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 Bhutan Today will be a chore in a country with few passable roads, meaning newsagents will have to carry it to far-flung districts on foot and on horseback.
Lessons in Gross National Happiness
Many Americans are likely unaware of the other historic election of 2008. Bhutan, once an absolute monarchy, became one of the world’s newest democracies in March.
Most Americans are probably not thinking about Bhutan right now. Sure, some are aware of that tiny Buddhist nation sandwiched between China and India. But Bhutan can seem a universe away. It didn’t have television until the late 1990s. Its main export is electricity. Instead of focusing on gross domestic product (GDP), Bhutan measures gross national happiness (GNH).
The Raven Crown
The Wangchuck dynasty is among the most colourful in the history of modern Asia.
The first king, Ugyen Wangchuck, was a masterful warrior-diplomat who was able to crush constant clan warfare and woo the British overlords in neighbouring India. London approved his proclamation of a kingdom in 1907.
When the British withdrew 40 years later, India replaced it as Bhutan’s protector. That role continues today: India is Bhutan’s biggest investor and customer.