HAIL TO THEE - BLESSED BHUTAN.

I was in the bathroom when I heard someone knocking on the door. My wife informed me that it was one of my students with a request. I had hardly had the time to be angry with whoever she was when I heard someone pleading,” Sir, will you please give me a story? Any story will do. I will narrate it in my words.” Only after she had left, did I realise that she was Thinley Zangmo, one of my favourite students, asking for a story for the Inter-Class Story Telling Contest to be held after the second period today!

I was at school within no time. I hurried up to sign in the Attendance Register and was back in the Staff-Room even faster.  I am a very disorganized person by nature, therefore instead of tearing some pages off my LP Book, I desperately started looking for some loose sheets of paper. I found some crumpled papers and started scribbling :

Cring..cring …cring.  The phone started ringing.  Mr.Roberts, well suited and booted, hurried to answer it while fixing his tie.  Mrs.Catherine, his wife, in the drawing- room was busy supervising the breakfast. “Hello,Dad. It’s me Tom. How do?”

“ Hi,Buddy. It’s great to hear from you after so long. How’s Vietnam treating you?”

I think I should not continue writing any more of that popular war-story. Besides, the pages are left with Thinley and I did not even bother to ask for them back.

I could only finish it some 15-20 minutes into the first period. Thinley was right there in the canopy when I went down after the second period. Whatever was left to be added, was done in her presence. Before leaving, Thinley asked me if she could replace the names with some Bhutanese names. I wished her luck and she was gone.

Once inside the auditorium, Ms.Chencho, the Host of the Show, introduced us to her co-host and welcomed us. The Program was on. I was very surprised to find Thinley’s name being announced as the first participant for the Story-Telling Contest for Seniors. She is one energetic bundle of confidence. Save for the mistake of telling the climax _  where the son, Thomas, having heard his father’s reaction that his badly injured friend would be a burden to the family, decided to bring an end to his life, she really did a wonderful job. I felt so very proud of this vibrant, young lady.

Next a student of class-X taught me a lesson by reciting Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Patriotism’.  I had made a mess of the poem and myself, a few days back while conducting the Assembly.  I could not go any further than the first six lines and had to give it up in the middle of the recitation.

It was Rinchen’s turn then. Rinchen of XII Commerce. Someone I have always believed and put a lot of trust in.  I selected a Russian folktale called The Jar of Gold for her and having hurriedly finished writing it, decided to rename it ‘Greed” for her convenience. I had my doubt if she would like it.  She did, but when she tried telling it in front of me in the Staff-Room during the Lunch Break, she did not sound all that confident and convincing.  “Rinchen, try to conclude your story with the last  sentence ‘(In trying to play the Devil, the priest had turned into the devil himself’, which I thought was better than what was there in the original version). 

The way she narrated the story was simply mind-blowing.  There was no hesitation, no faltering during the story telling.  I would not be wrong in saying that she made me very proud indeed.  I realized at that time that no matter what happens, I have been able to make a difference.

Sonam Yangki was next.  She is a gifted student and her narration was as good as it could be.  Looking at Mrs.Heather, our Canadian colleague, I could see her shaking her head time and again in open admiration.

It was Karma Sonam Letshog from XII Science ‘A’, who enthralled the audience with what has become a very popular story the world over. The story of a boy called Ted, who from the dullard that he seemed to be the first time his 4^th grade teacher addressed the class, went on to earn the highest degree in the medical field under the motivation of this lady.  She remained Ted’s Best Teacher for life and taught her to teach in the process!

 The Contest was eventually won by a girl from class-XI.  Hers was a very sentimental story and there must have been many a teary eye in the audience. But for me, the winner was undoubtedly Thinley Zangmo.  When she came to my quarters in the morning, she must have known that she would not get more than an hour to spend on the story and be prepared for the contest.  Even then with her indomitable spirit and enviable courage, she wanted to give it a try.  People like Thinley are the real winners for their never-say-die attitude,if for nothing else   For reasons not very clear to me, I felt very proud at the end of the program. Thinley Zangmo, Rinchen, Sonam and the participant from class X, who recited Scott's poem, just to name a few, were all so brilliant that they brought tears to my eyes. This is what life has been for me in Bhutan for the last so many years.  So fulfilling and so enriching.