The transformation could be gradually sensed over the 4-5 hours long drive that started from Paro in Bhutan.
But let me start with a little background.
We spent the last 7 days in Bhutan. We were in Thimphu, Punakha and in Paro, three of the popular spots in Bhutan.
Besides the brilliant tourism value of the place, what was remarkable was the calm and quiet of the entire country, virtually! As is well known, this is the country that measures and is known for its Gross Happiness Index! The country is focused on being satisfied, living a calm and comfortable life. Can you believe it that there are no traffic signals in Bhutan? Vehicles are driven at slowish speeds, no one seems to be in any tearing hurry. This in spite of the fact that the roads are pretty good. Over the 7 days, I don’t remember seeing the smallest of road rage, or even a scolding or angry sound! Everyone accommodates others and it is truly a place where you are comfortable with each other. The country provides free education and healthcare for those who need, the country is carbon positive, there is a very high degree of environmental sensitivity. Hardly any waste to be seen on the road, at regular intervals you would find bins to dump waste in.
The most striking and pleasing element is that you don’t find all kinds of hoardings and advertising in your face, like you do most anywhere else these days. So much so that even hotels don’t put 10 boards informing you that you’re on way and you need to take some turns etc! In fact, milestones for distances are also very few and far in between!
So you basically enjoy being with your own self, enjoying and admiring the beautiful nature all around, unhindered.
The one reason that the country is carbon positive is that there is very little production activity inside the country. They are hugely imports dependent. Which is why you don’t see the constant movement of goods, production facilities etc.
So, all this was the backdrop of what we observed over the last 7 days.
And then our last leg of the holiday is to be in Darjeeling – in neighbouring India. And the best way to go from Bhutan to Darjeeling is by road, via this last point in Bhutan called Phuentsholing. While this is one more district in Bhutan like a Thimphu or a Paro, its main significance is being at the India border. Maybe because of that, it is also a lot more of an “industrious” place than the rest of Bhutan that we saw.
So, going back to the beginning of this note, as I said, the change could be gradually seen as we drove from Paro towards Phuentsholing.
The buildings started to get a little different, people seemed in just a little more hurry, even though we were still in Bhutan.
We had an overnight stay here before we headed into India and to Darjeeling. In the dining room of the hotel we stayed in, we saw a Bhutanese local, for the first time, being a little loud and demanding. He was still being polite enough and not angry, but like I said, just a little demanding. Unlike anything that we saw in the previous 7 days here.
And then to go from Bhutan to India, we need to walk through this small immigration building of Bhutan. Where they check papers and let you go. And as you exit out of the building, you are literally in India. As you look sideways, you see this long and large wall, which separates Bhutan and India.
I am sure there are many parts of the world where such simple walls or boundaries separate two countries. But unlike say, the US-Canada border which I have crossed few times by road, this India-Bhutan border had busy towns on both sides.
Phuentsholing of Bhutan on one side and Jaigaon or Jharna in West Bengal, India on the other.
And that wall made such a huge difference!!
Suddenly as you get out on the India side, you are bang in the middle of a busy market. There are street side hawkers on the tiny lane. Unfortunately, the street is dirty with garbage strewn around. And as you walk out of the lane and on to a bigger road, the sudden increase in density hits you unmistakably. The number of vehicles on the road, the auto rickshaws, people walking all across, the general sense of noise, and the general sense of “activity”! As we got into our car that was to drive us to Darjeeling, we saw small production units, lots and lots of stores, perhaps even serving the border town in Bhutan, from here. The large number of Maruti and Tata vehicles (which were not present in Bhutan), the many many goods vehicles ferrying all kinds of materials, and as we drove forth, the massive tea gardens and the activities around it.
What a contrast!
It seemed like we had been away at some idyllic, almost imaginary place, and we were brought back to reality!!
At first thought, one may feel that why can’t India be more Bhutan like? Quieter, calmer, less noisy, cleaner etc. Yes, that would indeed be the first reaction.
But dig a little deeper and think harder and you also appreciate these facts:
- an environment like Bhutan can be a good retreat, a place to go to for a few days, but it cannot exist independently
- being carbon positive is great to be, but if that is by not doing much “activity” and being totally dependent on other countries for your needs, it is like being clean by dumping your waste out to your neighbours’ place, isn’t it?
- gross National happiness index and all that is fine, and maybe people in Bhutan are generally okay with their beings, but in a connected world where the young see the lives of others around the world and don’t live in isolation, does this Bhutanese way factor in the aspirations of the Bhutanese youth? Don’t think so. From what I heard from locals, many young people are leaving the country and going to the US, Canada and other western countries! This was something we had heard in Nepal also, when we visited few years back. And of course, Nepal does not offer the serenity and calm that Bhutan does and hence the draw to stay back, is even lesser.
Net-net, if it is possible to run a country on the most idealistic means, from happiness to sustainability and all things in between, it is amazing.
However, being industrious and independent, being able to provide jobs and growth aspirations of your youth, even at the cost of some compromise, is not bad either! Or maybe it’s better, in fact?!
What do you think?
Random Musings 