Paro town observes the lunar eclipse

The moon turns red as it loses its light during last Saturday’s eclipse

The little town of Paro goes wild on the night of December 10. The residents bark and howl at the moonless heavens. It is 8.45 pm, and the magnificent full moon has come under attack.

That evening, the full-faced queen of the night has risen from the eastern horizon, over the dark crown of the mighty mountains. As the night falls, Pachhu is a languorous ribbon under the first pallid light of the moon.

But it is not like any other night. Soon, a ‘ravenous monster’ begins to steal the light of the moon. And the moon hides behind the black, imperceptible shutter. Part of it turns orange and then red. By 8.35 pm, it is half devoured by the monster.

The Bhutanese believe that lunar eclipse is caused by a monster that eats the moon. The light of the earth at night is stolen by the monster.

As the red of the dissipating moon becomes smaller, people come out on the streets beating gongs and clashing cymbals, blowing conch and trumpets, and shouting war cries. They want to scare the monster off and save the moon. It could very well have been a march to a battle.

Twenty-one-year-old Ganga Maya believes that Drey Nagchung (black demon) eats the moon. In order to save the moon, one must chant Om Mani Padme Hum, she says.

Tandin Pelden, a mother, believes that the moon suffers because of human frailties. “We borrow things and do not return them. That’s when the moon suffers,” she says. She has never questioned the belief, which has been passed down to her from her mother.

Ngawang Jamtsho, a Class IV student of Khangkhu Primary School, is beating a tin container black and blue. He doesn’t know why he is shouting. But he has already lost his voice, yowling at the moonless sky. His friend Sonam Tshering has told him to do that to bring back the moon from the devil’s mouth.

“The monster is eating our moon. We must save it, or we shall never have it again,” he says, singing Ngesem Ngesem. Tired and cold, he hits a nearby electric pole for a while and retires quietly into the shadow of the gully.

The beliefs surrounding the moon-eating monster have been passed down from ancient times.

Most societies in the world have superstitions surrounding a lunar eclipse.

The Cherokee of the Appalachian, for instance, believed that a giant, scabby frog was swallowing the moon, while the Inca of South America thought the moon was scoffed by either a serpent or a mountain lion.

The Chinese were convinced that it was a spiteful dragon. The aboriginals of Australia thought that the solar cat ate the moon as she got lost and wandered onto its path.

The ancient Europeans believed that a demon would be born of the marital relations conducted during a lunar eclipse.

Closer to home, the Indians believe that a demon named Rahu, who stole the food of immortality from the gods, now lies in wait to eat either the moon or the sun. Some believe that pregnant women should not go outdoors during a lunar eclipse lest a child be born blind or with a cleft lip.

However, in Buddhism, solar and lunar eclipses are highly spiritual. Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi, the director of National Museum in Paro, says that a lunar eclipse signals the world’s attachment to material things will grow. He said it is important to meditate on the Buddhist concept of emptiness during a lunar eclipse.

Meanwhile, on the dimly-lit cobbled pavements of Paro town, the crowd becomes wilder and louder every passing minute. “Leave the moon alone! Release! Let go!” shouts a middle-aged woman hitting a sign post hard with a rotten shoe.

She remembers asking her grandpa why people had to howl like animals at night when the moon lost its light. She was five years old. He told her that people must learn to give back as much as they take away from others. If they did not, the moon suffered. “I believed him. I still do. For, why else must the full moon turn red and disappear?” she asks. The tin board that says “No Crossing” is all crumpled.

The policemen watch the crowd go wilder. They walk around nonchalantly as if acknowledging that the noise is for a worthy cause – to save the moon. But not everybody seems to think so. An intoxicated young man waddles up from the dark, obviously irritated. “Shut up!” he cries and staggers over to the town square.

A few feet away, across the street, Sonam Choden looks up to the sky, standing with her hands in jacket pockets. She is a plump little girl studying in Class VI in Taju Primary School. She knows what causes a lunar eclipse. Her Geography teacher has taught her that a lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth, and moon are aligned exactly with the earth in the middle.

She explains the phenomenon to her mother, who has come out with a stave and a pan to save the nearly-swigged moon. Her mother doesn’t even listen and continues beating the pan.

It is 10.20 pm. The crowd is becoming thinner and noise lesser. The cold is driving people indoors. The moon isn’t out still but the town is quiet. For all urgent pleas and hysteric howling, the monster devoured the moon.

The Paradoxical Anomaly of Happiness

There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that the bulk of the Bhutanese population is relatively happy. The bad news is that the poor are miserable. Although there are no accurate indicators in place to measure and gauge the psychological wellbeing, a recent research conducted by the Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS) shows that 5 percent of the population, comprising of farmers and housewives, are reportedly the most stressed out group.

The term psychological wellbeing generally refers to how people evaluate their lives and, according to the CBS findings, psychological wellbeing has been defined in terms of the internal experience of the respondent and the perception of their own lives, focusing on momentary moods and long-term states of their mental wellbeing.

Psychological wellbeing by gender

Surveys conducted in many countries have consistently revealed that men and women have similar levels of happiness and ‘overall life satisfaction’ contrary to the study on life quality and happiness, which showed that women in the country have a lower ‘life quality’ and a lower level of happiness.

Analyses of almost all the satisfaction levels regarding specific domains reveal that men are more satisfied than women.

The general health questionnaire which was used to measure psychological distress was also observed to be higher in females.

The time pressure and stress probably increased for women due to the dual responsibilities of looking after the hearth and at the workplace, the report says.

The overall findings indicate that females in Bhutan have a lower wellbeing than males.

Psychological wellbeing by employment status

When happiness level was analyzed with employment status, the unemployed were the ‘least happy’ followed by housewives. The same category fared poorly in terms of life quality. The results also indicate that the unemployed were prone to high levels of stress.

Unemployment is a major issue of concern in Bhutan. This has simply occurred because the working age population has grown faster than the number of jobs.

The study reveals that happiness peaks around the age group of 16 to 30.

Psychological wellbeing indicators: Sources of Happiness

The psychological wellbeing interview started with an open-ended question, asking respondents the sources of their wellbeing and happiness. The main objective of the question was to gather information on the perception of happiness and to obtain conditions that would favor happiness. The respondents were given an option of listing at least seven factors that were important for them to lead a happy and contented life.

Financial security

A majority of 51 percent reported financial security to be the number one factor in leading a happy and content life. Within this category, respondents were mainly concerned with the presence of an adequate income to provide for a decent standard of living. Some respondents also mentioned the need of money for future security.

Access to roads

32 percent of the respondents identified access to roads as a key source of happiness. The majority of the respondents who listed this were people from rural areas, mainly from the eastern region.

Education & good health

education received a high priority with 26 percent of respondents equating education with happiness along with good health, such as possession of a healthy body and absence of disability.

Family relationships

26 percent of the respondents stated good family relationships to be a potential source of happiness, mentioning the importance of understanding amongst family members, having ample family time and a successful marriage.

The research also shows that 90 percent of the respondents were satisfied in relationships with their immediate family members. In order to capture some of these aspects of social support, the respondents were asked whether assistance was available during sickness and at times of financial or emotional needs – the findings were that 53% of the respondents reported that help was forthcoming during sickness. Only 2 percent reported receiving no help.

Agricultural productivity

Agricultural productivity was also regarded to be vital with 21.5 percent saying that increase in crop productivity would certainly increase their happiness level. The respondents referred to the availability of agricultural equipment and proper irrigation channels. Respondents also pointed out that possessing more agriculture land would enable them to grow more crops and thereby increase their wellbeing.

Faith and spiritual practices

About 9 percent of the respondents said that practicing dharma, receiving blessings from renowned lamas and being able to visit various religious sites would enhance their happiness.

Stress level in Bhutanese society

Analyses show that 12 percent of the respondents are highly stressed. They are mostly farmers and housewives. Virtually all of the farmers who were interviewed said that stress was a major problem in their lives.

Farmers traditionally work long hours, often in bad weather. Moreover, due to the steep terrain, most of the farmers have to put in extra labor. The study confirmed that of all the occupational groups, farmers are prone to and suffer considerable stress.

About 35 percent reported financial insecurity. This was followed by death and illness. Next were social relationships, with factors such as misunderstandings, divorces, enmity in the community and the like.

Labor pressure is another determinant of stress. Respondents mostly referred to labor shortage and woola. Farm labor shortage is one of the pressing concerns faced by Bhutanese farmers, resulting in low agriculture productivity. 11 percent reported agricultural constraints with problems of wildlife and lack of proper irrigation channels. Educational concerns cited were academic competencies and problems affecting students in boarding schools, such as the lack of proper hostel facilities.

The survey shows that a strong relationship exists between subjective health satisfaction measures and happiness. Current data reveals that 58 percent of the respondents were satisfied with their health conditions whereas only 8 percent reported dissatisfaction.

Correlation analysis reveals that job satisfaction is positively related to life quality and happiness. 63 percent were satisfied in their major occupations while 31 percent were fairly satisfied. Not surprisingly, respondents were dissatisfied with their finances. Only 29 percent reported financial satisfaction.

Happiness level among the dzongkhags

The study reveals Thimphu as the happiest valley in the kingdom, followed by Haa. The saddest dzongkhag was Pemagatshel. The capital’s residents also enjoyed the highest ‘life quality’ with Pemagatshel scoring the ‘lowest life quality’. But it’s not all sunshine in the capital. Thimphu has the highest occurrence of negative emotions. Gasa was the most positive. And again, Thimphu scored the lowest in terms of spirituality. Besides, Thimphu ranked at the bottom of the spiritual path. Honoring the gods is a passé façade in the capital but then again, Thimphu took the most ‘urban town’ with the highest number of infrastructure.

The study shows that urbanization does not necessarily gel with happiness and wellbeing. The establishment of infrastructure such as hospitals or schools is important but also as comparable are the non-material aspects of life such as social and communal harmony.

New species sighted

December 25, 2011:(Thimphu) Forest officials have recently sighted rare bird and mammal species - a Ruddy Shelduck in Ura, a Gaur in Dangchu and a Takin in Thrumshingla National Park (TNP) - not seen earlier in these areas. The Ruddy Shelduck frequented Ura Valley but for over a decade the duck stopped coming and the cause is still unknown. “But last month the students of Ura Middle Secondary School spotted a lone female duck and kept it in a small pond managed by the nature club of the school,” said the Chief Forestry Officer of TNP, Ratu Wangchuk. The duck (Tadorna ferruginea) is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is protected under the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water Birds Agreement (AEWA). On November 21, a team from Wildlife Conservation Division (WCD) visited Dangchu in Wangduephodrang to verify the new sighting of Gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) - the two Gaurs were first spotted on November 10. Gaur belongs to Bovidae family and of the three- subspecies recognized - B.gaurus gaurus, B. gaurus readei and B. gaurus hubackii, the first inhabits in Bhutan, India (South-West, Central and North-East) and Bangladesh. Their population in Bhutan is believed to be shared with Bengal (North-West regions), Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Their sightings were previously reported from the lowlands of Southern Bhutan (Royal Manas National Park, Phibsoo and Khaling Wildlife Sanctuaries) with elevation recorded at 1,500 meters. The report also states that the recent sighting of this animal in the forested areas of Dangchu has raised the elevation range of its distribution in Bhutan to 2,390 meters and beyond. Further similar reports have come from roadside workers, who claim to have sighted a solitary animal in the summer of 2011 in Pelela and other areas. The team confirmed one of the Gaur to be a matured bull while for the second confirmation is still awaited. The second could be a cow which if true would kindle hope for science to rejuvenate their population in that area. Locals speculate that the animals could have moved into their area from Dhur Tshachu, a remote area in Northern Bumthang. However, the probability that the animals have moved up the valleys from the lowlands of Royal Manas National Park or Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary is high. Despite people’s claim of having seen these animals in other parts of the country, evidential observations are too few at the moment to draw any definite conclusion thus strongly recommending long term study. Another sighting was of the Takin Budorcas taxicolor whitei at TNP. WDC and TNP are carrying out an in depth study on the distribution of important and charismatic species (like tiger) inside the park. The study is divided into several phases with the first one focused in the Northern Region where several camera traps have been set up along three randomly selected trails - Thrumshingla to Wangthangla, Shingkhar to Zhongmay and Tang to Ungar. While monitoring the footage recorded in camera traps along the Tang to Ungar transect, Takin was one of the many important species captured by the cameras, making it the first photographed documentation of Takin in TNP, which eventually increased the list of park’s mammal listing from 69 to 70 species. Takin is categorized as vulnerable by IUCN and listed under Schedule I, Forest and Nature Conservation Act 1995. The other wildlife species documented in the camera traps in three months period include Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens), Himalayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), and Himalayan Serow (Capricornis thar). Footage of many ungulate species such as Sambhar, Barking Deer, Wild Dog, Wild Pig, Red Fox and Himalayan Crestless Porcupine were captured by the cameras, which indicate that a healthy population of prey thrives in the area. Blood Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant and Black-Faced Laughing Thrush were in the footage. The park would continue to monitor the movement of these species through intensive use of camera traps with support from WCD. “At some point of time, we hope to capture tiger and other species of importance which could not be encountered with the present effort,” said the Chief Forest Officer with WCD, Sonam Wangchuk.

Yeti or Lha-dhom - The Blue Bear

An elusive northern ursine oft mistaken for the legendary yeti

11 September, 2011 - In 2001, a hair believed to be that of the yeti was found in Bhutan. The team leader of the yeti expedition, Harry Marshall, got it tested in a laboratory in Oxford University. The world’s leading DNA expert, Professor Sykes, did the DNA sequencing and could not match it to any known species. 

Seven years later, the professor managed to match it, but to an unidentified bear. “… interestingly a bear that Professor Sykes was unable to identify,” Marshall said. The question was: could it have been the blue bear?

Blue Bear
The blue bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) is a subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and is now believed to be extinct. The bear is essentially black, but its coat has some tinge of blue. Like the blue pine tree, it is not blue in colour.

Its natural habitat is the alpine regions of eastern Tibet, western China, Nepal and it’s infrequently found in Bhutan. In Tibet, it was known as yak dhom or the yak bear. The Bhutanese refer it as the lha dhom or the mountain bear.

“The kings of Bhutan [third and fourth] have been fatally fascinated with the blue bear but none have seen it,” Malcolm Lyell, the former managing director of the  Holland Gun Company, wrote in his photo journal.

Lyell has the distinction of being the only European allowed to hunt for blue bear in Bhutan. During his trek in 1971, the king marked ‘Sanctuary, blue bear’ on his map, and he came close to tracking down the animal.

“We seem to have come closest to the blue bear at Tashi Markhang, (northern Bhutan), where we were told that they come into maize fields at night.” In addition, he wrote: “Both kings told me they killed baby yaks, and that the way to see or shoot one [the blue bear] was to tie up a baby yak at night,” wrote Lyell in his photo journal.

In Panchen Lama’s zoo
Lyell also became fascinated with the blue bear. He made two subsequent visits (1974, 1975), during which he discussed the animal with the fourth king. On both occasions, he trekked the mountains looking for the animal but was unsuccessful. When he returned home from the last trek, he did more research and sought the assistance Michael Aris, who knew both Tibet and Bhutan well.

“Here are a couple of photos of the so-called dremo in the Panchen Lama’s zoo in Zhigatse. (Photo enclosed on page 5). I’ve just copied them from Hugh Richardson’s own copies.” The letter also said: [This bear is] “the kind the Bhutanese called yakdom (‘yak bear’),” Aris wrote to Lyell on May 13, 1976. The original photos are in the Bell’s collection in the India Office library in London.

In a memorandum dated 20/8/76 of the Natural History museum, the yak bear was classified as part of the “brown bear group, Ursus arctos. It said that it was found all over the Palaearctic region. The note said that the two subspecies of the brown bear commonly found in the Himalayan region were the Ursus arctos isabellinus from India, Kashmir + Nepal (and probably also Bhutan), and Ursus arctos prunosus from Tibet and West China (Kansu). They are known as the red bear and the blue bear respectively.

Mountain Bear
The blue bear is known to live in high altitudes close to the tree line. Unlike the other bears found in the region, it often killed yaks, and hence the yak herders referred to it as the yak dhom (yak bear) or lha (mountain) dhom.

Bhutanese claimed to have seen the bear. In Punakha, Chencho (48) said that, 20 years ago, he had spent two months in the forests above Rangrikha village extracting timber to build his house. During this time, he saw two yakdhom. He said that these mountain bears live far from human settlement and generally avoid contact with humans.

Another man from Punkaha also claims to have seen the animal. Dawa (63), a cow herder, has spent most of his life in the forest with his cows. He said that he saw a lha dhom in Gurigang village, which is a full days walk from Kabisa. “These dhoms are no threat to humans. They’re shy animals. They’ve never attacked any of my cattle,” he said.

Blue Bear - Yeti?
While the blue bear was common in the Himalayas, little of it was known in the west through fur, and bone samples and some photos. It was first classified in 1854, but evidence of its existence was found almost a century later.

In 1960, Sir Edmund Hillary led an expedition in Nepal to search for evidence of the yeti. He returned with two scraps of fur, which the locals identified to be that of the yeti. Later, when it was scientifically tested, it was found to be portions of the pelt of a blue bear.

The other cartographic evidence of the mountain bear in Bhutan is an educational map made by UNICEF. In the undated map, Chart No 3, “Some animals of Bhutan”, the artist Dorothy Mierow drew a cub of the blue bear with red bear on the north west part of Bhutan.

Conclusion 
Many of the yak herders in Bhutan claimed to have seen the bear. The only evidence to support its existence could be the hair that was found in Bhutan, which Professor Sykes has recently been able to match it to a bear, but an unidentified one.

The Europeans, who looked for the yeti, like Sir Edmund Hillary, Reinhart Messner and now Marshall, have all suggested the blue bear as a possible explanation of the yeti.

In the National Library in Thimphu, there is an ancient script that describes the yeti to be a kind of bear.  Bhutan may be the last sanctuary of the blue bear.

Source: Kuensel

The merak-sakteng dream

The twin valleys of Merak and Sakteng have opened its closed doors to tourism but most semi-nomadic highlanders are uncertain if this is at all the way forward for the largely arcane communities

Majestic snow clad mountains surround the valleys. Oblivious to the approaching wind of change, a herd of yaks graze nonchalantly on the lush green meadows. Children with apple-red cheeks sporting blue gumboots run after a football. Except for the usual evening carousals in the few bars that dot the highland settlement, all is quiet in this eastern front.

Yet, a silent undercurrent of change is about to crash the shores of these arcane valleys. The lost land of the Yeti is at a crucial juncture of transformation.

Comfortable in their own culture and way of life, the brokpas are not sure how this marauding transition will impact their lives. Known to be fiercely conservative and rugged, they are uncertain how they should welcome this change, if at all. 

The highlanders have expressed subdued willingness and interest to open up to tourism. This was evident during a meeting between officials from the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), tour operators, Sakteng park officials, local leaders and the brokpas.

While officials made presentations and discussed at length about tourism and its benefits, brokpas were lost in their own interactions. Children played around, women tended to wailing babies, and impatient elders moved in and out of the small stone built meeting hall. Among those who attended the meeting, only few were interested and participated in the meeting.

Where numbers of cattle and stock of firewood heaped outside the house is the measure of wealth, the brokpas say they are happy with their traditional way of life that they have followed for centuries. 

Some of the brokpas said, “they are not sure how tourism will help them and what they were supposed to do”. Some were of the view that it might affect their traditional lifestyles and feared that their strong arcane way of life could be diluted with exposure to an overdose of outside culture.

Although a survey done by TCB showed that about 97% of the interviewees were interested in the tourism business, a year after it was opened to tourism, brokpas seemed to have turned their backs. This, officials say, could be because of their heightened awareness on the impacts of tourism. This might be a call for the government to re-think about opening up Merak and Sakteng as a community based eco-tourism destination, said the official.

 Few were also of the view that a new survey was necessary.

Though Merak and Sakteng were officially opened last year in September with few tourists having already been to the place, the idea of tourism business still is a new concept for the brokpas.

Ngawang Gyeltshen, park manager of Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, said, “The people are not prepared to welcome the tourists because they worry if they get into tourism then people will have to leave their normal lives.”

“We were worried and we are still worried that people of Merak and Sakteng are not prepared to welcome tourists,” said the park manager.

However, the few that were interested in the business were very enthusiastic about it. Two of them are Nima and Dawa, the only twins in Merak. They said opening up of Merak to foreigners was possibly the best thing that would have happened to the people. “Earlier there was nothing but now with lots of developmental activities taking place we expect our lives to be better,” said Dawa.

For him the idea of promoting home stays was the best because it would give them an opportunity to know people up-close and personal.

Meanwhile, few tour operators present in Merak and Sakteng say the place could be the most expensive tourist destination in Bhutan. This is bound to happen given the high cost potter and pony, local guides and pass fees compared to other places in Bhutan.

Earlier the rate for local guides was decided at Nu 500 a day, potter and pony charges at Nu 300 plus 10% service charge. In addition a tourist has to pay an extra Nu 1,000 as fee to enter Merak and Sakteng. In other tourist hotspots like Paro and Haa, local guides charge Nu 150 a day, and potter and pony cost Nu 200 plus 10% service charge a day. There is no pass fee requirement for tourists visiting other parts of the country. “If the Merak and Sakteng people are paid this high, the word will spread to other people and they will start charging high too,” says a tour guide.

Surprisingly, the cost of goods is not exorbitant as expected. A bottle of Druk 11,000 costs Nu 70 in Merak and Sakteng. Apart from racks full of liquor products, the shops in these rural hamlets also sell Thai tin fish and milk powder.

Though the highlanders do not necessarily earn in cash they are rich in terms of income compared to many other gewogs connected by road. Some of the rich residents claim that they have stored basic supplies that will last for about 20 years. Less than 25% of the people here earn minimum cash income of Nu 9,000 a month. The brokpas are not frivolous spenders either as traditional barter system is still practiced. To the extent that the four shops in Sakteng still barter, where people take goods from the shop and in return leave yak cheese and butter. Those who earn by working in construction sites have also opened saving accounts in the banks.

Next month about 100 tourists will be visiting the twin valleys and preparation is in the full swing.  Dema Tshering from Sakteng is anticipating the tourist arrival. He said tourism business will help them in terms of horse business, selling of jewelries and entertainment. “Through these activities we will be able to make a little extra income for ourselves,” he added. “Once they see how much money is involved in the tourism business then the rest will automatically follow our league.’

The opening of Merak and Sakteng to tourists is also expected to cut down brokpas dependency on livestock. About 82% of the population depends on livestock and farming. 

Merak and Sakteng is also the only place in the country where water burial is practiced. The valleys of brokpas are also rife with tales of Yeti, the abominable snowman.

Sakteng has a population of 2,072 and 1,612 in Merak, out of with 36% of them have never seen a tourist or foreigner.

 Source: Business Bhutan