Leatherd Philanthropists

(Uniquely Bhutanese, a Motorcycle Club Donning Leathers Does Charity- Welcome to Gross National Happiness)a

In 2008, a whirlwind of change swept through the tiny Kingdome of Bhutan. The change was as silent as the mountains that stand sentinel over the kingdom. It was welcomed with open arms and warm hearts. It was a national celebration, unprecedented and unrivaled anywhere in the world, as a new and dynamic crown prince was enthroned the Fifth Dragon King on the eve of the centennial year of the Wangchuck dynasty.

Dawa,a former alcoholic, Initiated Help-Shoe-Bhutan. (He's mended, heeled, & resoled about more than a thousand pairs of throw-away shoes that were distributed by Bhutan Dragons MC in some of the most impoverished corners of the kingdom)

The Club Carries a Banner Thanking Everyone Who Helps

The Rides Are Well-Organized, But Then, The Road Is The Boss

A Truck Ferries Food Essentials For a Specific Few Impoverished Families

Its a Hands On Approach

Receipts To Keep The Books

This Kids Had Polio. They Got the First Pairs (Their First)

Yet Another Polio-Afflicted Bare-Footed Boy

This Kid Enjoyed a Pair of Fresh Sneakers

It Was a Footy-Day

Recipients With The BDMC

They Came Small...

Old & Tattered

And Recycling Hearts Did the Rest

Wives of the Samtse Constables

The Old

Its Spanking New

A Day of Foot-Joy!

School Kids Always get Curious & Close

Khoma- a Very Remote Hamlet

Thimphu's Expressway

The Club House- a Shack Called Nobu Really!

BDMC with Monks From a Gelephu Monastery 

Writ Large Are the Names of those Who Sponsor... James & Nicola

Central-Eastern Bhutan, Langthang

Wangdiphodrang

Finding the Right Pairs Can be a .....

These Banners always Come Back Battered!

Still Hunting Cinderella's Other...

Gelephu In The South

Monks Come From Mostly Poor Families

The coronation saw the emergence of several bodies and organization, all intended to commemorate the great event of the coronation of a young and dynamic king. The missions and visions shared a common factor – to keep alive the memory of 2008 for posterity. Authors flourished, with books, songs and dances and the renovation and dedication of religious and other important edifices. That apart, a small band of brothers in arms also wanted to contribute in their unique and ingenious way.

It was motorcycle philanthropy, conceived and crafted in ways that further surmount the uniqueness of Bhutan. This was not about boisterous young boys tearing up the asphalt or pot-bellied beer guzzlers roaring through the countryside. This was the Bhutan Dragons Motorcycle Club, the first of its kind. The dragon signifies not just the nation but also the responsibility that it entails, as set by the nation's leaders. The club, and not gang, as members are quick to point out, was established with a simple purpose but one that was designed to contribute something meaningful, no matter how small, to the needy.

This was about purposeful riding – this was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, if you will. 

A motorcycle is every kid’s dream and Bhutan is no different, as horses gradually gave way to paved roads. The thrill of that throbbing pulsation in between the legs however ebbs with time and age. Not to mention career, wife and kids. But this was more than just sweeping the ever-twisting solitary highways. It was about bringing a common passion in the form of the Royal Enfield Bullet Motorcycles back to the fold.

Pit Stop at the Scenic Dochu La Pass (3050m)

In the Bhutanese context, a motorcycle club may sound strange. But this was again part and parcel of the changing Bhutanese landscape. The important factor was incorporating this love unto the bigger picture – of a nation in the pursuit of Gross National Happiness. The club is about preserving the sanctity of the past, encapsulating the present and envisaging the needs of the future. Its vision is as wholesome as the goal of the nation. It is more than the club slogan of ‘Love to Ride, Ride to Love,’ with a desire to spread a small measure of happiness on wheel power.

Yet Another Pass... The Thrumshingla Pass (3750m)

And so how did the Bhutan Dragons Motorcycle Club come about?

The concept was well received by friends more than eager to throw in their lots. The brainchild of a few grew dramatically, leading to the formal establishment of the club. Structurally, a chairman of repute was appointed with the club run by a president, and the rides controlled by a front and flank man. Membership is not open to everyone and stringent rules ensure that the club lives up to its reputation. Members who fit the bill are formally initiated into the club through a religious ceremony. This done, they can proudly don the club insignia and also have riding initials of their choice on their jackets.

The BDMC's 13th Ride Featured in Student's Digest, a Quarterly Youth

At present, there are two clubhouses, one in Thimphu and another in Paro. Thus on October 17, 2008, the riders kick-started their machines from the Thimphu club house, the club’s HQ now called Nobu, for the first initiation ceremony that was held in Paro. Motorists and passerby watched bewildered as more than fifteen motorcycles roared through town and country at a respectable pace. The club’s motto is not to shock but to stealthily steal their way into the hearts of the people. A small group of riders from the Paro Chapter welcomed the team halfway and escorted them to the clubhouse, where preparations for the elaborate initiation ceremony were in hasty progress.

Typical Help- Food Rations, Blankets, Essentials

The ceremony was not about the last man standing after a boozing daredevilry. Rather, it was maroon–clad monks who performed a religious ceremony for club’s goodwill. The ceremony required the initiates to take oaths to abide by the club’s charter. The chairman, Dasho Ugyen Tshechup Dorji, a prominent member of the business community and a huge supporter of philanthropic endeavors then presented the ceremonial white scarves. The chairman had nothing but words of encouragement for conceiving such a venture and his personal support and assistance in that light.

As More Folks Have Begun to Contribute, the Spread is gettin' Larger

Bhutan being Bhutan, an occasion would not go bereft of parties; hence the ceremony was followed by a lavish feast, complete with song and dance. The riders were more than happy to stretch their legs to keep abreast with the local dancers. The merriment went well into the night, but the riders had to grab some sleep from the mission ahead, a pinnacle climb to a monastery on a steep ridge. It is the mission actually upon which the club is grounded. And the first one did call for some daredevilry. Early the next morning, the riders took on a steep rough road that would compete with X-Sports. The destination was a beautiful traditional temple perched on the promontory of a vertical hill some 45 minutes up in the clouds.

The Final Banner

The ride was grueling and nerve-racking, but this was the path the club had chosen and so it was. The ride must go on. Up atop the hill, outside the temple, young monks gazed down the trail, hoping to catch a glimpse reminiscent of Spielberg’s Encounters of the Third Kind. The serpentine trail was made in hell but once the pinnacle was mounted, it was all made in heaven! The caretaker and the young monks and novices had prepared a modest luncheon, and at that altitude and with all that energy spent, the food was ambrosia.

Member then offered prayers in the monastery’s inner sanctums and work on the mission began in earnest. Mindful of the high altitude and the biting winter creeping in, the club had brought warm jackets for the young novitiates. It was hard not to notice the sense of joy and gratitude as they received the unexpected gifts. The caretaker said he was rather surprised by motorcyclists bearing gifts for his monks but extremely grateful for the good work they were doing.

Mission accomplished, the riders made the trip back, some barely managing the unforgiving gradient.

But the backup plan always does the trick, picking up the errant befallen bikers and their wounded horses. It’s been now officially 15 Charity Rides around the kingdom’s boondocks, and in touching five years and some thousands of burnt kilometers later, the Bhutan Dragons Motorcycle Club keep winning hearts wherever they go. Should you ride a motorcycle today in the kingdom, except plenty of warm smiles and welcome doors, for that’s what good deeds do, culminate more good deeds. The rides with the dragons can be arranged especially if you are the motorcycling loving kind with a Zen for helping the less fortunate.

Update: The club has now 52 members and international chapters, small groups of individuals and friends in Australia, Austria, Japan, India, The UK and Germany. The idea is very simple: You do what you love doing in between pit stops and impoverished hamlets, help the needy with whatever you can spare. All the recipients are sought out and a bookkeeper keeps the tight budget for the minimal requisite of four charity rides a year. All members contribute and chip in by working with other socially useful organizations and initiatives.

The Bhutan Dragons MC blogs their Samaritan escapades at (www.bhutandragons.blogspot.com) or (www.facebook.com/bhutandragons) and are sponsored by Adventure Roots, who have the same principles and community beliefs by helping folks through the grassroots. We can also arrange rides for those who like more than a little wheel power.

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The Quest For Happiness Is Official

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Tuesday was a day to savor. A visibly emotional Prime Minister went on National Television and said he felt emotional that a small, LDC nation had been put on the world center stage. But with recognition comes responsibility and the
Prime Minister was as quick to point out the challenges now facing Bhutan in light of the resounding and unanimous support given to GNH by the global community. The Prime Minister said Bhutan will continue to provide leadership in the development of the concept, implementation, and promotion and translate happiness in terms of public policy among the members of the UN family. The date, July 20, 2011, should be etched in every Bhutanese citizen’s memory, for this was the day of a journey that began more than three decades ago when a young monarch ascended the Dragon Throne under tragic circumstances, and revolutionized the way his kingdom and his subjects would live.

His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, amongst many other jewels, gave this nation a path to development that has enriched the lives of his subjects and made the world take notice of what is a totally wholesome path to development, progress, modernization and the need to balance that with that primordial human need and want: to be happy.

In His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, we have a monarch who has furthered his father’s vision by giving a concrete shape and structure, together with his own hands at the helm of things, steering this country towards what is a noble goal with altruistic sketches and keeping in mind the fundamental bigger picture – the pursuit of happiness and the means to that end.

In Lyonchhen Jigmi y Thinley, the Bhutanese people have a Prime Minister who has tirelessly worked global forums and various media-mediums to push forward a developmental philosophy that is perhaps the ultimate need of the times, in light of what is unfolding around the world. As we speak, there is an Arab Spring awakening in the Middle east and in North Africa. Common people are standing up for what is essentially their right to life, liberty, dignity, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

In the meantime, the Fourth South Asian association for Regional Cooperation Interior Ministers’ Conference began last Saturday to discuss, among other pertinent issues in the region, security and terrorism. The UN Resolution to adopt “Happiness” as the Millennium Development Goals and the SAARC meet couldn’t be more different, yet the issue being discussed is in direct proportion to the absence of happiness, or more practically, peace.

Bhutan’s Permanent Representative to the united Nations Lhatu Wangchuk told the BBC the next step was to help UN members better understand the concept. He admitted that there was skepticism when Bhutan started lobbying for the resolution ten months ago. But ultimately it won 66 cosponsors.

Bhutanese thanka of Mt. Meru and the Buddhist Universe, 19th century (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A BBC report says many at the UN were skeptical at first, but the resolution ended up winning 66 cosponsors.

Lhatu Wangchuk said Bhutan wanted to bring happiness to the UN consciousness, because GDP is an inadequate measure of the quality of life. Now member states have been invited to draw up their own measures of happiness and add them to the UN’s development agenda. When the Bhutanese Permanent Representative to the UN was asked if he thought UN diplomats were happy people, in a typical display of perhaps what the idea was all about, Lhatu Wangchuk said many were overworked, and needed to sleep more and spend more time with their families.

Meanwhile, the Gross National Happiness Commission, a brainchild of His Majesty the King, goes about brainstorming and implementing what otherwise could easily be construed as a philosophical and a metaphorical state with no actual bearing to the grassroots. The Center for Bhutan Studies has been scientifically going about the concept to transform them into quantifiable realities in terms of policies that can be implemented and worked out. In other words, the eyes of the world are firmly focused on Bhutan, and the country must perform with full awareness and mindfulness, for this could be the next catalyst for a better world.

The Prime Minister summed it up when he said, “Our endeavor will have to be to prove and convince that it is, in fact, relevant to every human and for every country.”

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One Upon a Time In The Thunder Dragon Kingdom

Once upon a time is such a nice beginning. 
It fills in receptive ears and welcoming hearts that are warm and willing to receive. 

It evokes timelessness and stories that have endured the ravages and consequences of time, as well as its melancholic memoirs and nostalgic novembers. But time itself is nothing but a marker to remind man of the passage of all things, and in time, all things must pass. Having said that, it is that very reason that makes life what it is; bittersweet, glorious, tragic, touching, endearing and an epitaph that makes us pause, ponder awhile and the strength to move on and go on.

The passage of that time in space where we are is like the shooting star; a celestial brief that makes us smile and wonder. 
A rainbow that makes us forget the vagaries of life and stills and calms the flash-flooding in us; even if it be brief and fleeting. 
That is probably the reason why they say one can live a lifetime in a moment. 
Without that sense of bewilderment, happiness is just another word we can spell about and never really come to know.

"Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence!" So said a boy named Siddhartha when He became The Buddha at the tender age of thirty five as he lay in serenity breathing in his last gasp of impermanence (The Great Passing Away) - his final lesson and teaching at the ripe old age of eighty. Like all the Buddhas of the past, like all the Buddhas of the future, He was born, reached enlightenment and passed away on the Full Moon of the Fourth Lunar Month, which this year is celebrated today; June 4, 2012.

I do not know if there are still stories being told- around a warm hearth, out in the breezy dusk lights on hot summer days, around a kitchen fire in cold winter nights, or to the sound of monsoon rains drumming the roof and the ground; on renewed spring blossoms or out on a stroll hand in hand during gold-leafed autumn days.

In the end we are all stories, and the passage of every being is both natural and sad, but happiness and joy abounds when stories are told of times gone by. The beautiful part is that when we tell stories, there are no such things as bad folks, societies or countries. All of that vanishes and what remains are memories of beings that lived and strived to be happy in their own way, no matter in what way, shape or form the choices were made the pursuit was always on as it still is. 

The bird may be caged to the skies, but it still flies above fences, walls, boundaries and borders. 

It transcends the delusional divisions and the remnants are purified. 
The residue is thus a fond memoir.

On occasions such as these, we all become a little more aware of the precious boons we have been granted and been endowed with. It makes our hearts that much more receptive, appreciative and a sense of gratitude arises as spontaneously.

Today is indeed such an occasion; a beautiful occasion indeed! To go and pay one's tributes to The Tathagatha and the path he paved for us all, and to celebrate the Birthday of Her Majesty, Our Kind and Loving Dragon Queen and so much more. 

"The Tathagatha,

And The Eight-Fold Noble Path-

What else Do You Need?"

A rhetorical question of an attempted Haiku I'd put out to bedazzle myself! There are no definitives to anything but having said that, to some things, there are certain definitives; such as a queen.

A queen was what we needed.

I've not been able to sleep, on account of being rather too acquainted with the nocturnal life. But this night, which slowly dawns outside the windows, keeps me awake for reasons other than my usual wanderings. The attic I live in has a square transparent tin-sheet on the roof: a see-through; a view to the sky. There are pigeons and now they coo. Now they stir from their nests. I hear the chirps of other winged feathers and the odd wee-hour sounds of vehicles revving up their engines for another day's hustle and bustle.

And I have been lost for words the last couple of weeks and days leading up to this very designate-day and what it really means. 

There was a jam in my head. Now I see how I was trying too hard. Anything that comes from the heart and is fed with a sense of gratitude cannot be mulled over too much. It takes away from the sacredness of the occasion we will be absorbing and celebrating and its spontaneity. I'd not realized that I'd already celebrated the proceedings even as I was logged and jammed in a myriad maze of thoughts and its infinite conclusions minus solutions. 

You see; I smile every time I see Our Queen. And I smile even at the thought- of Her Majesty The Queen because there is something about Her. I'd had a big stupid grin of happiness smacked on my face when His Majesty The King announced and shared with us, His subjects whom He holds so near and dear, His impending decision to marry what He said was a beautiful human being in the form and shape of Jetsun Pema. On that noted day, that natural warm smile on His Majesty's compassionate visage was ever more radiant, telling us and sharing with us a woman whom he described as a young and compassionate being who would make us all proud and fulfill her sacred duties to the utmost as Our Queen.

I grinned and smiled a great big smile as I gazed upon and heard His Majesty's address on the telly. It brought us even more closer to Him and if ever a bond was forged without a bondage, it was and is the relationship of His Majesty The King and His people.

When we caught our first glimpse of the Dragon Queen to-be, it was love at first sight! 

Once upon a time isn't just a beginning, its a process in itself- rooted and embedded through many Karmic ties without being blinded but rather envisioned, freed and strengthened.

I was happy for My King, and I was happy for Our Queen to-be, and I was happy for Our People and Our Buddha Blessed Kingdom.

Since that joyful day, many moons have come and gone; waxed and waned, and together with that natural phenomena, so has the love between Our King and Queen and now hand in hand, their love towards us and our love and reverence for a match I believe was Made in Heaven. It is both endearing and loving, kind and courageous and a picture of hope and optimism. The People's King had someone by his side whom He loves and to the fortunate Karma of the Kingdom and its citizens, wed not just a beautiful woman but also a beautiful human being in the person of Jetsun Pema; the Flawless Lotus and as if on cue, we had been aptly gifted yet another gem from the Dragon Throne; The People's King now had the perfect bride; The People's Queen.

That Her Majesty celebrates her twenty second birthday today on the same day The Tathagatha entered unto Parinirvana is indeed more cause to pay tribute to and be what we can all be- good human beings as His Majesty keeps demonstrating.

That we have such a young and generous Queen who, though young in time, now provides love, companionship and more to His Majesty and to us; their humble and proud subjects, is in itself such an uplifting thought. 

To see Their Majesties touring the country together; 
a benevolent smile here, an encouraging word there, and to know we have a King who will guide Her Majesty, and to know that we have a Queen who will soften the many unseen and unsaid hardships and sacrifices His Majesty so naturally undertakes for and on our behalf is in itself such a comforting thought.

That they have each other to turn to is such a grateful relief.

If marriages are made in heaven, then this union was brought down to earth to illustrate the meaning of such a union: togetherness, sacrifice, altruism, a love that is on a higher plane, companionship, solace, empathy and what it means to really Care and Be Caring.

May Your Majesty always remain as pure and as flawless as the lotus that sprouts without a speck of dust yet stays wisely rooted in the complexities of life; and wisely just and justly wise as symbolized in Your auspicious name. 

And in doing that, epitomizing the meaning of simplicity as Siddhartha did.

The sun now beams its rays through the windows in the attic I live in, providing me with light and a chance to live another day as best as I possibly can... May Your Majesty be like the light that shines in, through the cracks of life; providing vision where there is darkness, wisdom where there is ignorance, optimism where there is hopelessness, courage where there is failure, and love where there is none. 

May Your Majesty become the very beacon that tells lost souls that "This Is Home and You Have Arrived..."

And May Your Majesty always arrive there safely, even as we are guided by that light... with His Majesty by Your side, and the Protector Deities of Our Beloved Kingdom and its folks, who will celebrate this beautiful day of Your Birth and The Tathagatha's Painirvana, and give thanks that we have in our midst a Caring and Compassionate Queen we will always love and who will reciprocate that back a hundred fold.

This is a story I'm telling my son, and a story someday he'll pass on to his son... a story that will be told manifold; around a warm hearth, out in cool meadows on hot summer evenings and around campfires in cold wintry months and to the music of the monsoon raindrops, the renewing spring and in gold-laden autumn days.

"Once upon a time;

Is such a beautiful Line-

May it never end!"

a Heart Felt Happy Birthday Your Majesty and Tashi Delek Phuensum Tshok! 

With Reverence and with Love  and Prayers (^)

Your most humble albeit a proud subject,

Jurmi Chhowing    

Siddhartha Gautama meditating. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MAGELANG, INDONESIA - MAY 03: A Buddhist monks prepares to receive alms from Buddhist religious members of the public ahead of Vesak Day, on May 3, 2012 in Magelang, Indonesia. Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the Borobudur temple annually, which makes it the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia. Vesak is observed during the full moon in May or June and the ceremony centres around three Buddhist temples, whereby pilgrims walk from Mendut to Pawon, ending at Borobudur. The stages of life of Buddhism's founder, Gautama Buddha, which are celebrated at Vesak are his birth, enlightenment to Nirvana, and his passing. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

  

MAGELANG, INDONESIA - MAY 06: A Buddha statue is seen at Borobudur temple during celebrate Vesak Day, commonly known as 'Buddha's birthday', at the Borobudur Mahayana Buddhist monument on May 6, 2012 in Magelang, Indonesia. Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the Borobudur temple annually, which makes it the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia. Vesak is observed during the full moon in May or June and the ceremony centers around three Buddhist temples, whereby pilgrims walk from Mendut to Pawon, ending at Borobudur. The stages of life of Buddhism's founder, Gautama Buddha, which are celebrated at Vesak are his birth, enlightenment to Nirvana, and his passing. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

 

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