Natinwide Cleaning, Nationwide Awakening

Today is National Cleaning Day. It is the government's noble initiative to commemorate a decade of our King's successful golden rule. Today 'every paper you pick & every drain you clear will contribute towards realizing His Majesty's dream of making Bhutan the cleanest country.'
     Our school joins the nation to observe the historic day by spearheading the cleaning program in the community. Teachers are divided into two groups, one for Nganglatrong chiwog and other for Kagtong chiwog, to co-lead the day's program following the directions from the Dungkhag Education Sector.
    With our school located in their chiwog, the people of Kagtong chiwog have an advantage to attend some cleaning related presentations in the school. Yesterday evening I thought of making a presentation or two to uplift the people's status of waste management. And today the day begins with my presentation. It is a cold morning. The sun is just appearing from the southeastern horizon slanting it's rays upon us although it is already 9 am.
I present them a story in which a group of responsible family gets together to make a yucky creek great. Then I highlighted some of the hazards of nondegradable wastes on our natural environment. Stuffs such as plastics, metals and rubbers are very useful in our daily lives but the waste out of them pose great disaster to our environment, I reinforce the gathering.
     Plastics, metals and rubber have become very important materials to produce different goods going by their strengths to withstand any sort of weather. However when they lose their strength of durability, waterproofness, air tightness and usefulness, they become some hazardous wastes in our environment. So what can we do? We can't divorce their use completely. We have to think of some creative solutions to the problems posed by the nondegradable wastes. Therfore my presentation covers some of the simple and possible ways reduce, reuse and recycle some wastes too. Of course there's no doubt the people of rural places don't reuse their wastes. It is often the elites and well-offs who don't reuse wastes. A juice bottle after finishing it's content flies off a window of a posh car while it is a prized container to store best wine in a hut. I reinforce the people's good practice with a pictorial presentation about some suggestive ways to reduce, reuse and recycle wastes.
     At the same time I also urged the people to think of ways to earn cash from trash. I wish the trash business to flourish. I wish the manufacturers could refund atleast 10 percent of the total retail prize of every goods if a customer returns them a container in reusable condition. May be this happening somewhere. In Japan it is really happening, I think. During my short training in Japan in 2014, our escort officials used to advise us not to tear off the foilpapered container specifically milk containers beyond the manufacturer's marked openings and also not to crush the bottles by reasoning that the manufacturer would buy back the containers from trash dealers, wash them and refill with new contents. In our country some beverage companies are buying back the containers from the scrap dealers. And that is why the bars stock up beverage bottles for selling. Now I wish the metal foilpapered containers too could fetch good cash in the business of trash. So even a container saved for selling will lighten the wastes on our natural environment.
     Then an animination movie on environment conservation has been supplementary treat to the gathering while the tea gets ready.
     Right after the tea in the warmth of the sun, we move towards the BHU area through the dusty farmroad. There are plastic wrappers thrown in some nook and corners. The people mostly students picked them all. The junk food wrappers top the collection of waste followed by pet bottles and foilpapered containers.
     Apart from cleaning,  we dig pits at strategic places with high hopes that passerbys will dispose their waste in the pits instead of littering every nook and corners. 
     It is a very good community service. And every glow of garbagefree place we can build on today will add up to the nation's tryst to gift Clean Bhutan to His Majesty the king.
     At least on this day, even a most irresponsible consumer will be sensitized when even high profile officers are out either cleaning or clearing.
     with mandarin season on, the people turnout is not up to our expectations. We expected that all the people will come and join us. However it is consoling to have sent children to represent their house. It is actually the people who are rarely immersed in such program to participate and learn. However the children being the future beneficiaries of the place will grow up into responsible beneficiaries. This is confirmed when I see the children immediately reacting to a man who disposes his wastes in the brook.
     Today we can make the community light by lifting all the litters around and disposing them in the waste pits. Today we are happy that we could join the nation to commemorate a golden decade of His Majesty the king. Today I am happy with big participation of youth in the program although I was little frustrated with those who didn't turn up and those who sent children instead of them. Today I could educate the public on some simple waste management practices.
      Hopefully the people will not throw wastes everywhere to make their place yucky.

     Nationwide cleaning
      Nationwide awakening
     
    

Birds are Always there for me

Birds are always there to greet me every morning I open the windows. Flights.  Tweeter. This is an advantage of having different trees in our school campus. Different birds come and visit trees. Some even nest and settle. This is a beauty of having trees around.
     Of late a couple of birds came into my sight just around my residence especially in the morning hours. I don't have to go deep into woods to watch birds. They come close to our windows and doors. Day before yesterday morning I went around our residence upon hearing unusual chattering of birds. To my amazement an owl was resting on a branch of a tree few meters from behind the house. A Streaked Spider Hunter was was around along with a couple of Red-vented Bulbuls and some tits. I assumed that the birds' chatter out of the fright upon the owl's presence. I couldn't identify what owl it was. It was more likely an Asian Barred Owlet(Glaucidium Cuculoides) going by size and appearance. It was heavily stripped (technically barred) and brown with some white spottings. It was perched restfully favoring me a shot or two in my camera. It's eyes were brilliantly open as if it had fixed eyes on its prey. I stealthily walked towards a tree nearby the garbage pit to capture the bird's perching moment. Meanwhile, the chattering tits and Bulbuls flew from tree to tree as if to indicate their frights. The owl remained perched magnificently and other birds flew around restlessly. In a tick of few seconds, the owl shot itself like an arrow down the thick bush. The other birds kept on chattering. I went down towards the bush to see if the owl was there. It wasn't there. I then came back to watch other birds.
     A group of Green-backed Tits(Parus Monticello) were still chattering on the tree. One by one, they disappeared into the tall trees below the path. The Red-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer) remained on the tree while the Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna) screeched away towards the playground.
     I came back home satisfied because I got some of the winged ones moments captured in my camera.
     Then yesterday morning, I went around again to see if the owl returned to the tree although I was aware that it would be highly unlikely to spot same bird on the same spot. No more owl that morning nor the tits nor the spiderhunter. Of course Bulbuls are common. However I was drawn towards the Children Park by the laughter of some laughing thrushes. They were White Crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) moving towards the Riverside gurrulously. I could zoom in one of them's brief perch in my camera before they move away one by one from tree to tree out of my sight. I was happy to have some clear shots of the bird. The Laughingthrushes are common in this locality. Often when we are in the nearby woods, their presence is felt with their garrulous laugh. But it is very difficult to photograph them in the bushes because they don't perch more on a same spot like some birds. In my frequent sighting of the bird, I have had tough time to get clear photograph of the bird. So yesterday it had been a sort of moment that the birds came purposefully to present me those better shots. The birds went laughing. I came back satisfied. 
     The sun was just up about 50 cm from the southeast horizon slanting it's rays upon us. Everything was brightening. The dews were sparkling. A drongo perched on a bent top of a bamboo. I felt a warmness surging in me when I could capture the drongo's warmly moment of rest.
      Red-vented Bulbuls and a Long-tailed Shrike are regular visitors in the school garden right in front of our residence. There are beans growing sufficiently. Now that the children are away home after their exam, the vegetables age and fall in the garden helplessly. So the birds take advantage of the fallen seeds. They don't go back satisfied with those fallen ones. They claim the ones on the plants too. So when they perch on the stakes to claim beans, I get better shot of their labour. As their company, bees are always there buzzing from flower to flower of the overgrown spinaches in the garden. Soon these yellow flowers will turn into seeds and more birds will visit to claim the seeds. And more shots I will have of the winged ones if I spend my vacation here.
     I am blessed to have eyes for the birds. In my pleasure of watching and photographing birds, I draw myself towards nature better. And better I feel at a spot of birds when I feel low in the flow of my life.
     Finally if you wanna have birds around, plant trees.

Police Meets the People

Public awareness on everything is very important in this information and technology world. Moreover to withstand unprecedented changes rolling in front of us at a tick of time, it is very important to remain updated, aware and informed. If not we will lose track of the time we live.
     Yesterday evening, a group of three policemen from Panbang had an awareness session with the people of the community. They were here to sensitize the people of some basic laws the people should be aware of and observe.
     They highlighted on some pressing societal issues, the ever increasing youth issues, domestic violence, alcoholism, disputes and vandalism. Every issue was presented with some possible impacts and degree of punishment.
     The spokesperson urged the gathering to take extra care of their children and guide them towards right path before they become liabilities to them and problem in community. He advised the people that they should remain alert of their children's world, their behaviors, their company and their habits. It had been timely program for the people that they would have been reinforced to take care of their children who are coming for a long vacation.  Free from their teachers' eyes and words, some children may loose their track of good habits they observe in their schools if their parents are too much liberal with them.
    Domestic violence is one issue that keeps escalating with change in time, the spokesperson said. Therfore he urged the gathering to create harmony in the family. Although domestic violence has not a big issue in this community,  it had been enlightening for the people to have lights on the impact of the issue in the family and the community. They were warned of how their children would suffer because of domestic violence.
     Then we shouldn't aim to become rich in short time, the spokesperson warned the gathering. He reasoned  that the main cause of chorten vandalism springs out of one's desire to prosper in short time without much sweat. He reinforced the people that they should not indulge in any sort of corruption and evils that would punish them one day or other. He went on to say, when you are detained for your misdeeds, it is not only you who is punished, your spouse and children are punished too. I have seen wisdom in that. Truly if father in a family is convicted out of some misdemeanor, the family empire will wreck and the children will suffer in his absence. Therfore it is best for us not to indulge in any sort of misdemeanor and violence, the spokesperson urged the people eloquently.
     Finally he called for the people's support towards the police force especially in informing them of any sort of crime and issues that may spring in the community. So that we can help you and serve you better, they said.
     It was very educative program. When people are least aware of even basic laws due to lack of better awareness media, an awareness program will surely help them. No doubt media such as TV, radio, and cell phones are in place in the community.  But sadly those media are mere entertainment source to the people. Forget about the people in a rural setting, when even some elite ones take media as mere source of entertainment and time killer. Therefore,  program such as yesterday's will surely create awareness among the people. The people might have taken home some precautionary lessons that will benefit them in particular and the community in general.