I guess a journey begins way ahead of its
manifestation. It's birth is serendipitous .... in a book …. in somebody's
conversation. Then again a travelogue is a silent conversation. 'Beyond Sky and
Earth' by Jamie Zeppa is a beautifully written personal story of a young Westerner
who travels half way around the world to Bhutan as an English teacher. I was
reading a second hand copy purchased at Manali bus stand while returning from
my first trek in the Himalayas in the Diwali of 2005. Instantly I was in love
with the author, her book and Bhutan. A new journey had taken birth. Michael Palin’s
Himalaya offered me my first glimpses of Bhutan. U tube fuelled the fire …. Paro
airport, Jhomolhari, Tibet, Buddhism, Himalayas. The romance of a distant
exotic land predominantly through a Western perspective. Heavily influenced by western
thought I was myself straddling between materialism and meaning with an
alarming tilt to materialism. It was not difficult to understand this romance.
One day Meghana asked me if I would like to
go to Bhutan in May 2012. For a four day trip to Bhutan we had crossed the
breadth of India through its cruel summer plains by rail. Bhutan came as a
brief pleasant respite. Thanks to Sudhakar sir’ s approach the programme
inclined heavily onto nature. We got the glimpses of a wonderful country.
A small trek to Taktsang Palphug
Monastery was a part of it. A dramatic location for an extremely
popular yet beautifully maintained monastery near Paro. This is the monastery
also known as Tigers Nest, which encapsulates my journey to Bhutan.
Bhutan was definitely a place for grown ups.
I couldn’ t help wonder and envy Bhutan' s King who was way ahead of his times
to dare take a middle path towards protecting his country’s identity, culture
and not make the easy mistake of blindly following materialism and consumerism.
Or was it part of a journey that the Buddha showed centuries ago?
Happy New Year
Rajneesh Gore
1 Jan 2013
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