HM's Audience at RIM

His Majesty visited RIM on 26^th April 2013 and granted audience to the trainees and faculties here. Our beloved king is king in everything.For the sake of  people he trudges through all corners of Bhutan, not just limited to places where four wheels can reach and feasible to reach but even via two foots to every nook and cranny of Bhutan as he often says ‘nothing makes him happier than meeting the people’. When a father or Karta heads just a family  he concerns so much for the welfare of the family everyday round the clock, as a king can’t think of how much concerns, worries and burdens must be burning everyday round the clock within him. No matter what, no person shall be so much concerned and worried as much as a king does for his country. Given this fact and despite HM’s busy schedule he managed to visit here and address his concerns and expectations from the youth like us   who are at the brink of becoming so called civil servants.

He started with a very beautiful and meaningful phrase that ‘to know from where to where we have come you must know the history of our country’. With this he started his inspiring talk on the history of Bhutan right from sixteenth century, how our country used to be back then. He goes on to say how our forefathers suffered to make Bhutan an independent state. He said before there was a place in-between two giant states where there was no concept of state existed. All people separated by huge mountain terrains and gorges and even separated by distinct origins, dialects, regionalism, hierarchy, etc, but our forefathers took pain to survive through all those fragile situations and hardships and managed to unify our country and made an independent  state, post to which our beloved hereditary kings pushed forward to become what is today proudly called Bhutan.

He talked on the contributions made by kings. He also talked on how Bhutan survived through and upholds its sovereignty and independence when other neighboring states were fighting for their independence and freedom. Like in the south, India fighting for independence from British, in the north Tibet from China and also war between East and West Pakistan. And also, talked on how sadly Sikkim lost its independence and became 22^nd State of India and how Bhutan maintained friendship with Sikkim as it can be seen from 4^th King’s Coronation Picture  in 1974 where even Crown Prince of Sikkim was also presented there for coronation.

Then he goes on to say despite Bhutan being small and fragile Kingdom managed to keep diplomatic relations with India by 3rd Druk Gyelpo. Of all, the greatest achievement secured towards the end of third King’s tenure was that third Druk Gyelpo managed to get UN membership and out his excitement HM said third Druk Gyelpo had written a very touching letter. He said he has that letter and reads very often and he even read that morning when he came to RIM, where it says that “ I’m no doubt that sun of happiness and prosperity will shine in Bhutan though I wont live through mid day”. I’m not getting in verbatim but this is what I can recollect vaguely. After completing all the history and contributions he said first thing we have to do is the ‘consolidation of past’ which he meant we should know the history and realize how our forefathers had suffered for the country and managed to hand over our country in a better position to every next  succeeding generations . So, HM said, we should also work hard to hand over our country in a better position to next generation. ‘Let’s not be the first generation to fail’, he said.

After the history of country he talked on youth, education, economic development, political parties, democracy and debt. He said our quality of education is not moving at par with globalization and in 11^th  and 12^th  five year plan the quality of education should be stressed the most. He narrated an incident where kids pronounced crabs for grapes. He also talked on making Bhutan economically independent and self reliant for which we have to work hard. He described his coffee cup where cup, coffee, sugar, everything is imported except water. ‘Our country being very small with less population we must work hard and we don’t have anything except hydro power’, he said. He also talked on rupee crisis and country’s debt.

On democracy HM said democracy is precious gift from 4^th King and that should not be treated as achievement but democracy is just means to ends. Further said through democracy we should achieve so many things like economic development, peace and security of the country, etc. So, he said we should choose right and capable government. There are five political parties and he commanded us to participate in voting and choose right government.

On youth HM said he has been attending graduate orientation program for almost a decade and unlike past with number of graduates swelling every year, lately he has been seeing the quality of graduates deteriorating with every new batch coming in. So he said  he no more cares quatity of graduates but cares only quality.  He also said for him does not matter how many degree the  graduates holds what matters is ‘competency’. A person must competent enough to serve the county that is important and does not matter whether he holds a degree or not, he said.

It was such a day so much of sweltering heat and even under such a heat in an open space HM managed to spend his precious time with us. After an hour talk, towards the end he said he came across many who did not even know national news, so he urged all of us to keep reading and striving harder to take our country forward better than ever before.

May not be I ‘alone who was really inspired and moved from HM’s talk but all of the trainees might have surely inspired and moved from such a inspiring and captivating talk. Though it was under the sweltering heat but I know many would not have felt the heat all because of such a inspiring talk from HM, meaningful and brevity in words, and eloquence in speech no matter in English or Dzongkha, I’m just short of words to describe his talk. And, of all, the most interesting one was his last words. He promised to take us for Picnic on one of the coming days soon.  What a fortunate 2013 batch! ,we just got confirmation today and the picnic is scheduled on 4^th May, day after tomorrow on Satruday. Long Live Our King, Pelden Drukpa Gyalo!