A Day in the Paddy Field...

My dear Apa and Ama,
Sorry,I couldnt come for helping you all in this most busiest time of the year,as i have some more urgent workshop days here in Seoul.But let you keep my pie and portion of work,so that when i come back,i would do my part in gathering water to the thirsty fields.

Its 5:00pm,as i took an evening walk after a day's lecture on information technology Systems.There in my room as i opened up my notebook and peeped through my yahoo email,its my sister's letter in my inbox.It read: Dear Tashi,Glad to know that you doing good there.We have just finished with our changla(paddy transplantation) a day before.

Well i still have missed this golden opportunity of connecting with nature.I dont know how people consider and take it,but for me,it has not been just a work since childhood,but an art that can heal time and remaining connected with nature.I remember recalling days with the power tractor,the farm ferrari.Its not so difficult in learning how to plough field.I heard tales of my brother plouging fields with oxen.Now how fortunate i m having been introduced to modern mechanisation,which not only ease effort but time and money.My apa had tough times of his years gathering shingles for house construction in olden days.Similarly ama was not bad,she is really a hardworking housewife.These features and qualities in them made them a perfect couple,understanding,yet quarrelsome at times."Like minds flock together everywhere" and its been true to my belief.

Life in a Bhutanese village is really interesting and peaceful.Earlier we do not have roads.The traditional way of crossing river through the wooden logs have been very popular.The busiest times of the year in farmer's life is transplantation season(changla)watering and weeding our weeds(damo and jitogni).The paddy has been oneof the most important crop,sustaining livelihood since ancient times,although mode of farming techniques had improved quite a lot after the introduction of modern machines on bhutanese soil.

Transplantation season is one of the most beautiful time of work.The work in our fields have been hectic.Usually during changla,around 20-30 people are involved only in transplantation,while 5-6 are for the langdo(mixing and pounding of mud with water)and one ofcourse with the tractor,crushing and preparation of muddy mixture.

Young group of ladies cajole throughout the day's work while transplanting the paddy in designed columns.Now with transplanting machines,a lot chunk of working is getting reduced.

The olden days parops hire and relatives come as far from Haa to help transplantation get done.In return the rice and other necessary stuffs were given as charges and payment.There were good mode of interaction through the long journeys,work,infact every place people go,the system of gross national happiness is strong although the right term has not been coined earlier.This dependency on each other made our Bhutanese stronger,happier,bonded,secure throughout times.

It is here that i realized,this important art and work,necessity in the life of our Bhutanese farmers do not get unnoticed,so that every people out there in the city can feel the presence of our roots and forefathers where we have been brought out,while understanding and imparting this living traditions to our generations as we pass down to the younger people.
There are still cases in the world where children see cows only through nursery songs and movies and portion of urban people do not have experience of countryside as rural sites turned into skyscrappers and high tech cities.There are more cases of growing crops in the town,using pesticides and fertilizers,chemicals enough to mature and ripe fruits before season.

We still have the live of living Bhutanese Village infront of our own eyes and sure it would go down the generations depicting the way Bhutanese lived throughout centuries.

Recalling my Childhood Ambition..

The other most interesting days of my school life were those when a new batch of trainees from NIE(in earlier days we call 'National Institue of Education' ) would come on thier teaching practice in schools.With smiles and new looks,they tend to make lesson very interesting through jokes,songs,poetry and even sometimes narrating their personal experiences of life and love stories of their school days.This could be perhaps one reason why we like and see them more closer and friendlier.But at times, it has its own pros and cons.

Well,infact the very first day of their class would meant a lot to us those days.It starts with introduction session and a brief psychological shock statement and question such as 'What is your ambition'. To the students is very common.Nevertheless,everyone donot seem to fear this question as answers are stereotyped.Perhaps i realized sometimes that,this question itself has lot in it.It would by asking make us visualise and set stepping stones to make goals come true.
Well i had a dream too, of flying in the air.My village is located in the heart of fertile agricultural terrains of paro valley amidst the bank of pachhu.Since my childhood,it drives me so crazy even to leave meals behind and run to our courtyard to gaze the flight soar higher and higher.The propeller of first aircraft Dronier 18 seater speeds in air as it makes a huge sound waving the monster through the clouds.That time i was just a little kid not even enrolled in school.Such was my excitement and joy.There was no sense of fear at all.Then it had always been joy to watch helicopters rotate blades as it crosses the white capped peaks like a giant bird hovering across the mountains.
This childhood 'watch and show' of excitement had kept a spark of motivation in me perhaps to become someone who can rule the sky oneday.The dream started with growth and achievements from the school days.But one fine day,a question lingered in my mind like an unpleasant dream that wakes you up from every reality.Can an opportunity be taken or otherwise can a secure vacant seat be there during my time.This sense of consciuosness awoken me up many times..perhaps high time that i opt for another field.The rise of electronic gadgets been very popular and slowly and steadly my interest in airfield started diminishing like a lantern almost reaching to the end of its fuel.I have no more mindset now,m not determined,i dont want to programme my life,i lost myself in the air of confusuion.I dont want to take a deep research on something and take life so seriously.I m a prepaid card and have validity.Now whatever comes m ready and bold to take the way ahead,i promised to be sincere to myself not serious.
It was until then my love for computers picked up.And yes i like the fun and all the applications.It helps me to network more friends,design beautiful family pages,troubleshoot confusuions,search and browse meaning of balanced life,provide security to internal mind from outside confusions.

Today yes its funny at times,but its good to recall those days,a childhood dream of pilot has now landed up in the age of information technology.Still then i do take and rule the sky riding the planes in the playstations,its cool and fun.

Most of us when we recall our childhood ambition and life now,tend to land up in different career as we change our perspective and interest and of all our love towards a particular work as we move on,whatever matters in the end is,i think we should be flexible with the change and ready to takeup anything as we love it and as we should do it..!!
.... Life is really a nature's beautiful art....