Friends who drove through Mongar a few weeks ago said that we would be hard-pressed to recognize it. The new bypass road has been finished, the bazaar largely shifted, satellite dishes are sprouting like mushrooms even from remote hillsides, and the continuing work on the Kuru Chhu hydro project keeps flooding the little town with Indian labourers, foreign rupees, and industriousness.
In many ways, I wish that I could remember Bhutan the way that it used to be, and yet the no longer spoken words in Sharchhopkha are already fading from my memory. As Bhutan is moving towards a new era of cyberlinks and CNN news, and evening gatherings worship the television screen instead of an altar with flickering butterlamps, I guess that I too will move forward, embracing change as a survival technique.
I am an Indian bride now, adorned with fine jewellery and wearing my red bindhi and sindhoor. In a formal, three-day ceremony, Bikul and I have been married in front of my parents, who travelled with us, Bikul’s family, and hundreds of Assamese friends and neighbours, some cheerfully, some skeptically welcoming me into their community. I have changed from a Bhutanese kira into a delicate silk sari, shyness overcoming me as the elegant folds of my dress rustle while I rise to greet my new family. Quietly, I whisper “Namaskar” instead of “Kuzuzang po la,” and the altar with statues of Buddha and Guru Rinpoche has been replaced by a simple book of prayer on a bronzen offering bowl.
And yet—the conch in the Hindu holy man’s hand makes the same sound I first heard in a small Himalayan kingdom: Om . . . It is the sound of a new beginning.
glossary of frequently used Bhutanese terms
Abi
a term to address an older woman
ADM
Administrative Officer
Ama
a term to address an adult woman
Apa
a term to address an adult man
arra
an alcoholic beverage locally prepared from rice, corn, or other grains
atsara
a clown at the Bhutanese dzong festivals called tshechu
bukhari
a metal woodburning stove used for heating and cooking
butterlamp
a candle made out of hardened butter or vegetable oil in a solid dish
buttertea
(“seudja” in Dzongkha or Sharchhopkha)—the local tea made from dark tea leaves boiled and enriched with butter and salt
cham
religious dance
chorten
damaru
a handheld double-sided drum for religious ceremonies
dharma
the teachings of Buddha
DMO
District Medical Officer; the medical supervisor of a district hospital
dzong
a fortress-monastery that today houses the government offices and the national monk body
Dzongkha
Bhutan’s national language
gelong
an ordained monk
gho
the national dress for Bhutanese men
goemba
Buddhist monastery
gomchen
a spiritual villager who has received religious training
Guru Rinpoche
also referred to as Padmasambhava, a missionary often considered the “Second Buddha,” who introduced tantric Buddhism to Bhutan
kharang
coarsely ground dried corn
kira
the national dress for Bhutanese women
Lam Neten
lama
religious master
lhakhang
temple
lopon
Buddhist scholar or teacher
Losar
Bhutanese New Year
mantra
a prayer that is repeated over and over; a chant
Meme
title for an older man
minakpa
villager
ngultrum
Bhutanese currency
prayer wheel
a cylindrical “wheel” containing prayers
prayer flag
long pieces of cloth printed with religious texts and symbols
puja
a Buddhist or Hindu religious ceremony
rachu
a long scarf worn over the left shoulder by women on formal occasions
seudja
Sharchhop(kha)
language of Eastern Bhutan
Tata
Indian manufacturer of trucks
thangka
religious picture
thengma
dried and beaten corn
thondrol
a huge banner with the image of Guru Rinpoche
toego
a jacket that is worn with the kira, the Bhutanese women’s national dress
Trulku
a reincarnated lama
tshechu
a yearly religious dance festival held at the dzong
wang
a collective religious blessing
zao
toasted rice