‘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 international panel of experts on the products’ excellence of quality, authenticity of cultural expressions, innovation in design and marketability at the international level.

India bagged the highest number of awards, 27. Pakistan took five, Sri Lanka three, Nepal two and the other countries one each.

The mission of the award program is to give recognition to quality craft products that combine excellence of traditional skills, design innovation and aesthetics, thereby raising the quality standard of craft products to facilitate international market access.

On a score of five, the cotton shawl scored 4.68 points, according to the jury, for its “very appealing colour, motif and good pricing.” The shawl was priced at USD 40, about Nu 1,900.

“When they saw the shawl, everyone went for it and it scored the most in quality and authenticity,” said the UNESCO’s programme specialist for culture Moe Chiba. “This award means a recognition more to the craft than the person,” she added.

Among the other products presented for the award, the jury felt that the wild silk’s texture was too coarse for scarves, colours were not to the taste of contemporary market and the products too costly.

However, the general observation for Bhutanese products included excellence in quality/techniques and authenticity of tradition but weak in innovation, market appeal, pricing, finishing, sizing and packaging.

Meanwhile Karma Yangchen, 53, from Dungkar, Kurtoe said that she is very happy and proud to win the award. “ It means so much to the handicrafts association of Bhutan (HAB) and to me.”

The mother of three has also won other prizes within the country. Her designs and colour combination won her the top three prizes during the recent textile festival. She has also designed the kira for Druk Air stewardesses’ uniforms.

“I get my inspiration from flowers and GNH. When it comes to innovation, I change the old designs slightly,” said Karma Yangchen.

She learnt weaving from the age of 15 but gave up after she had children. The handicrafts shop she opened after her children grew up and the trainings she received from the UN and the ministry of economic affairs renewed her interest in textiles.

More than weaving, today she designs the colours and patterns for her 12 weavers. “Besides the award, I’m very happy that the Druk Gyalpo kept three of the four ghos I designed for the coronation and centenary celebrations.”

Kuensel Newspaper – Shawl bags only Bhutanese award

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Bhutan’s Anju Gurung was named woman of the match for her four wickets for three runs.

So far in the tournament, Bhutan defeated China, Singapore and Kuwait and lost to Malaysia and Nepal.

Playing for the 6th and 7th position on December 21, Qatar beat Bhutan by 38 runs on December 22 at Prem center ground, Chiangmai.

Coach Damber S Gurung emailed to say that it was a remarkable experience for the girls and that they had done a pretty good job by nailing three wins in their first ever international tournament. “I’m sure they’ve learned a lot and will play better cricket here on,” he said.

Nepal defeated the Malaysians in the finals by seven wickets yesterday at Prem Oval center, Chiangmai.

Bhutan bows out

“I think during their marriage they used to have small fights which, you know, used to have bad impact on us,” he told the BBC.

“They used to fight and you know my father used to put hands on my mother. So it was quite bad to see that.”

We meet in the studio where Barun works – a collective of artists in the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, its walls plastered with brightly coloured pictures.

At least one of his colleagues joins in the conversation saying he, too, comes from a family affected by divorce. Marriage break-ups are common in this tiny kingdom. So, too, are love marriages, not arranged by one’s family.

Pregnant

In both these ways Bhutan differs from its neighbours like India, Bangladesh and Nepal; this is a region where divorce is rare and carries a stigma.

A few blocks away Tshering does a completely different job. Now in her late 20s, she says she got divorced after a three-year marriage, having got pregnant while in college.

“To have a baby without a father is not very acceptable in Bhutan,” she says. “We got married and we tried to compromise and we tried to make it work. [But] we kept fighting for small little things.

“At the same time we barely spoke to each other. So it wasn’t a very healthy environment for a child to grow up in. So we talked it over and we just had a very clean and peaceful divorce – it wasn’t ugly at all.”

Thimphu is an attractive, orderly city set in a valley of pine forests. By world standards it is a very small capital. A recent press article on social trends said, however, that the town had nearly 700 divorce cases in its courts over a four-year period.

Many causes were cited, including alcoholism, infidelity, domestic violence – and plain incompatibility. There were many more cases that did not come to court. And the divorce rate is rising.

It is the kind of trend many would associate with urbanisation – but Bhutan is urbanising less quickly than its neighbours.

Barun Gurung relates it to the fact that people here “are quite easy-going and a little laid-back” and that, compared with, say, India, women here are treated more on a par with men.

But the attitude to marriage itself is also unusual.

In this Buddhist-dominated society, in both rural and urban settings, many people tie the nuptial knot in a more casual, less ceremonial way, than elsewhere. There is also a long tradition of people starting to live together and, once they are clearly committed, being regarded as married.

Passang Dorji, a senior reporter at the Bhutan Times, cites his own situation.

“In Bhutan basically marriage is very mutual and practical,” he says. “It basically depends on a couple’s mutual consensus.”

He met his own wife – a teacher – in their primary school days. Later “she used to work in a very remote place and I used to go there and live with her. So basically our marriage didn’t have any ceremonies.

“So far our married life has been very good. We are parents of two and she is also a working mother.”

‘Puppy love’

It is a far cry from the lavish, sometimes cripplingly expensive, weddings common in the region.

Given that marriage is more low-key, and more often tied to romantic love than to parental choice, that might be a reason why it has become easier to leave it. And, says Passang, neither the man nor the woman is likely to be disdained.

“Her friends, her relatives, her parents would be there to help and sympathise with her,” he says.

“If by stigma someone is forced to live with the person she or he doesn’t like, I think it is not a meaningful life… Our system basically gives liberty for a person to practise a lifestyle that she or he prefers.”

But some think the tide should turn; that some young people are too careless and get married for reasons of “puppy love”.

Sangay Zam, a member of parliament, stresses that many Bhutanese do still revere and value the marriage institution. She feels that marriage break-ups are usually initiated by men and are too easy.

“If the men get the opportunity to pull the strings and have their say, they would naturally have divorces. And divorces are not so expensive, if you look at the law of the country.

“So I think some of the parliamentarians are taking it up to say that divorces shouldn’t be so cheap – there should be some cost factor so that people think twice before they think about divorces.”

Barun, the artist, now has both a stepmother and a stepfather – both his parents have remarried. He gets on well with both. But he too says divorce should be a last resort.

“If the relationship is not working out, I think it is better to get divorced. But if the relationship is working out and it’s just that you have a feeling for another girl or woman, it’s really bad.”

It is striking that this generally poor country seems, in some areas of life, to be following a path more akin to Western countries than its neighbours.

Tshering is glad that as a divorced mother she is not ostracised. But she is not in a hurry to marry again.

“I need a lot of time – to bring up my son, to focus on my career – so marriage is the last thing right now,” she says, laughing.

BBC NEWS

Batting first, Bhutan batted the allotted 25 overs losing nine wickets. Thanks to Sonu Khadka’s excellent bowling, Nepal restricted Bhutan to 34 runs. In reply, Nepal completed the chase in 9.3 overs losing just a wicket.

Opener Maya Rawat posted an unbeaten 20 runs off 25 balls, which included a

boundary. Roshani Singh hit two runs before being trapped leg before by Anju Gurung while Trishna Singh, who had come to the crease after Roshani’s departure remained unbeaten at three runs.

Earlier, player-of-the-match Sonu bowled miserly grabbing two wickets and giving away three runs in her five-over spell. Nepal kept Bhutan under pressure right from the beginning, and none of Bhutanese batters could reach double figure. Sonu bowled Yeshey Choden when Bhutan had seven runs on the board. Three runs later, Rekha Rawal had Ugyen Dema trapped leg before. Bhutan was dealt another blow when Sonam Deki (6 runs) was run out. Pema Cheki top-scored with just seven runs for Bhutan.

Sita Magar took two wickets for Nepal. Likewise, Rekha, Nary Thapa, Keshari Chaudhary and Binu Magar claimed a wicket each.

Bhutan Coach D.S. Gurung hailed Nepal’s excellent bowling, saying Nepal was the strongest team in the group. “The bowlers are outstanding. Everyone rates Nepal as a good team,” said Gurung.

Nepal’s Coach Jamil Ansari said he was happy with his team’s performance and hoped to keep up the good work throughout the tournament. “Our bowling has been excellent and our fielding is good too in comparison with other teams,” said the coach.

However, Ansari expressed concern that his team’s batting was yet to be tested. “I hope we get to bat properly in the next couple of matches,” said Ansari.

Nepal’s next outing is against Singapore on Tuesday at Prem Centre.

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