The Bard is Back

As much as other English Literature scholars and students are happy with the news of the comeback of Shakespeare in our English Curriculum, I am deligithed too. Happiness might have crossed borders for those Shakespeare fanatics with the news. I am fortunate to know  a few yet devoted Shakespeare fans in our country. My Lecturer and friend Sir Karma Wangchuk, my inspiration in the world of arts, nature and literature, of Paro College of Education is a bona fide son of Shakespeare as far as I know, heard and seen about him. In his nerves flows Shakespearean wisdom, pure and clear, as oozed out of the bard’s pen. He would often comment that no English Literature is complete without Shakespeare. With Shakespeare in his DNA, he would make the plays lively for us and in the process we would earn lots of values especially critical thinking skills.  I was one of the fortunate students to taste the creams of Shakespearean literature from him. He would serve us best of the best Shakespeare’s universal cuisines unadulterated by incompetency and shallowness of Shakespearean knowledge. With Shakespeare in him, inspiration and love for the literature streamed naturally in me. During his one of visits to England, the opportunity to visit the bard's birth place, Stratford upon Avon, had been greatest moment that he felt like visiting the bard in real.
      Then Mr K C Jose who had been an English Lecturer in both the colleges of education in our country is one for the Shakespeare. I don’t know him personally nor did I study literature from him. I have realized his love of Shakespeare through reading of his articles in newspapers and academic journals. Mr Jose opined in one of his papers, My Reflection Note on the New English Curriculum VIII-XII, Proceedings of Ringpung Experiment XVI, June 2009, ‘The Bard-upon-Avon, to me, just irreplaceable. No other authors-be it poet, a novelist or a dramatist- of any clime or time has the range, the beauty and the universality that Shakespeare has.’ And through such views and comments he voiced in a couple of his articles I read, I consider him as one of the fans of the bard. And then Mr Lobsang Nima, through reading of his blog post(Lobsang Nima’s Soulsearching Diary)  on the bard a couple of times, is one who loves Shakespeare in our nation. Further our former education minister T S Podgyel who is considered king of English Literature in our country may be for the bard. I have heard some elites sharing how they would enjoy learning Shakespearean plays from the minister as a lecturer. At times I have heard that most elites consider him as our nation's Shakespeare for the ocean of wisdom he holds and  the ripples he had been in the nation and beyond. However many people including my lecturer Karma didn't know why Mr Thakhur couldn't retain Shakespearean plays during curriculum shift as the chair. Many may not have been in favor of the bard, they used to conclude.
     There may be many who love the bard through his works which appeals even in this digital world.
    Personally for the opportunity to learn two plays, The Taming of the Shrew and The Tempest, in high schools, Indepth study of the play, The Tempest, in Paro College of Education and finally AsYou Like It and few of his timeless sonnets in my PGDE course in Sherubtse, supported by reading of some of his simplified plays by the modern publishers, supplemented by watching movie version of most of the plays and topped with inspiration from my leturer Karma, I claim myself as one of the lovers of Shakespeare's  works.   But I am not claiming myself an expert in Shakespeare nor am I establishing myself as one of the all known English literature man. I am just expressing little that I am blessed with the bard’s work through experience and inspiration.
     For the greatness and vastness of shakespearn wisdom, some people try to boost their status of literature through Shakespeare and his works. During our school and college days how some of us would walk tall displaying the covers of Shakespeare’s works. And still today some people feel proud having made reference to Shakespeare in their writings, social media posts, speeches and daily conversations. All these behaviours whether we are shallowly or deeply immersed in Shakespearean works, are actually the expression our the bard’s greatness and vastness. The true greatness rest in his true greatness of all his works.
     Now that the bard is back and if I get posted in high schools, I would be blessed to share some of the creams of Shakespeare with others too. May be that time I will be thrown into the ocean of Shakespeare and can fathom the depth of Shakespeare in our life. As of now I am only delighted that he is back in our curriculum in his 400 th  death anniversary which is commemorated worldwide, grand in his country, England, drawing in thousands of visitors. May the bard live long in our curriculum enthralling and broadening our children till eternity.