite traditional game played in Bhutan. Its similar to dart but the size of the dart is bigger than the usual plastic dart with metal tip. "Khurus" are carved out of hard-wood and there is no restriction on the weight or the size to be played. To strengthen it metal-casing is done on the lower end. A "khuru" can weight anything form 150gms to about 300gms.

A team mate cheering his team


A follow through


Traditional folk dance on a hit on the target


This is the way we aim at the target.


The distance between the targets is about 30 meters and the target is almost 11 inches by 5 inches.

More than just the game its the spirit of the game which makes it lively. Teams sing and dance on each strike making the game even more interesting. Cheering and jeering is the part of the game.

There is no age limit or retirement age for any players. As long as one can throw it striaght and at the target one can qualify as a player.

Keeping Fit

Pictures from a gym in Bhutan


Checking biceps



Chest exercise




The time between 5 and 8 in the evening is considered to be the "most precious time" of the day according to some people. A hectic day in office is just over and one is out in the open breathing the fresh evening air. Its a time when most of my friends with a racket slung over their shoulders are busy rushing to a lawn tennis court or busy giving their best golf-shot.

I did the same till few years back. I either played soccer or indoor basketball. It was fun to play soccer early morning every Sunday with different teams. It was a good way to start a Sunday.

Now I go to gym thrice a week. Its a small gym with basic work-out equipments. We don't have a trainer and depend on what we read from books and information we get on the internet. In a way its fun to spend two hours here helping each other and talking about muscle and protein and fibers. We never realise until we start working out that we can actually become stronger every day. Our physical strength lies in our ability to strengthen it further.

I started initially with small weights, today i lift over 75kgs with my hands. I plan to lift more in future. My aim is not to compete in a body building competition but to stay fit and strong.

Preparing for the Meteor Shower on August 12, 2009

Our earth will pass through a stream of dusty debris from the comet Swift Tuttle. It will pass through the densest debris stream sometime on August 12 and will continue till early hours of August 13.

The cometary single burns on entering the earth's atmosphere often leaving a trail of light across the sky. On August 12 when earth passes through the densest part of the meteor we can see dozens of meteors an hour.

This meteors is believed to come from the constellation of Perseus - hence this phenomena is called Perseid.

No special equipment is required to see this event. Its a good opportunity for all sky-gazers.

If the weather is clear I will be posting some pictures taken of the perseid from Bhutan.

Phallic Tradition

Phallus painted on the wall of a house



Wooden phallus hung in my jeep

A clown holding a phallus during a festival

Wooden phallus hung on the four eaves or painted on the walls of the houses in the village is a common sight in Bhutan. No one knows when the phallus worship started in Bhutan. It’s believed; it started even before the introduction of Buddhism in Bhutan. Some attribute it to the bon tradition where object worship and sacrifices were common.

In Bhutan the phallus is an integral part of ceremonies ob

served by communities, commonly used to ward off evil spirits and counter evil. Be it a newly constructed house or a new purchased car. Wooden phallus of different shape and size are used

to ward off evils. Some even consider the phallic tradition to be a legacy of the saint Lam Drukpa Kuenlay (popularly known as divine madman, he refuted aga

inst dogmatic practices and taught Buddhism through his unrestrained sexual practices. He always looked for beautiful girls and good wine).

The inauguration of a new house is an elaborate ritual. Four huge giant phalluses are carved from a wood, tied together and put in a basket. The men folks on the roof try to pull the basket up while the women pretend to pull it down. When the phalluses are hung from the four eaves, scriptures are read and men and women sing and dance till the wee hours.

But contrary to the popular perception, the phallus has a world of meaning beyond its obvious symbolism to ward off evil influences.

The phallus, in essence represents a centre of male ego, and did not symbolize celebration of sex. The phallic symbol in the Bhutanese context does not denote domination of womanhood by man. In Bhutanese belief the phallus rather represents a worldly illusion of desires.

The phallus symbolism is losing its vibrancy in urban Bhutan. Now the urban dwellers feel it’s offensive and indecent.

Little Angels

We are the champs!!!


Friend in need.....

When the rain comes down...

..more than i can swallow

My hard earned meal.

I hate weekends and hate it even more when I have nothing planned. I twist and turn in my bed trying to catch some extra sleep i miss on weekdays. Every dot on the ceiling or uneven paint comes to live and invites me to the "wonderland". I lie there till i feel i can sleep no more.

This weekend was different as i was mountain biking to one of the remote villages some 50km to the south of Thimphu (capital city). I don't usually go biking as i work out thrice a week. But this time with few friends we plan to go to this place.

The trail leading to the village is just wide enough for a pick-up truck. To ride this dirt track is a daunting task. The ascent is steep and one side is a sheer cliff of several meters drop to a ravine below.

Puffing and panting we made it to the village by lunch time.

We visited a village elementary school and took some pictures. This village is a paradise at this time of the year.