Constituency

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21
Jul 10

Gasa rabdey to Lunana for wellbeing

The Gasa Lam Neten and 11 other monks departed from Gasa yesterday for Laya. They will be in Laya for a few days before proceeding towards Lunana.

The Rabdey’s visit I understand is primarily to start and install a “sachu bumdre” or offerings to appease deities. This ancient buddhist ritual is performed to seek protection from natural calamities like floods, land slides and others by appeasing deities. 

With the Lunana GLOF works underway, the Lam Neten hopes that this effort from the Rabdey would help the works run smoothly and also, reduce risks for settlements down stream in the Punakha valley and beyond.

The huge hydro power projects on the puna tsangchu with the source of the river being in Lunana would also be a focus as “sa chu bumdre” is normally performed at the source of rivers to avert risks as a traditional practise.

Interaction with the local communities there as they pass along would also greatly benefit the people. Laya has a lam from the dratsang in addition to another lam at a lungu community goenpa, however, for the lunaps it would be a welcome visit.

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12
Mar 10

A desecrated national treasure – Gasa tsachu

My brief trip to Gasa tsachu this time has been a very different experience. I was part of a team of friends from Japan, senior officials from government agencies from Thimphu, the dzongda, park officials (Gasa dzongkhag falls almost entirely under the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Park) and a few others.

The road construction work continues with machines cutting through fresh earth and it has reached Baychu. There had been a problem with the road construction which according to people there (the affected) was deviating from the originally laid out plan and hopefully, works have started again to inch forward Gasa’s dream of being connected with road like the rest of the country Continue reading →

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10
Mar 10

Leaving for Gasa Tsachu tomorrow

Will be leaving for Gasa tsachu at 8 in the morning with some Japanese friends who have agreed to help with the tsachu rebuilding as much as they can. Night halt will be at the tsachu and tsachu area visit done too. Following evening, will be returning to Thimphu.

The friends from Japan from Kobe city have come to Bhutan to visit Gasa on invitation of the Hon’ble Home Minister. Some of the friend are members of the arema hotspring council. Arema hotspring had been badly damaged in an earthquake about 50 years ago. They say they have had experience with re-building and since flooding had damaged Gasa tsachu, their experience in both rebuilding and communal management of a community resource would be most helpful.

I would like to thank our friends from Japan and the Hon’ble Home Minister for his genuine concern and care for the people of Gasa dzongkhag as Gasa tsachu has been the pride of the people of Gasa. One could probably declare Gasa tsachu a national pride and a big part of our healing tradition. Therefore, this kind and genuine gesture deserves utmost appreciation.

Once again as they say ” ari gato go zai mas”, I hope I got that right :-)

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29
Jan 10

Lunana Gewog

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Lunana gewog is the largest of the four gewogs of Gasa dzongkhag. At Thanza (at the extreme right corner of the map) GLOF mitigation project starts it’s 2nd phase soon. It is seven days walk from Gasa dzongkhag headquarters. It may be the biggest challenge to the government in fulfilling the government’s aim of Universal Connectivity of all 205 gewogs and Vision 2020′s Electricity for all by the year 2020 (preponed to 2013).

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01
Jan 10

Enroute Gasa

A 2 hour drive to Punakha and a few kilometers from there (about 2-3 hours drive) Goen Damji will be my stop for this time. I am roughly packed for the next two days. Will be celebrating Nyelo with my people there.

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12
Oct 09

An earnest prayer with the students of Laya and beyond