Wow Bhutan

Shawl bags only Bhutanese award

Karma Yangchen’s natural dyed cotton shawl proved a worthy symbol of Bhutanese craftsmanship. The shawl was among the 13 handicrafts Bhutan had submitted in the South Asia UNESCO award of excellence for handicrafts in September in Chennai, India this year. ‘Handicrafts’ here is defined as products that are produced either completely by hand or with the help of tools. A total of 167 entries from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal were judged by an internatio...

Bells and chants launch Bhutan’s first daily newspaper

THIMPHU, Bhutan (Reuters) - Buddhist monks prayed for the success of Bhutan's first daily newspaper, which was launched Thursday but could take a week to reach remote areas of the tiny Himalayan nation carried on ponies and on foot. Bhutan Today, an eight-page morning paper, is part of Bhutan's attempt to build a free press after its former monarch and fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, forced his largely unwilling subjects to accept democracy earlier this year. Delivering copies of Bhut...

Bhutan Star on New Year’s Eve

The TV remote control has competition. From the electronic slab, that occupies our palms day and night. Never before did mobile phones dictate control over television content. But, then again, never before did we have a reality show. For months, the contestants of Bhutan Star danced to the tune of the judges and sang their hearts out to impress them and the audience. What finally prevails, however, say observers, is the nimble touch of a few buttons on mobiles and landlines. The quest...

Bhutanese monk to spend weekend at Tibetan museum

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Venerable Lama Karma Namgyel, a Bhutanese Buddhist monk, will be at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art Jan. 3-4 for a weekend of special blessings, teachings, a fire ceremony and dance. Lama Karma is the founder, spiritual director, and teacher at the Drukpa Mila Center in Boulder, Colo. The center fosters religious exchange between Bhutan and the West. From the age of 7, Lama Karma grew up in the monasteries of Bhutan where he became a chant and dance master an...

2nd largest park inaugurated

It was a tribute to the Wangchuck dynasty for a century of visionary leadership in conservation of Bhutan’s rich natural heritage. And for once, it was the only protected area comprising of all four national symbols-flower, animal, tree and bird. Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley inaugurated the second largest protected area in the country, Wangchuck Centenary Park (WCP) in Nasiphel village of Choekhar gewog, Bumthang on December 12. Covering about 3,736 km sq of north-central...

Overland to Thunder Dragon land

Twenty adventurous Dutch and eight cars hit the roads for Bhutan to be a part of the celebrations long before the preparations took off here. The Road to Bhutan rally drove 15,000 km for 67 days through Italy, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India, “making music” along the way, and entered Bhutan from Gelephu on November 20. Their rally flagged off on September 26. Director of Road to Bhutan, Arnold Pilon, who has done ten world tours, called the journey “heavy traveling”. “This 11th journ...