Category: Culture

Karan Thapar I’ve no idea what particular Shangrila James Hilton had in mind when he wrote Lost Horizon. But if he had visited Bhutan I’d be prepared to bet this was his vision. Except Bhutan is not illusory and it’s not lost. If anything, it’s a magical horizon. And...

Good news to read in Kuensel this week is the initiation of the Bhutanese government for construction of a Hindu temple in the capital city of Bhutan, Thimphu. After a long wait, this is small step to end suffocation of the Bhutanese Hindus. It is an exciting news. At...

The Royal wedding was already getting more than enough publicity in Bhutan and the latest blast has given it more. Two powerful Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) exploded in the southern capital of the country, Phuentsholing, on Monday evening. There are no reports of any casualties but four non-Bhutanese pedestrians...

For general public, in early and mid 1990s, national etiquette was like religion in Bhutan. Driglam Namzha was imposed in such a matter that it was the highest ethics and greatest responsibility of the people to obey – even while in farm. Many received fines for not obeying. Did...

Driglam Namzha is national etiquette which the rulers say, everyone in the country has to abide by. These photos vividly reflect that the policy was designed especially as an instrument to create psychological torture on Hindus to abandon their religion and culture....

This is a personal story of a Bhutanese failing to obtain citizenship due to discriminatory policy of the country. There are thousands of such citizens currently living in the country as they fail to find any appropriate forum to speak of their grievances.  To obtain the citizenship of Bhutan,...