Bhutan has been buffering the friction between two Asian giants since early times of Independent India. Bhutan’s border with both the neighbor has remained ill-defined as much of the work of boundary demarcation depended on Indian surveyors. The northern border prior to 1959 was maintained with Tibet, that happened to be the origin of Drukpa … Read more
Hindi soaps are getting popular in this nation of smiles, though some women question the value systems they endorse. Fifty years ago, when I was a child, we didn’t have money for shoes. We wore something roughly stitched together from the jute of gunny bags. But it was a time of innocence… everyone around was … Read more
The South Asian nations came together in 1983 for the purpose of promoting peace, stability; amity and progress in the region keeping in mind the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states and peaceful settlement of all disputes. The leaders were aware … Read more
Nepal has been hosting thousands of Bhutanese nationals, who were forcefully evicted from the country in early 1990s, since two decades. However, it was only in 2006 that the Government of Nepal agreed to verify them and issue refugee identity cards. The joint verification team comprising representatives from the government and the United Nations High … Read more
The Bhutanese democratic movement will not face any such terrible setbacks as it faces today – with the demise of Rongthong Kuenly Dorji. The contribution of Late Dorji will shine in golden letters in the history of Bhutanese democratic struggle. Stepping down from a luxury life to work with the most marginalized and suppressed section … Read more
In 7th century before the Christian era, the area (today’s Bhutan) was ruled by Kooche Sangaldip from Kooch (today’s Cooch Bihar) Assam, India. Thereafter, his descendants ruled this area until 7th century A.D as tutelage of Kamarupa in Assam. In 650 A.D after the death of ruler Bhaskaravarman, it got separated from Kamarupa and exposed … Read more
I happened to be in Delhi through out the Anna Hazare saga. The usual summer heat was not too bad but what was really heating up the city was the protest against graft and corruption led by this unassuming man – Anna Hazare. Public protest is a part of democracy. It is how eventually a … Read more
America is a land of opportunity; opportunity comes with education. Immigrant communities with English language educational background are expected to do well whether it is at entry level jobs, performance at community colleges, or admission to universities. The Bhutanese refugee camps in Nepal were reported to have achieved 100 percent primary school enrollment. It was … Read more
When India accepted Bhutan’s invitation to invest in its hydropower, this tiny Himalayan kingdom was overwhelmed and swiftly drafted foreign investment policy in hope that world will see it as land of opportunity for investment. Last year, the government unveiled a new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy which opened Bhutan as possible destination of investment … Read more
Road through democratisation is not smooth as the rulers in Bhutan had predicted. When this best governance model was projected in semi-demon form three years back, royalists took enough opportunities to publicise that democracy was the gift from palace despite public refusal. Characteristically, had that been the circumstances, post election results would not have created … Read more