Ugyen rangdol: kPhone. Steve jobs: iPhone

Imagine for just a moment that you could meet a young man- a man whom you have shared the same table and bench in your high school days and after years of lost contact, you hear him become a successful entrepreneur that it feels like he is the next Steve jobs.

Until my high school, I had a scant knowledge on computers. I have always thought it belonged to smart people. And, of course, everybody had the same view that it was the toy of big brains. Accordingly, average performers were put together in economics class and iconic performers in IT class.

One such brat was a technophobic friend of mine who didn’t conceive the idea of succeeding in computer even in his wildest dream.

He had his first email id created sometime in summer of 2007 when the technology around him was already going viral piercing every parts of world. That was, in retrospect, his maiden step in coming out from the cocoon and discovering the digital world.

                The founder             

Although the man had unremitting affinity for science, faith perhaps had hand in it and compelled him to pursue history which was a nightmare. However in class, his infectious jokes never failed to conquer friends’ heart and soon became a celebrated figure among friends. In recess period he would not fail to delight his fans with lucullan feast of jokes and mockups. Seldom did he keep away friends from belly full of laughter.

More than the lessons in reproductive system could interest us, his witticisms gained our attention.

To many of us in the class, he ranked with Phurpa Thinlay.

Since then, we would lightly banter him as the future PM as his ingenuity of gathering crowds would often go beyond his regular friends. He would talk for any length of time on subjects ranging from vagina and phallus to a new acrobat move in Kama sutra. And keep everyone awake when Einstein’s E=mc2 failed to do so.

In any of my musing and a yearlong stay with him, I hardly heard him making mentions of future business ventures in information technology. Unbelievingly, the boy who stood alien in front of computer emerged as triumphant in field that was once considered “toy for smart people”.

His toy kuzu phone

Today, he is the founder of Kuzu gadgets which is on the gain of immense popularity. Believe it or not, the young man has made his name on one of the national media print as successful youth entrepreneur

What is more amazing is that the man has collaborated with ministry of labor to help job seekers. When he texted the news, the lines of JF Kennedy ‘ask not what country can do for you, ask what you can do for country’ rang inside me.

While many were looking for jobs in government service, he ventured into unknown, let loose his passion and toiled tenaciously at the test of time to win eventually. And the only thing I can make sense of this is that a friend to whom I have ranked with Phurpa Thinlay way back, is now at par with Steve jobs.

Value yourself

I read this story last vacation and found it worth sharing.

A famous man entered a seminar hall thronged with large gathering. Before addressing the crowd, he just slipped into his pocket and fished out 500 USD.

He broke the ice with this question “How many of you would want this?”

Expectedly, all the hands from the floor shot up in the air and everyone screamed I want I want……

Then he dropped the note on the floor and tramped it under his foot. He picked up and said again, how many would want this note now?

A good number of hands still remained in the air.

What he did next pinched some of people present there because they thought the man was going to destroy the note.

Now this time he crumpled the note to the extent of tearing and asked again “how many of you would still like this?” surprisingly, he didn’t see any hands going down although they were exhausted.

After a while, the man said “all of us are like the note”.

No matter how hard it was crushed, it still had the same value like the uncrushed ones. Even though the note found its place under the foot, it still didn’t decrease in its significance and sustained its value.

Likewise, we are no different.

Many a times, In the course of making decision and propounding new ideas, we go astray and fall numerous times. In spite of our best effort, we often topple down with indigestible ridicule which almost leaves us hopeless to stand up for next round.

What we should know is; whether we are beaten or jeered at, we still have values like the wrinkled note.

In the end, the man said “never let your yesterday’s disappointment overshadow tomorrows dream”. Everybody gathered in the foyer applauded him in standing ovation for his marvelous lesson.

The miracle of life

The first time I saw him was in dilapidated tavern which remotely bore a resemblance of brothel with erotic placards hung loosely over the walls. The rusted fan failed to cool the customers and the room gradually teemed up assorted sweats. His deep socketed blood shot eyes and high cheek bones brought me dreadful impression. No doubt, he was no lesser than what I have long before doubted.

I feared the idea of befriending his company. But as a first timer in distant East, I had no other choices than to know him better with each passing day. Somehow, we got linked through our common friends.

Since he was couple of years elder to me, I revered him like I did to my own kin. However, He never revealed his good name and insisted me to call “dost” because he found it cool by that name and I already thought it fool.

Despite his decent status and beautiful quarter to house in, he was not happy. What was going astray wondered me? Although he didn’t make any mention of what was wrong with him, I was confident that it would come unfurling sometime later. Hence I didn’t dare to ask either.

His reckless splurging of money on procuring stuffs and getting stoned everyday gave me no room for going beyond than usual.

How could he be so sumptuous, spending huge amount on something that is of no good to him? In my eyes, I saw him buying early death and living many days at a time. To my dismay, he was even ready to spare his everyday necessities and travel miles in search of doses only to seek fugitive joy.

One time, he toured me around his friends place. They all had one thing in common- a portrait of Bob Marley to which all of them were greatly influenced. Hardly anybody cared for what was there in the dinner. How they were going to get the next stock was their concern.

Sadly, I have watched plenty of the amateurs spewing out what they have just forcefully inhaled in and saw them get tortured like poisoned rats. Only few wise could make their way out of the league. Many morons found it cool like my friend once did and committed every evening simply to power up what they proudly called capacity.

Alas! It paid the final price. Before I could grasp him further, he was fired from job. After that, his presence became extinct.

Intriguingly, a man in whom I saw death once is now living by the high morale. I met him last winter. Eyes which were once blood red became hopeful and life which was once unlit got lighted now. He was refined and had put on lots of weight.

Since his French leave, he had been helping people from all walks of life with his experiences in drugging and extricated many from the dope way. I looked up to his noble deeds with great admiration almost forgetting the wound of his memories.

I offered prayers for his sobriety and way before I could say goodbye, he talked a book “The miracle of life” authored by him.

I am hopeful that the book will hold treasures for those caught in the mesh of addiction and bring miracle like it had to him.

Ordinary at sight, Extraordinary at blind

I had admired the personalities of various finest men of the centuries in books and movies. Not that they were genius but because of their daring comeback from the downfalls of life and touching plethora of lives.

Since our exit from apes many centuries back, some emerged extraordinary even though they were not ordinary at birth. Yet, they played significant role and left behind immortal legacy to which the world saluted. Some were left visually impaired at some point in life; however they continued to inspire unimpaired ones and unremittingly lived for the cause of the others.

Today, I see a gifted figure whose personality and deeds resemble those of what I have admired in books and seen in movies. Surprisingly, a pure manifestation of what the charismatic leaders of past had done once upon a time, which is too scant to find in normal beings.

Mr. Sangay Tala, who is currently on royal patronage as music teacher in Zhemgang Lower Secondary School is one such species of man celebrated for his skill in traditional musical instruments.

Hailing from a far-flung place of Zhemgang, the 32 year old NID graduate was not born sightless. Like many of us, he was filled with ordinary hopes and dreams until the age of ten.

He recalls vividly how on that stormy evening, some possessed sort of strange mania lurked inside him and cursed to grieve for rest of the time. As if like portent of ill fate was to befall, he succumbed to illness that same night, inflicting pain with bouts of vomiting.

What was going to come next worried everybody at home.

Since his parents were pious and ignorant of modern approaches, they solely relied on local rituals for his recovery. It was only when their home remedy failed to improve his health that they took him to the district hospital.

The condition was critical and needed immediate attention. He was then referred to national hospital.

Being a direct descendant of financially unsound family, his parents couldn’t afford to send him for further treatment. Gradually, the condition aggravated and his dreams of life dipped into the abyss of madness only to await the eternal darkness thereafter.

“In retrospect, had the treatment been early, he could have retrieved his lost vision” says the young man with big smile on his face.

After leaving visually challenged at very young age, Sangay was unable to continue his studies and like a fly in forgotten tea, lived handicapped for nearly ten years.

Realizing that he has purpose to serve and family to tend, he set out on looking for means to battle his nightmare. Rarely anybody had any idea on the existence of blind school; let alone its name and location because hardly the family went out of their territory.

Despite remaining insulated from urban access, Sangay developed strong taste for music and found every day joy in listening to music. By then, the sophomore college goer Druptho Zangmo was already hitting eastern part of Bhutan with her debut single “Tabu cholay mawa” (impermanence) themed on loss of her vision, was overthrowing almost every sharchop songs of the time.

Later when he came to know that the eastern amateur celebrity was visionless and a produce of NID, he decided to embark on his maiden journey to khaling to rekindle his bleak hope. Thanks to her.

At twenty two, he felt revived once again, and it was there that his despondent instincts were awakened, all over to restart the long lost voyage.

There he studied among children’s who were aged in between five to six, which he told was huge embarrassment for adult like him. By then, he was fertile enough to produce his own or father those in the class, had not destiny betrayed him.

First few days of sudden distance had him plunged in surging thoughts of wilderness in which he longed for that serene green field spilled with herds of cows. Shortly, he got adapted and the institute served as the home away from home.

In pursuit of his destination, he was subjected to the brutalities of the reality and in the test of time, soon he dreamed of rainbows and butterflies which were yet to come as surprise package.

Since he went till class two in public school, he was proficient in alphabets and immediately got promoted to first grade. He did well in conducts and got famed for excelling in studies. With loads of challenges, he completed his education fruitfully. But he had miles to ply before he could reach the final destination.

Undaunted in the face of shattered dreams, he was all set to confront the way ahead. Through tenacious grip, he managed to get into his first job as a novice musician that served his belly abundantly. It was during this job he revisited the institution again to see if he can give back anything to which once he gulped ocean of wisdom freely.

Of course not in cash, he donated a set of instruments brought about by accumulation of his salary, for wellbeing of ones like him in future.

His next area of work was in Druk star as a full timer musician. Prior to current job, he worked for a renowned private resort conquering the interest of many foreigners leaving them at tears often, with his story of life fine-tuned by his traditional guitar.

During his tenure there, he exhibited the crown of loyalty and dedication in his service. Noted as a singer, several of his songs went viral and were mostly cherished by elderly folks since his genre was mostly of indigenous origin.

Soon on account of awful plight, he was granted support under royal patronage to mainly sustain our traditional instruments and age old songs in a fragile world of cultural dilution.

By the grace of royals and some luck left in store, Sangay could find decent job under ministry of education as music instructor and commits to work selflessly with great gusto.

Leafing through his miserable story, both tears and joys welled up in my eyes. Tears because life didn’t do justice, Joy because he had indomitable spirit to rise no matter how rude life battered him.

Above all, he is a strong believer in destiny and ever since his impairment at tender age; he has been happy with life and a caring wife and two lovely kids in the upbringing.

With so much of battles, he is finally up on his own foot with self-reliant job in hand and handsome salary to handle his family. He firmly pledges to serve the country and do wonders in others live.

How far he has sailed and what he has achieved till date is the testimony of his turmoil in the vicious circle of karma and unshaken faith in a murky oasis of hope.

I would not be what I am today if I were not blind and perhaps even dead if I were not blinded, Concludes the extraordinary man.

NOTE: The refined version is given to the owner of the story, who will be shortly leaving to japan with my write up.....

Books and looks

The little angels

At this digital age, it’s too rare to find someone who comes to borrow books from a public library or a school library. Even if one shows up, it won’t be other than some serious book lovers or students. Few are compelled to do so because of the taxing assignments or research works. But such readers are not deemed genuine since it isn’t by virtue of their will.

However, I was proven wrong when an audacious bunch of tiny girls turned up at my friend’s place desperately asking for a book. I was left speech less and baffled by those little girls. Enthralled by their love for reading, it vividly flashed me of my school days. 

Did I think of reading when I was of their age? Have I ever dared of knocking at somebody’s door looking out for books? Were I keen enough to explore the unknown? Well, apart from the text I never looked out of syllabus to find out what’s even there in the school library. All I was a voracious eater. And the only book I remember today is the “Momo monkey and Dechen”

Unlike many of us, these four angels are incredibly fond of books despite their frolicking age. My heart glowed further when they portrayed their politeness which some of us lack. 

Prying their conversation, I halted their way back home. Since I was stunned by their good habit, I couldn’t resist the itch in my brain to inquire them. Not only were they good in books but also in looks. The eldest in the group goes to class six while the other three are mates studying in class three. 

We shared a little moment together. Often so they tried escaping my sight and occasionally hid their face. But I engaged them with praises and jokes to which they responded amusingly. Soon after, four of them acquainted well with my hospitality and they didn’t even hesitate to introduce. 

Every time they had something to ask, they made it sure that they structured the language in esteemed way. Carried away by their civic sense, I could not agree more than to appreciate their attitude towards elders. 

As gratitude, I pleaded for a snap to archive the flashing reminiscences. At first, they appeared uneasy. Upon my several supplications, they accepted gladly.

But they were little displeased for they weren’t able to fetch the books. Perhaps to recompense their time and effort, I pledged them to notify my friend once he is back. They headed off merrily with giggles and waving hands.

After their leave I conceived, if students, regardless of class and age cultivate the reading habits like the tiny four, Bhutan would be constellated with wise leaders to the brim. 

Since majority of students are reluctant to books, reading custom in our country is relatively low. As the habit is also not rooted in from their early age, some have difficulty coping up with language when they grow up. 

As I aspire, I inspire everyone to snatch a copy today and ransack through, exchanging words with finest man of the centuries to discover glory ahead.