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Useful notes on Bhutan
Randeep Wadehra
The Drupka Mystique:
Bhutan in 21st Century
by Jaiwanti Dimri. Authorspress, Delhi. Pages:
x + 188. Rs 450.
 RECENTLY
Bhutan, a.k.a. Druk Yuel or the Land of the Peaceful Dragon, hit the
headlines for joining hands with India in the war against terrorism.
Being a buffer between India and Tibet, Bhutan represents a happy
amalgam of Indian and Tibetan cultures. The local lore and legend
provide enough evidence of this in the book. For example, you have
Mahakali — locally known as Nag-po Chhenpo — as Bhutan’s main
protective deity.
It is said that,
originally, princes of Indian origin ruled Bhutan. However, in the 9th
century, they were driven out by the progenitors of today’s
predominating ethnic group, the Bhotias — a term derived from Bod, the
ancient name for Tibet. Thus dawned the era of Buddhism. After
internecine conflicts between 1300 and 1600 AD, bipolar power centres
— represented by spiritual and temporal heads respectively — were
established. The present monarchy was instituted only in 1907. However,
Dimri focuses on the kingdom’s nonpolitical aspects.
Bhutan is mostly
mountainous except for the Duars Plain to the south. The Himalayas rise
precipitously from the plain and grow in height to the north to 7,600
metres at Kalhagangri on the Chinese border. Its climatic conditions
range from subtropical to temperate, with heavy rainfall. Bhutan’s
rivers, none of which are navigable, flow south to the Brahmaputra in
India. Dense forest cover, variegated vegetation and a wonderful
wildlife are its other features.
A hotspot for the
conservation of biodiversity, Bhutan has 50 species of rhododendrons and
over 300 species of medicinal plants. Its 770 species of birds have
become the leitmotif of its folklore, legend, religion and culture. The
author gives fascinating accounts of the Bhutanese dances, dresses and
lifestyle in detail. She also has a separate chapter on its books and
authors.
In this well-researched
tome, Dimri has given details of Bhutan’s flora, fauna, history,
culture, populace etc that will certainly prove invaluable to scholars
and lay readers alike.
Swaneh
by Ahmad Ghazali (English translation: Baljit Singh). Sikh Foundation,
N. Delhi. Pages 128. Rs 150.
 SUFISM
defies definition, as it means a variety of different things. An outcome
of complex historical processes, it comprises mystical beliefs,
traditions, and rituals widely accepted throughout the Islamic world
since the 11th century. Sufis trace their movement’s origins to
Muhammad and the prophets preceding him. However, the term
"Sufi" actually appeared only in the 9th century AD in Kufa,
Iraq, during the Abbasid period.
Though identified with
Islam’s Sunni sect, Sufism is non-denominational. Generally, it
relates to a way of life and a set of beliefs and rituals. Sufism has no
single doctrine. Some scholars divide the principal Sufi groups into
theist, monist or pantheist theological leanings. Sufis share the belief
that they enjoy a special association (walaya) with God, and that
they have the capacity to acquire some sort of spiritual union with God
entitling them to direct knowledge of the divine truth (haqiqa).
Sufism does not believe in
continence; it glorifies poverty and advocates ritualistic repetition of
prescribed phrases containing God's name (dhikr), and
identification of God with love. Music and poetry (sama) are part
and parcel of the Sufi culture. Usually, these compositions have themes
that are held taboo in Islam, viz., passionate, almost profane, love and
intoxication with wine symbolising divine love and ecstasy respectively;
resulting in an impressive corpus of Sufi poetry, literature and music.
Baljit Singh has
translated the famous Ahmad Ghazali’s discourse from Persian.
Connoisseurs may like to read it.
Reading Beyond the Alphabet: Innovations in lifelong literacy
editors: Brij Kothari, P.G. Vijaya
Sherry Chand & Michael Norton. Sage, N. Delhi. Pages 282. Rs 350.
 THIS
book is about promoting everlasting literacy in its most profound sense.
Though retention of basic reading, writing and numerical skills is
essential, it goes further by attempting to "glean innovations in
lifelong learning that recognise the centrality of lifelong literacy in
a variety of social development objectives, innovations that pivotally
need and include the retention and further development of the 3Rs."
Obviously, now the focus
is not merely on enabling the masses to sign their names or read the bus
route numbers, but also on empowering them to develop their innate
qualities of head, and transforming these into productive social and
personal assets. The book does not scoff at the shortcomings of the
ongoing literacy movement, but makes useful suggestions for improving
upon the existing model in order to make it more relevant to the society’s
current and future needs.
Chapters like Empowerment
and Literacy, Reading Matter for Early Literates, Promotion of Reading
Culture and Publishing for Rural Areas, Libraries and Literacy, and
Media and Literacy are worth a serious study by our policy makers and
social scientists.
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