Scary path to Om Bha Ye in Trashi yangtse. 

To be one.

Upon your name, people quiver

We have not seen you

Yet we still believe.

You tell us to behave in so many papers

 You tell us about life through other beings

But why are people still causing havoc, in your name.

We were born as one

But the world divided us in colours

Are we still not your children?

Children, we say but worse than the devil himself.

Awakening the demon inside.

Even Lucifer would seem small

For he had just pride

We, with all the sins any man could ever commit.

Come before us again

To create a new world without misery.

Surrender, we shall not

For we still have faith

Faith is what binds us together.

Faith will lead us to you.

Children, we bear shall not corrupt

With faith they will grow

To create a world with peace.

A dreamer, you may say I am

But I am not the only one

With hope that someday you’ll join us

And the world will be one.

This poem which i wrote is about man getting corrupted through time. About human beings causing misery and problems to each other while a ray of hope still exists for those with faith. Faith in the almighty, so that one can truly attain peace through this and work together in creating a better place to live in.  

Ismile Cafe in the girls hostel area. Sherubtse, kanglung.

view behind my house... it gets scary during monsoon when the river gets huge.. and we have no choice but to live there...     Dechenchholing, Thimphu.

in the east...

Truth or just rumours.

A lot of stories about ghosts and spirits keep on spreading from one student to another through time. It still isn’t clear if these stories are really true or just rumours.

Before coming to the college many students have heard stories of Sherubtse College. Stories about the ragging system which was going on in the past but the one that caught the students’ mind are the ghost stories. For some they may not find it scary while for some it is frightening. A lot of ghost stories are being circulated among the students and many believe it. Few places which are said to be haunted are: the area above the Degree Hostel2 near the water tank, the small pond in the B.Sc Peach garden, the junction near the boys hostels, the junction where the Namgyel Khangzang was built recently and hostel such as Thuptenling and Tshogayling.

Sonam Pelom, a college student taking Political science and Sociology currently in her third year said “I heard a lot of ghost stories from my friends. I do believe in ghosts and so I tend to believe these stories. I heard about two boys who got drunk late night. They were walking along the road and a strange dark figure started following them. They looked back and it disappeared suddenly and appeared in front of them. I think it was near the junction below the boys hostel.” She shared another story which one of her friend experienced, “It was during one of the department gatherings when my friend and another friend came back late at night to the hostel. My friend said she saw a girl with long hair sitting on the bench below the Tshogayling hostel. She tried showing the girl to her other friend but she did not see it. My friend was the only one seeing the figure of the girl. They got scared and quickly ran to their hostel chanting prayers.”

Dechen Pem who graduated last semester from Sherbtse College said that one night when she was walking alone near the Director’s house which is just above the Namgyel Khangzang Chorten, a huge shadow figure kept following her. She said there was no one around and she got scared. Since then she always took the long way to the hostel around the college.

There are stories going on about the hostels being haunted as well, Tshogayling in particular conducts annual rimdro. So just because Tshogayling hostel is the only hostel in the entire college to conduct the rimdro, people say it is haunted.

While most students get scared hearing these stories there are some who do not believe it. Tashi Choden, a third year student taking Economics and Sociology said “all these stories being spread may just be rumours. I do believe in ghosts and spirits but I’ve never encountered one. I feel that such experiences are a work of our mind when we are scared.”

Almost every place has a history of stories being spread which keeps changing through time. Ghost stories and experiences from past students keep on spreading to the next ones and the ones after that. We may never know if such stories are actually true or just rumours.

Start of College life at Sherubtse.

The hallways of Sherubtse College get crowded as a huge number of fresh faces fill it up. This year the College has an intake of about 700 students.

These fresh high school graduates who got through to Sherubtse have finally started to begin their college life. For most of the students, college life will be the first time for them to be living away from their family and experiencing life on their own. Most of the students get excited while there are those few who are homesick. This change in the phase of life is something which every student must experience before going out into the real world.

Deki Phuntsho who just finished high school from Jamphel Higher Secondary School is now starting her college life at Sherubtse College taking Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Sociology. Since this is the first time for her being away from her home she said  “ I was excited at first to be coming to Sherubtse but now all that excitement has faded. I want to go home and be with my family” and ended it with a sigh. She added “But since I have to to make it here on my own, I have to adjust here”. And lastly with a smile she says “I hope Sherubtse will treat me well.”

 While some are missing their home and sulking, there are those who have adjusted quite well with the place and are excited to see what comes out of Sherubtse. One such girl is Tshering Pem, also taking Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Sociology. She says “I’ve loved it here since my arrival at the hostel. I did not expect the seniors here to be so welcoming and nice since I heard the rumours of the raging trend that’s been going on in Sherubtse.”  When asked about what kind of changes she has experienced after coming to Sherubtse, she said “It is completely different from my school life. I feel quite free here without anyone scolding me for what I do.”  “I’m expecting a lot of interesting things to happen during my stay here at Sherubtse” laughs as she says it.

College life may seem difficult and lonely for some but for others it is the time to enjoy and make new friends along with studies. Since Sherubtse College is known as the peak of learning institute, it will be producing a lot of productive citizens for the country.

The Kanglung Zangdopelri. Zangdopelri considered to be the paradise of Guru Rinpoche.

“We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness.”
-Dalai Lama

I believe that religion is the best way for a human being to dwell in harmony with each other but the best thing is to be kind which is far greater than any religion. I was born a Buddhist and raised as one but that doesn’t mean that I do not respect other religion. I respect any kind of religion that does not include causing harm to other beings. Other than Buddhism, I admire the story of Christ where he dies for the people. I like to read biblical stories and my favourite one is about the Fall of Mankind. The Fall of Mankind is clearly elaborated in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Adam and Eve, the ‘Parents of Mankind’ disobeyed god which led to the downfall of man. According to the book of Enoch, Gadreel is the main cause for the corruption of mankind by letting the serpent in the garden of Eden. Where as Milton’s book states it as Eve who fell for the words of the devil and ate the forbidden fruit and urged Adam to eat it as well causing the fall. A negative side to female sex is given in it and for now through generations women are considered inferior to men. Most women regret being born that way and do not appreciate the responsibility that comes with being a woman.

I really hate the discrimination that is done against women marking us women as a weakling. Being a woman can be the greatest thing one can ever attain since with it comes a burden of giving life and love to a family. In our Buddhist context we have the Green Tara who represent the feminine god who gives faith and hope to us especially the women. She is the first female god to attain enlightenment after the Buddha and she claimed that she be born as a female in every generation proving to us that the female race is no less inferior to men. Every great man is born out of a woman and one should never forget the pain and suffering a mother goes through while giving birth and raising their children. “No man is poor who has a godly mother.” So I just want to urge people not to think of us any less than how you view your male friends as.

Since my blog does not stick with a single theme, I’m writing everything that comes to my mind. I hope my readers will enjoy reading my stuffs, it may not be well structured and interesting as other blogs but I‘ll try to make it entertaining as I get used to writing here.  Since I’m still an amateur blogger, I don’t have any kind of writing that would be important for now.

                His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the Archbishop Desmund Tutu.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
-Herman Cain

To be successful in life you have to love what you are doing. Failure comes to everyone once in a while but that doesn’t mean that it is the end of the road for you. Well in my case, I don’t really know what I love doing. I just enjoy being in my room watching movies but that is not a good habit which I’m adopting. As an active media student here in Sherubtse College, I have to live up to the expectations of others and help in every way I can.

I never thought that I would be doing Journalism but after learning and knowing stuffs which I had no idea about, this course has been really fun. Media in Bhutan is not as advanced as other countries. The only media course which is here in Sherubtse started only in 2013. Since we are being taught on various issues going around in the country, I really wonder if Bhutan can really keep up with the notion of ‘Gross National Happiness’ which was introduced by our very own Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk. Our country since it is still in the process of development, rely too much on other countries. Rather than focusing on improving what we already have, we are bent on achieving something which has still a long way to go. The greatest gift that we have from our fore fathers is our rich green environment and we must strive towards protecting it for the generations to come.  

The Social Media

We have come to an era where internet has revolutionized the way in which journalism works. Anyone who owns a laptop, computer or even a cell phone can be an active source of news. Today the people don’t rely on the traditional means to get news and information. We do not have to wait for the next edition of the newspaper to update us about an issue going around in the world. Advancement in technology has led us in a place where we as ordinary people can also contribute in giving news and dispersing it to other people through the internet. The popularity gained by the social media helps us in how we perceive the news today. Before it used to be a one sided news only but now since everyone can contribute in this process through the social media, it isn't one sided anymore. Though the techniques of journalism are still there, the internet has allowed them to adapt their way of working.

“The digital age also means that journalism is taking on a new style of writing and editing. Hypertext now enables journalists to write online stories that are multi-dimensional, allowing them the reader to pick their own path through the story.”(Herbert, 2000, p.2)

Through the social media, it has given rise to citizen journalism where every citizen participates in giving news to the readers. A great example of it would be the ‘2004 Boxing Day Tsunami’ where ordinary people contributed more in updating the people around the world about the incident. Blog, facebook, twitter, and other social media sites are gaining a lot of attention today. While it can be beneficial to us, some journalists find it as a threat to their professions.

“Professional experience and literature clearly suggests that new media technologies challenge one of the most fundamental “truths” in journalism, namely: the professional journalist is the one who determines what we the public see, hear and read about the world around us.”(Fulton in Salaverria and Sadaba, 2004, p.189)

Like all new technologies, the internet has both benefits and disadvantages as well. But as the world keeps on advancing, we must go with the flow so that the value of professional journalism would not drop. The traditional means of media may not be popular as before but we can adapt with the new form of media through the internet where we can give out news and information.

“Our belief in God is not blind faith. Belief is having a firm conviction something is true, not hoping it’s true.” -Max Lucado

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” 
― 14th Dalai Lama

A beautiful painting of Guru Rinpoche on a rock beside the road.

Who am I???

Who am I? 

My name is Tshering Dolkar, taking B.A. in Media Studies and English in Sherubtse College. I’m at a point where I should be mature enough to be able to decide on what I’m going to do after I graduate. About myself, I’ve been born and raised in Thimphu.  My family history is quite different though, my grandfather (my mother’s father) is an escapee from the Chinese rule during the Chinese invasion of Tibet. From my father’s side, they were here way before the Chinese invasion. My blood is Tibetan but I am a Bhutanese as well. I have been criticised and looked down on but somehow I managed to break through that barrier. I have no such experience of life beyond the walls of Thimphu. But today I’m in college and I have yet to experience new things here. Before I came here I had no idea as to where I was headed to. I never thought that I’d be doing Journalism since I’ve always had stage fright. As time passes by I think I can change myself and shape my life here for the future. My life has been monotonous and boring, there is nothing interesting about it. I think Journalism can take me to a whole new world of adventures. Different people coming to the college and talking about their lives are always inspiring to listen to. Then I question myself about why I can’t be more like them and run towards my dreams. I have now realized that I have to live for today and not for tomorrow. I have to make the best of what I have today so that I won’t have to worry about my tomorrow. As the saying goes “Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery.” That’s why I’m living it for today. So about my life, it’s still a story yet to be told since I’ still in the process of making it.