The Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) with support from the monastic body dratshang started mulling for including the studies in colleges. Buddhism study is included in university curriculum in many countries while few countries like Thailand and Nepal have separate university for Buddhism.

Dratsang and RUB are scheduled to make ten-day long deliberation on possibility and rationale of the study. According the RUB vice chancellor, Dr Pema Thinley Samtse College of Education would be the first to integrate the course.

RUB also has held discussion with US-based Naropa University’s representative MacAndrew Jack on possibility of launching the course.

For decades, the government forcefully compelled non-Buddhist to follow the faith and carry out daily rituals with the help of lamas.

Demonstrations outside the art exhibition

The visitors to the exhibition, which schedules to run till May 10, were surprised to see the other side of the Bhutan’s face, against what has been portrayed to this day. They were surprise to note the reality behind the “cultural curtain” of Bhutan.

One of the members of the organizing team Dick Chhetri said the protest was by no means a protest against the magnificent arts of Bhutan but was to make aware the international community that it was wrong in the part of Bhutanese government to use the sacred arts and culture as a political tool to cover its hidden agenda of secret and systematic ethnic persecution that amounts to a ethnic cleansing of a dangerous type because, the highly projected mysteries of arts and culture camouflages, hides and distracts peoples’ attention from the real issue of human rights being trampled in everyday lives of Bhutanese refugees and Lhotsampas in Bhutan.

At least 20 Bhutanese from SF Bay Area participated in the peaceful demonstration with signs and placards and distributed literature to create awareness on ethnic and cultural suppression continuing in Bhutan.

“The response from the visitors was very encouraging; especially they were surprised that such a thing of ethnic cleansing exists in the land of Gross National Happiness. If we continued such simple, honest and straightforward protests, without politicizing it, in a united manner, it is certain the day will come when the good citizens of the world will seek to know whose happiness is Gross National Happiness in Bhutan, and uncover the hidden agenda of the Bhutanese government against the Southern Bhutanese”, reads a statement issued by Chhetri.

It further says, “Our message was clear that we are the victims of injustice, propaganda and political manipulations very well designed the Royal government under the guise of “One Nation, One People” policy, and completely overshadowed by the highly orchestrated international campaign leaving us helpless. However, Truth is on our side, and there are people who are willing to listen to the voice of the voiceless and may provide help to the helpless if we continued our international campaign.”

The new organization named Bhutanese Community Support Organization in America (BASCO) is headed by Dick Chhetri. The organization claimed it adopted a policy of transparent ideas, debates and discussions among those who looked upon it in the spirit of unity, hope and optimism before the formation. 

BASCO said ongoing Volunteer Programs will continue as its important activity. A  BASCO Cultural Band is also constituted to illuminate cultural heritage, promote more interaction and entertainment. 

Talman Thapa has been named as Vice Chairperson, Phal Rai as Secretary and T. N. Nepal as Finance officer. Board of Directors included Nar Bahadur Tiwari, Prem Kumar Gurung, Lok Nath Bastola and Purna Mongar

The volunteers

A group of Bhutanese volunteers who have come together say their goal is helping community as Bhutanese try to establish roots in their adopted land and work towards the success of families and their children. 

“It was a great pleasure to get this opportunity to serve our community at times of need,” the volunteers say.

The Indian community and locals in the state has extended helping hands in the efforts of Bhutanese to sort out challenges during emergency phase of resettlement. Sewa and other 30 different Indian organizations in the locality came forward to help Bhutanese resettle in the area. 

The Bhutanese volunteers held first ever grand Welcome Reception Program for the newly arrived Bhutanese families on August 17, 2008 at Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Riverdale, with the help of Dr. Ravi Sharma and other Indian community members. The program was organized and coordinated by a team of Bhutanese and Indian volunteers. The program included Temple visit/Darshan, Puja (prayer), Raksha Bandan (unity bond), and cultural program by Bhutanese youths followed by banquet dinner for over 500 people at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta. Over 60 cars and vans were provided by the Sewa volunteers for transportation of over 300 Bhutanese people from Clarkston to Riverdale, South Atlanta giving 7/8 hours of their time.

A health fair was held on September 20, 2008, at Global Mall, Norcross. Volunteers from all apartment complexes played their role to help Sewa, Vishwa Hindu Parisad (VHP), Telegu Organization of Atlanta and other individuals to organize the fair. Dr. Sujata Reddy led a team of 20 doctors who could screen over 100 Bhutanese families for various diseases. The program was first of its kind for the Bhutanese families in US.

On November 11, 2008, a special gathering was arranged at the Clarkston Community Center with the help of Sewa volunteers. Swami Vigyananandaji of VHP addressed Bhutanese families and gave words of encouragement. A program for distribution of blankets, and Wal Mart Gift Cards worth $1000 was arranged in the same program. Several families from different apartment complexes viz. Valley Place, English Oaks, The Lakes, Christopher and Southern Place apartments volunteered to cook dinner for over 250 attendees in the program. 

In October 2008, the volunteers formed two cricket teams by the name of Bhutan Shangri-la A and B in order to participate in a cricket tournament in Alpharetta along with Atlanta cricket league teams organized by Sewa to raise funds for Bihar relief fund as well as for the Bhutanese community in Atlanta. A total of 22 volunteers in two teams played cricket representing the Bhutanese community in Atlanta. Similarly a Bhutanese dance team led by a volunteer participated in Hindu Unity Day during Deepawali organized by the Indian community.

On November 18, 2008, a Bhutanese family participated in Inter-faith Ecumenical Service at Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta. The family was introduced by Dr. Ravi Sharma of Hindu Temple of Atlanta as a guest of honor at the gathering. This was first the time that a Hindu addressed gathering in this temple.

On December 6, 2008, the volunteers took part to help Dr. Indira Menon to organize an Eye Examination camp. The Sewa volunteers and some other friends of Dr. Indira Menon helped the Bhutanese families consisting of 30 individuals to receive a through eye check-up. The eyeglasses were prescribed and distributed to them later in another program. 

On December 14, with the support of Indian community and BAPS Swami Narayan Temple, the volunteers assisted hosting cultural program for newly arrived Bhutanese. There were 33 Indian organizations including 150 Bhutanese and Indian volunteers to help over 160 families consisting of 800 or so Bhutanese families. Both Indian and Bhutanese worked together. Blankets, clothing, kitchen items, pressure cookers/rice cookers, TVs, DVDs, computers, vacuums, microwave ovens, blenders, and many other items worth over $15,000 were distributed. 

On February 14, 2009 when Radha Madhav Society spiritual guru, popularly known as Didiji, came to Atlanta, the Society requested the volunteers to organize a spiritual sermon for the Bhutanese families at Hindu Heritage Center, Global Mall, Norcross, where over 100 Bhutanese individuals participated. On this occasion, eyeglasses worth US$1,100 were also handed 29 Bhutanese individuals who had their eye checked during December 6 Eye Camp.

Ralph Parker, a former board member of Georgia Refugee Resettlement Council along with Dr. Ravi Sharma, a number of volunteers from Indian community, such as Seikanth Konda, Swadesh and others from Sewa International established the Bhutan-Support Group which has over 100 members with the objective of helping newly resettled Bhutanese families.

The group established an emergency fund to help Bhutanese during emergency under the care of Sewa. Beginning with seed money of $3000 donated by Jewish community, the fund has received good response and some 11 Bhutanese families have benefited from the fund.

Delved in the process of resettlement in the US, the process facilitated by International Organization of Migration (IOM), I with my family, have had a busy time schedule in last week of December 2008, and beginning of the new year. I had to be careful in time management and meet relatives and friends, especially my team of Bhutan News Service and Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) Bhutan. Pre-departure medical check-up was scheduled for second day of January, limiting the three day cultural orientation to just December 31, 2008. January 3 was the date for departure from camp. 

The evening of January 2 became a worth event to recall and rejoice. There was gathering of in-laws, even from Bhutan, who came to see their parents whom I never met before. Among all it was good time for me talking to Ichha, Thakur and Khem Kafle regarding our mission of disseminating information through media.

January 3 was the day of my family’s departure from camp to Kathmandu. Before the dawn everyone in the house woke up, prepared breakfast and tea for our travel. There were helping hands to carry our bags/luggage to Beldangi –I from Beldangi-II, gifts and souvenirs, tika and all well wishing for the journey.  More than that were tearful eyes of kith and kin bidding farewell.

Three IOM buses ferried the first batch of refuges in 2009 from camps to Bhadrapur airport. The chartered flights of Yeti Airlines were delayed several hours due to foggy weather in Kathmandu. It was only at around five o’clock in the evening that we, the last group could board the small aircraft, that flew for forty-five minutes to reach the only international airport of Nepal, TIA.

Flying to Kathmandu from Bhadrapur appeared no less than a thrilling mountain flight. The setting sun in the far end of western horizon was a glowing red ball. The mountain peaks seemed to be floating above the sea of clouds glowed golden yellow to tawny red in the twilight. I felt, the charm of lofty Himalayas could be hardly erased of anyone who chanced to see it even once.

In IOM transit center, Mahargunj Kathmandu 

My thirteen years stay in Kathmandu for study and job was summarized to three days before flying to US. Friends- Tirtha, Anjoo and Naveen came to see me and say goodbye. Indra could not arrange time to talk face-to-face, so made a phone call for reasserting our plan of continue uphold media. There was the formality of signing  a document of credit to IOM that it loaned to all after being resettled in US.

At the TIA

On January 6, thirty-five of us were scheduled to fly to Delhi from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Heading towards the airport by IOM bus, we experienced an unexpected “bandh” at Chahabil and had to choose a round-about way via Bishalnagar. It took around one hour for the bus to make through the way to Gaushala and finally to the airport. We waited for more than four hours to complete the formalities of exit at TIA. Although we were provided with the boarding-pass for Nepal Airlines (formerly RNAC), it was not likely to be ready for the flight. At about 5:30 pm our escort, Mr. Pascal and we, boarded into the Boeing 787 of Jet Airways that took one hour and forty-five minutes to land at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

In New Delhi

Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi

The grandeur of this airport was beyond my imagination. The airfield was fabulously lit with sodium lamps and it was quite warm comparing to Kathmandu. We entered into a more technology-driven world of Asia. Some of my companions were astonished to see the automatic sliding door working while others were bewildered not being able to use drinking water in the lounge.

Delhi was never a hospitable place for Bhutanese refugees in the former years, particularly for the purpose of lobby and advocacy. But now, airport staffs were ready to receive us, serve our dinner in the lounge and guide us to the exit gates leading to the jet plane. Probably south bloc’s idea of making a demographic balance in Bhutan, as expressed by the Indian foreign minister in early 2008 has been working well.

To Brussels

We boarded into a larger aircraft of Jet Airways at about 3:30 am flying from Delhi to Brussels. In the sky the night overlapped moving westward to Europe, and in Brussels it was about 7 am as the aircraft prepared to land. Brussels was covered with snow and temperature below freezing.

Pascal handed over his responsibility to another IOM official who guided us in the airport building for check-in formalities. Brussels was our transit from Delhi to Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey. Before boarding into another jet plane to Newark, we spent a brief period of forty-five minutes in Brussels International Airport.

At Newark 

The plane was scheduled to take-off from Brussels at half- past eight, local time, but was late by half-an-hour. The jet flew across the Atlantic Ocean and landed at Newark airport at about 3 pm, local time. Newark was our port of entry to US.

 A little drama at Newark airport

At Newark, it took over more than three hours to complete the formalities of registering ourselves with custom and security officials. IOM officials at Newark airport were too hostile to the refugees. They could not make people feel comfortable on the very first day of their entry to US. The lady officials particularly shouted and even yelled to the top of their voice and make timid refugees confused and worried. I could see their inefficiency in work-they try to separate members of family without giving adequate information what they were actually doing to them.

In our group some families were destined to fly over to their given destination, while some were prescribed to stay in hotel. There was a mess of inefficient management exhibited by IOM-tag holders; themselves not being clear about stay in hotel or arrange connecting flights. The two Bhutanese refugee youths assisting in the airport were reticent enough to communicate with us openly. For a group of five families night halt at Days’ Hotel was arranged where people had an awesome experience not being able to open the hot rooms with the given key-card.

The next day episode  

Early at six in the morning, we were virtually ordered to pack our luggage and get down from the lift to be transported to the airport. We could see a lady in the lobby of hotel, shouting at refugees from other part of the world. She was running in and out, here and there; shouting the names of refugees several times, make them stand in line, at times ordering to take their luggage out and at other times carry inside. She was also yelling at other IOM escorts as if she was the sole manager of whole affair. I felt a deep sense of pity for their whole mess of work, and quite uncomfortable for having got such rowdy- natured escorts at a far-away place. We all were worried whether we could reach our designated destinations safely. Finally we were taken to the airport and guided to respective exit doors of the building to board the domestic flights of United States. Three families flew to Chicago and again divided to take respective airplane to our destinations.

At Louisville international airport 

Louisville international airport

It was about 3 pm when my family landed at Louisville international airport. As we were walking through the hallway of airport building, a bit of confusion in mind, we were greeted by a stout, black man of clearly-African-origin who happened to be our case-worker, Hassan. He helped us with our carry-on and luggage, opened the door of his office car and took to our apartment.   

January 2009