Upon repeated invitation from Bjankhar lam, i along with a couple of frriends and some field staff went to Bjangkhar Lhakhang to attend tsechu. 
     As we set our journey,  the day was bright.  It was good to have the sun after some days of heavy downpour and gloom.  With blessed heart and glowed face we journeyed to the lhakhang through breath taking nature at her best.  The school children who were taken there for their cub investiture ceremony were more excited to play on the bridge over Dharangang River which is underutilized asset in the community. Some children were experiencing their first steps on the bridge.  Frightfully but carefully they step their feet and cross over. In few minutes their terrors were gone they were having fun running across. 
     We were welcomed heartily by the host and the people.  The children were served orange juice while we were treated with tea and chang.  About half the people in the community gathered there for the tsechu.  Forgeting their work and worries the people were seen having perfect rest,  talking and relaxing over a tokshing(bucket) of bangchang.  We could also join them and share some moments strengthening our bond with them.  Of course by involving ourselves in the community gatherings like that,  we could learn many things which we usually neglect in our life. 
      It had been a great moment for our school cub members.  They felt honoured to receive their scarves from the lam.  The moment was solemn as the cubs receive their scarves and make their cub promise. The idea of scouting penetrates even in the remote hamlets. And that the people especially the parents of the cubs feel proud to see their children receiving scarves from someone whom they regard as special person in their community. When we cannot club cub investiture with some significant events in the school,  it is hard to draw the people. And thus why not add little spice to the programme of the local festival.
     Towards the end of the programme,  the lam enlightened the people significance of the Lord Buddha's parinirvina coupled with his reinforcement on the need of merit accum7lation in their lives. 
     When i wasnt able to host cub investiture in the school,  i could do that day at the lhakhang.  When i wasnt able to do some good turns to commemorate the lord Buddhas parinirvina,  i could walk to the lhakhang and attend the religious activity there. May all sentient being have perfect time to rest. 

The farmers in the community are planting money and I am planting beauty these days. I mean they are planting cardamom and I am planting privet hedges and a couple of flowers. Surely in three to four years the farmers will pocket in hefty cash and I will embrace the beauty of my hard work if i will be here. 
      I am not sure whether all the privet hedges I am planting will survive or not.  Although the privets are among fast growing bushes, there are numerous factors that hindering their growth.  In the first place,  I am doubtful whether my way of planting is technically correct or not.  I am not aware about the technical aspect of growing this plant.  However I have seen the plants well developed in other places especially at educational centres.  And I was very fortunate to see a gardener in Gelephu HSS maintaining hedges last winter when I was there on invigilation duty.  The gardener advised me that it would be better if we raise nursery of the plants first. Here I am following his suggestion that I asked my children to collect a good number of snack covers and fill them with a fertile soil.  Then I clip the aged plants and plant them in the washed snack wrappers.  I keep them under the peach tree canopying the water tap beside my residence.  I water them regularly and make sure that they receive mild sun for their proper growth.
     My last weekend was spent on planting the privets in the new cub park I am developing for the school.  The nursery plants I am raising patiently will replace those which will not survive as a result of stamping by children and of course as a result of not receiving required nutrients and care from my side.  I have urged my students to be mindful not to stamp their feet while visiting the park.  I am dreaming of my present project to be a source of delight to both outsiders and insiders. 
     Slowly and steadily the park of my dream is coming into shape with encouraging support from my colleagues and children.  I have deputed the two cooks to build a miniature house quintessentially kheng in nature.  But they have come up with an average peoples height house which still is fit for the park.  With the people shifting towards concrete buildings in the name of improved living standards typical kheng house build out of naturally available materials such as bamboo, wood and cane will walk out of this community,  I think.  So my modest dream to have a miniature kheng house in the school campus may act as a model house in some years to come if it survives the scrutiny of future leaders and faculty of this school. Sustainability of my miniature house is still at risk with the central schools pulling all the children in the community.  However i am still positive that the school area would fall in the hands of good in charge who would let beauties in the school area enthrall everyone.  Markus wild,  a swiss photographer who had been here in this community a couple of years back developed a special affinity for the typical kheng house.  He was enthralled by the naturally sourced house that he loved to sleep and dine in the thatched houses than in those concrete house.  I had special moment of making excursion with Markus in some of the remote villages in this community during which i have learnt his interest in typical kheng house. One as a teacher and other as a foreigner, we would be showered with best of the hospitalities in every village we visit.  So the people would prefer us to sleep and dine in concrete houses with the hope to treat us with speciality but Mr Markus would decline the offers favoring huts and local drinks and cuisines.   His great affinity and admiration towards the typical kheng house was engraved and immortalised on the cover page of the book he coauthored 'Bhutan's Cultural Diversity' with a spectecular picture of a typical kheng house in Pongchaling. 
      With monsoon approaching,  the rains are getting heavier and heavier.  The start of heavy rainfall coincided with my planting of hedges and flowers.  I don't have to water the plants regularly.  The timely rain is surely a blessing for the flowers in the school.  And of course for the people's cardamon. 
     May farmers pocket in hefty cash out of their sweats in planting cardamoms while people whoever would be around embrace the beauty I and my friends are planting in the school. 

(The following post was written on May 2 this year but due to poor network the publication failed and thus the repost please.)

Today I message, 'Behind every exceptional person, there is an exceptional teacher, ' by Stephen Hawking to my teachers,  colleagues and friends via facebook, sms and wechat to wish my teachers for the greatness they had showered in my life. 
       The nation comes together to celebrate the day with loads of gratitude bubbling in the hearts of all people for the proud place in the society all because of their teachers' sacrifce and unwavering dedication.  The social media today is bombarded with messeges of gratitude and wishes towards teachers.  At least for a day every teacher feels honored and their hard works in the task of nation building recognized. 
     And it is also approlriate to celebrate the national teachers' day coinciding with the birth annniversary of our Drukgyal Sumpa Jigme Dorji Wangchuk who is opened the eyes of modern education in our nation.  Because of modern education our country can swim in the sea of fast changes and moreover at individual level one can dream the finest dream he/she likes to dream. Today's developments we see around which our nation has achieved within short period are the manifestation of our modern education steered by selfless teachers.  Thus in our time to rejoice the glory of modern development spurred by modern education we can meditate the farsighted vision our third king had for us. 
     Here in my school, our children put up dances to thank us.  A small gift gifted with true feeling of thankfullness meant a lot for us. We are paid for teaching and thus teaching is our job.  But I have seen a huge difference in teaching with attitude of teaching as  our work and teaching with true love and care for our children.  When we have the attitude that teaching is our jobs our teaching do not go beyond the mandatory obligation we have fulfill.  On the contrary if we teach with children in our mind our work goes round the clock.