Getting on with Life
The community of Lauri, located
in Samdrup Jongkhar, is known for its tendency to focus on their own future,
rather than their surroundings. They prefer to remain within their own village,
fearing that outsiders might be unreliable or deceitful. As a result, the
community's children are often kept within the village and expected to become
agriculturalists, as agriculture is the primary means of livelihood. The
community relies on a barter system, and finances play a minimal role in their
lives. Unfortunately, this way of life means that most of the youth in the
community are illiterate, unexposed, unemployed, and socially backward, as they
are never sent to school.
Karma, the eldest son in his
family, was not sent to school and was kept in the village to assist his
parents with farming. As a young boy, he had to babysit his three siblings and
work in the fields. Life was difficult for him in those early years. When Karma
turned five years, he was assigned to herd the family's small flock of
cattle with his grandfather. They herded the cattle in the village during the
early summer months and took them to the forest for grazing during the day. While tending to the cattle, Karma gathered ferns, mushrooms, firewood, fruits, and also managed to catch some fish to bring back home in the evening.
The popular method of fishing in
the community was "Toopi," where earthworms were sewn into loops and
attached to a short stick to lure the Batpalas (torrent catfish). This method
was very effective and could catch four to five fish at a time. Herd boys and
girls usually took advantage of the growing summer season to fish. While
fishing, they enjoyed the music of the running rivers, and some Indian teachers
even joined them in their fishing excursions.
During the rainy season, life was
miserable for Karma, as he had only a meter of worn-out plastic raincoat to
shelter himself from the frequent changing weather. He also had to deal with
leeches, ticks, and thorns while herding the cattle in the forest. The lack of
modern shoes made it worse, and his feet often suffered fungal infections from
the pricking thorns. Despite these challenges, Karma remained committed to his
work and continued herding cattle, encountering different species of birds and
animals in the forest along the way.
Getting into School
Karma was fortunate when the
village head and representatives came to his house for the school enrollment
survey. The policy required every family to send one child to school, but
Karma's parents were reluctant to let him go, fearing they would have no one to
assist them at home. They took Karma to the office of the Gup, stating he was
unsound to attend school, but their efforts were in vain, and Karma was
admitted to school at the age of nine. During those days, more importance was
given to child labor than schooling.
It was a challenging time for
Karma to leave his parents and homeland and start a new life in a boarding
school. Life in the hostel was unimaginable, with no proper bed to sleep on, no
light/electricity, and no nearby toilets. During the monsoon, the floor was
never clean and dry, and jute sacks and animal hide served as common mattresses
for more than 150 students. In the absence of electricity, they burned candles,
kerosene lamps, and pine wood spill for lighting, which produced heavy soot.
Living in a hostel was tough from
every angle, and going to the toilet in the middle of the night was the most
feared experience. It was not unusual to find someone had defecated in the
corridors every night. Karma couldn't ask his friend to accompany him to the
toilet, so he defecated in the corridor. Luckily, there was another friend also
defecating in the corridor, and none of the dogs howled, so they were safe. The
captains tried to find the culprit in the morning but failed when the two
remained silent. If there had been proper lighting and nearby washrooms, such
experiences would not have been a memory.
Life was full of hardship, and
the food was usually bulgur wheat supplied by WFP, which they ate in the form
of porridge or curry. It was infested with rice weevils, and there was no
choice but to eat it, picking out the insects they could spot. The quantity was
insufficient and could never satisfy their hunger. They eagerly waited for
Saturdays when they were assigned to fetch firewood for their teachers, who
would sometimes reward them with sugar tea and biscuits.
Karma dropped out of school for a
year to take care of his bedridden parents and resumed a year later. In 1991,
when all the men of the village were called up for militia due to anti-national
problems in southern Bhutan, Karma's father left, leaving the family in a
difficult situation. They migrated to their winter camp near the Indian border,
where they made a living by selling firewood to the border town of Teenali. The
Indian counterpart paid Rupees 10/- for every 40kg of firewood, and those with
more family members earned more. Similarly, another source of earning money was by harvesting jungle rattan cane to sell across the boarders. Rattan cane would fetch litter better than firewood though it was difficult to harvest from the deep jungle.
In the winter of 1995, Karma resided in Kalaktang town, Arunachal Pradesh, India. He sought to earn income by participating in road development projects. Later, he relocated to Domkho and Murshing villages in Arunachal Pradesh in search of better employment opportunities. He was assigned to community road construction, earning Nu.60/- per day. Karma experienced unforgettable hardships working in the snowy mountains, enduring cold and dust that left his hands, toes, and mouth with painful cracks. Despite the challenges, he persevered, aiming to gain independence from his parents. After laboring for two months and factoring in his expenses, his final savings amounted to Nu.300/-, sufficient to cover his school-related costs.
Completion of Primary School
In 1996, Karma completed his
primary schooling after studying for eight years in the same school. During his
fifth-grade year, Karma failed his midterm examination, and as a result, the
school demoted him to fourth grade. A week later, he passed another test, which
allowed him to return to fifth grade. In order to complete primary school,
Karma had to take the Board Examination in sixth grade. These exams were only
held in a few centers and not in the schools. Karma had to walk for two full
days and then travel by road for one day to reach Deothang, where he took the
exam in 1996. The exam results were announced in the national newspaper, Kuensel,
which was only published once a week on Saturdays. There were no other options
to check results as there was no internet available at that time. Students
across the country had to wait until Saturday to find out their results, which
was difficult for those in remote places. They often had to use Satellite
Wireless Communication to contact someone in urban centers to check their
results. The only communication available was via an operator encoded by a
Satellite Wireless Communication station. Fortunately, Karma received a passing
certificate from class VI.
After the results were announced,
Karma's family became worried because they did not have enough money to meet daily expenses. Karma's
parents worked day and night to earn money for his education and were only able
to provide him with Ngultrum 600/- at the end. With this money, Karma decided
to attend a new school that was three days away by foot and two days away by
travel. During that time, school placements were determined by the Ministry of Education, and students didn't have the option to choose their schools. Karma found himself placed at Nangkor Lower Secondary School in Pemagatshel, a completely unfamiliar location as he had never ventured beyond his village before.
Karma and his friends were fortunate to have their former teacher assist them in arranging transportation. The former headmaster, Mr. Dawa Tshering, provided them
with lodging at the Samdrup Jongkhar school and managed their transportation to the school. The only mode of transportation from Samdrup Jongkhar to
Pemagatshel was via gypsum carrier trucks, as there were no public buses or
taxi services available at that time. They traveled in the gypsum truck for two
consecutive years from 1997-1998. As it was
their first time traveling to a new place and their travel time was arranged at
night, they had to spend the night outside on a building plinth. They all slept
on the plinth because they did not know the location of the hostels. The next
morning, they discovered that the hostels were still under construction and
students were being accommodated in the hall. They then moved to the hall in
the morning and got their respective beds.
During vacations, Karma had to look for employment to make his school expenses. Despite facing numerous challenges,
Karma got the opportunity to work as a "Khalasi," a driver's assistant, to finance his next level of studies. He worked with a driver at
Bhutan Engineering Company Limited during the winter vacation of 1999. As a helper, his duties included washing the truck, placing wheel stop stones at each stop, and applying grease and tightening screws from underneath, which proved challenging during wet weather conditions. Making entries at the checkpoint was not easy for someone
who only knew their mother tongue. Drivers treated their "Khalasi"
like slaves and gave them ungracious and unforgettable commands, which were
unimaginable. Nevertheless, Karma is grateful to the driver for teaching him
the hardships of life, even though life under him was indescribable.
Schooling at Jakar, Bumthang.
After finishing Lower Secondary
School, he was transferred to Jakar High School in Bumthang, which was located
in the central region of the country, much farther from his home in the eastern
region. The commute to Jakar High School was not an easy one, as there were
only a few available transportation services to Bumthang. In 2008, he visited
Bumthang for the first time, accompanied by a group of eight friends who shared
everything from primary school to high school. None of them came from a wealthy
family, and they were all financially struggling most of the time.
Schooling at Jakar High School
was incredibly challenging, from the severe weather conditions to the
difficulties of life in the hostel. While his nearby friends spent their
holidays with their parents and relatives, he had to stay in the hostel for the
whole year with nowhere to go. His stay in Bumthang was quite cramped as he
couldn't travel to any places during breaks and holidays. The travel days
required to reach his home was equivalent to term breaks of the school, making
it impractical for him to go home. Unfortunately, staying at school during
holidays wasn't enjoyable either, as he was facing a financial crisis, and the
local students took advantage of their situation and ran off with their
belongings.
Whenever the school declares local holidays, they had no means to visit their families but to engage themselves in some activities int he school. One day, they decided to make a trip to Kikilha during one of
their term breaks. They collected every penny that they had in their worn-out
purses and managed to arrange for lunch and refreshments. They borrowed
utensils from the school canteen and decided to cook behind the hostel, as
cooking was yet another problem in the hostel. They managed to take out
sufficient firewood to cook their food, with the help of Mr. Kinzang Dorji, who
went inside the canteen and delayed the owner's conversation to let his friends
drag firewood from the stack behind the canteen. They used the firewood
dishonestly as there were no rice cookers and curry cookers during those days,
and cooking was done in a fireplace. By hook or crook, they arranged their trip
and started their journey towards Kikilha, climbing uphill. After a few hours
of climbing, they reached the top of Kikilha and ate their lunches. The drinks
for their lunch were a bottle of Black Mountain Whisky, which soon put them
into a deep snooze. By the time they awoke, it was almost evening, and they
immediately walked downhill to school.
One of their other plans was to
snatch green apples from the open orchards, as there were many apple orchards
in and around the school. During their midterm break, they went to pluck apples
from above the school and remained quiet as they entered the orchard. They
plucked a few apples and munched on them vigorously before they could gather
any more to take back to school. Suddenly, a man approached them in anger and
gave them a remarkable scolding, stating that during the day, they were
stealing, and during the night, the bears would attack their apples. He added
that he did not want to see them there. Instead of apples, they carried those
unholy words back to school in an empty hand in the late afternoon. These were
unforgettable memories for them at Jakar High School, although they enjoyed
doing all sorts of mischievous things.
Schooling at Drukgyel
HSS, Paro.
Karma completed his matriculation
from Jakar in 2010 with good results and managed to secure a competitive seat
at Drukgyel Higher Secondary School in Paro during the pre-university
orientation at the Youth Center in Motithang, Thimphu. Although he was
interested in taking Computer Studies, he had to opt for Arts stream as his
knowledge of mathematics was only average. Attending a different school was
challenging as the schools were far from his hometown, and he faced difficulty
in finding lodging during school holidays. However, he and his friends managed to
stock rations from the school mess to support them during breaks and holidays.
Joining the Government Service
After completing class XII in
2002, Karma attended the selection interviews for in-country training courses
and higher studies at the Youth Center in Thimphu. He was admitted to study Geography at Sherubtse College, but having no one to
support him, he withdrew from the college. He visited the Youth Center to retrieve the documents he had submitted the previous day, as he had decided to withdraw from college. During his visit, officials questioned his decision and did not grant his withdrawal request. Nevertheless, given his financial constraints, he had no choice but to reconsider and make a different decision. Consequently, he chose to pursue a career in the teaching profession. A few days
later, he began his Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) induction course at
Yangchenphug High School auditorium after confirming that he was selected to
undertake B.Ed. secondary at the National Institute of Education, now known as
Samtse College of Education.
The induction course gave him a
clear understanding of what teaching profession meant, and he felt secure about
his career choice. After the ten-day induction course, they were sent to
schools across the country to serve as Apprentice Teachers for one year before
undergoing the three-year teaching degree program at the institute. Karma was
placed at Lauri Primary School, a school in his hometown, which was remote and
not preferred by many. Two more friends willingly accepted to go to the same
school, and they joined the school within the next three days. The principal of
the school and teachers welcomed them warmly.
During his one-year stay in the
community, Karma learned many social values and had enriching experiences. He met the lady who would become his life partner during his apprenticeship. In
2004, he began his three-year Bachelor of Education program at Samtse College
of Education. The one-year apprenticeship program in the real field had
provided him with a different perspective of teaching, and he found life in the
workplace, schools, and colleges quite different from every aspect.
Karma, equipped with teaching
pedagogy after completing a three-year bachelor's degree in teaching, received
his final placement from the Ministry of Education at Tonmijangsa LSS in
Trashiyangtse. However, upon reaching Trashigang, he was instructed by the
district education officer to go to Ramjar LSS instead. Ramjar is a village in
Trashiyangtse with all the necessary facilities and a middle secondary school
located on a plateau called Bonkangzor. Karma stayed in Ramjar for seven years
and became socially and culturally assimilated into the community.
During a routine medical checkup, Karma was admitted to Mongar Hospital without his consent of having any health issues. The doctor administered hypertensive medication upon discovering high blood pressure without any guidance on dietary control or physical exercises prior to prescribing the medication. The following day, a complete blood test revealed that he had CKD, with creatinine levels one level higher than normal. Additionally, doctors diagnosed him with fatty liver and left ventricular hypertrophy. These medical findings deeply disturbed Karma, further deteriorating both his physical and mental health. Therefore, he made the choice to depart from Ramjar and seek a placement in Thimphu for the sake of his well-being. As per his wish, he was transferred to Thimphu. While his children were initially unhappy about the move, Karma reassured them, reminding them that they could make new friends in Thimphu and attend a better school.
Kuzhugchen, the new place.
Karma was placed at Kuzhugchen Middle Secondary School in Thimphu after leaving Ramjar. His new place of school assured him of better care for his well-being by granting him to have less teaching periods. After few months of working in the school, he received a
scholarship offer from the University of Brunei Darussalam, Brunei, to pursue higher
studies. Despite his health worries, he chose to accept the scholarship and subsequently traveled to Brunei. While in Brunei, Karma had the opportunity to undergo a comprehensive medical screening examination covered under the scholarship program. During this examination, doctors determined that Karma had a neurogenic bladder, whereas in Bhutan, he had been diagnosed with an alcohol-related disease. The doctors asked him to confirm whether there were any signs of spinal injury resulting from accidents that had contributed to his illness. Back to Bhutan, Karma asked his parents if there were any records of accidents in his past. His parents confirmed that he had indeed fallen from a rocky ledge as a child, which could have subsequently led to his neurogenic bladder condition.
After completing his studies from Brunei, he was transferred to Wangbama Central
School in Thimphu. While he enjoys working at Wangbama, the school's windy location exposes him to various health allergies.
