It was a combination of fear and hope last week. Fear because I was hit unawares at such an odd timing when that earthquake shook us all. I had never felt such a long tremor except when i indulged into nasty jokes with my neighbours about thier unholy sexual acts that wud wake me up with minor but a sensitive tremor! HOnestly, i was playing cards(Marriage!?) at a shop adjacent to Lhendup's bar whe...n the quake hit that time. Recalling good lessons that i imbibed from a disaster management workshop, i picked up my fat purse(i had won that time), and my snickers and ran into safety under a broken table outside. Hide,cover and duck, watever the series! I thought about my family at home and wondered that Choden wud be cursing me for not being together at such a concluding session. The infinite wisdom placed around my brain could utter that nervous mantra "Om Aaa hum, baza Guru Pema Siddhi hung!" at fervent intensity. I knew that my 62 kg body, the pinnacle of god's own creation, would be spared without much damage! Just then the phone rang. It was my sister asking if we were alright. I informed her that we were terribly fine, literally so. She warned us to be careful about the impending after-shock. I didnt bother much after that real quake because scientifically,
after-shocks are more humbler than the original tectonic collision. "Okay, you take care and better pray to god", i suggested her.
Good news about the last week is that we are now done with our GNH workshop. Since it was conducted in our school, i volunteered to give Vote-of-thanks speech. I began,"Finally, at the end of this 4-day GNH workshop, i sincerely believe that it has left us more enlightened as a human being and particularly so as a teacher. We often miserably force ourselves to believe that teaching/learning process is more of mechnical process that rarely deals with human values and appreciation of what we have within us as an individual. Education does mean nurturing and facilitating the overall development of a child. May the light of GNh always guide our profession!" Well freinds, there was nothing new in GNH. Surely it was like pouring old wine in a new bottle. We, as a teacher did everything that GNh booklet wanted us to do but it was a good reminder for ourselves. The GNH approach places teacher at a saintly situation and that Saint sould invariably disarm himself from any evils arising from teaching profession. It looks like every time the child gives us a wrong answer, we should think twice before scolding him! "Think the other way around, his answer might be correct in relation to his own understanding", one of the facilitators have told us. How true! I thought i might quit teaching after that workshop...lol.
And i did mention the organisation that sponsered, the participants, the management etc etc.. The next day after the workshop was Thhrue Baab. Those teachers who had their own sets of bow and arrow went to a freindly match some 40 km away from Chumey. I regretted having sold my own second hand bow long ago. But we did go outside. Choden, Sera, Dawa, Angay(choden's mum) and a feline, Sera's pet in my old car and We were accompanied by another neighbour with his family too. It rained towards afternoon so that we had to cut our distance short, above Mebartsho. I might have dived into that Burining Lake and taken out a contemporary "Ter" but then it rained.He he he. I made an honest prayer, since i have heard people talk about seeing "things" in Mebartsho especially during holy days in Bhutanese calender, and gazed into it for a long time. Bingo! i did see prayers flags fluttering so serenely! I closed my eyes as if an old spell had been cast away from my impure mind and in enlightenment, looked up. i saw the flags fluttering gently. The science in me reminds me that what i have seen in the Lake was only reflection of those real flags that are so prominent around Mebartsho, the God in me, condemns me, for being too skeptic..

Thats all, my teachers. Warm wishes...:)