11 May 2014

Young Bhutanese Scientists

The 2014 Cluster II Science & Technology Exhibition in Bajothang is the grandest I have ever seen. Children from twelve higher secondary schools have broken many barriers though there is no denying that we are still caught in the box by international standards.

The chief guest, Madam Secretary took special interest in every exhibit and often remarked in amazement: "You should patent it". Each school presented three exhibits each and the result was calculated from the average of three

The winner was Ugyen Academy took home a cash prize of Nu.25,000. They presented a Multipurpose Machine- a washing machine and spinner, grinder, rice mill and water pump- run by paddle connected to series of gears. The carpentry and welding works are done so beautifully that it ought to win.
1. Multipurpose Machine, Ugyen Academy
The team also presented a concept of traffic signal that is a result of complex algorithm of circuits.
1. Traffic Light Concept, Ugyen Academy
And their third exhibit was a solar food dryer that they claim can also be used as cooker. They have also brought along a TV disc that can also heat water. But since only three exhibits were allowed they must have presented either of the two, anyway they were declared the winner! Congratulations.
1. TV Disc and Food Dryer, Ugyen Academy
The first runners up was explosive literally, it's my school Bajothang. They have made an anti fire ball, which when thrown in fire will explode and extinguish the fire. The demonstration impressed many people but the idea to me seemed imitated.
2. Anti Fire Ball, Bajothang HSS
Next was a Mop on the Wheel. This can be driven across the floor and the wheel will help turn the sponge that will clean the floor, the handle has a pair of switches to spray water and soap on the floor.

2. Mechanical Mop, Bajothang HSS
 Our third exhibit was a traditional grinder (rangtha) driven by gears connected to paddle.

2. Grinder, Bajothang HSS
Second runners up was Gelephu Higher Secondary School who were more into chemistry, they demonstrated the procedure to extract vinegar from bamboo.
3. Bamboo Vinegar Extractor
and also show us how to make bio-plastic from potato. The plastic can be fried into chips after use or cook as curry lol.
3. Bio Plastic
And they impressed us with their miniture robotic bull. The bull is run by series of motors and can be maneavured into any direction including reverse.  They took home Nu.15,000.
3. Robotic Bull, Gelephu HSS
I will share about the rest of the exhibits after I finish compiling the official report. Some of them are even better than the ones I have shown here, but they couldn't win because the result is based on the average of all three exhibits.

09 May 2014

Sonam Choki- The Story of a Girl Who Reads "Dawa- The Story of a Stray Dog"

I met Sonam Choki on her first day in school. I am usually very forgetful but I still remember about that meeting because she left a lasting impression on me. She came to me to ask if she and her friends could go home because she had seen people leaving. The fineness of the language with which she asked me took by the pleasantest surprise. I couldn't believe a little class VII girl could own such beautiful language. I even asked her father if she had studied overseas but the secret to her amazing language was her habit of reading endlessly. Reading surely does magic, she proved it to me.

After a few weeks my school started forming clubs and I had to leave my old eLearning club to take up School Museum club but I had some unfinished dreams with the old club. So I called back all the old members of my former club to rebuilt the team and carry on. I then went looking for Sonam Choki. She was already into another club. I asked her if she would like to join my former club and read for audiobook recordings. She happily accepted.

I handed her over to a senior member, Chidananda who was the technical operator of the club and asked him to try some recordings with her. One day he came running to me to express his appreciation for her skill. He agreed that she is the best we have had. They have tried several poems, and short stories over time, and our ultimate goal is to record Kuenzang Choden's "Dawa- The Story of a Stray Dog".
Please listen to the following piece of recording they have done with minimal technology.


If forward looking companies like M-Studio would agree to help we are ready to record the book, so that the book, which is studied as textbook can be loaded onto mobile phones and any student can listen to it for free. Of course books are to be read but when it's a textbook you have to read it over and over, therefore listening alternative can be a great help.

If you like her reading, know that it's the magic of her reading habit therefore encourage, inspire and motivate children around you to read. Reading not only makes one a good reader but also shapes the soul and changes one into a cultured young fellow. Sonam is that.

08 May 2014

How Are Scientists Made?

Does it take a scientist to invent a scientist? Seemingly yes because we never had a Bhutanese Scientist and therefore we don't have another. There is no inspirational figure to look up to for the students who are pursuing science. The highest dream they can dare is a mere MBBS. I don't know if the science we teach in school is only capable of making children dream as far as engineering college or medical college. Invention cannot be taught of course but how is it inspired?

School Science Exhibition is perhaps one obvious optional answer. By that I don't mean those namesake events where children do imitations of steam boat, waste chemicals from science lab to replicate volcanic eruption (for the thousandth time) or make a rocket with plastic bottle and football pump that will only fly two meters high.

School science exhibitions have reached new heights now. Children now make chopping and grinding machines with renewable energy, solar mobile phone charger, bicycle mop, and prototype of very futuristic machines. I am very excited to see what other 11 schools will come up with at the 2014 Science & Technology Exhibition in my school on May 10, 2014. These schools are coming from eight different dzongkhags.
The Logo images are not original, integration is :)
Each school will showcase three exhibits, which were the best from their own school exhibitions. The winning school takes home Nu.25,000 and load of inspiration. Sadly it stops there. Because unlike in other countries no company takes part to see if there are some inventions they could invest in. I hope this happens down the line.

We could go that far to bring in companies but at least we have taken the first step toward making the Science Exhibition very scientific. The judges we are bringing in are not only science lovers but some of them have inspiring inventions in their names. Two of the judges will present their inventions and brave attempts to the expected 72 budding student scientists on May 9, 2014. 

The venue my school has set up will win every heart that comes here, every little soul is hard at work these few days to make the place so welcoming that no one would want to go back. The school intents to make the whole experience the most memorable and inspiring.

On the Exhibition day I will be photographing and compiling reports on every exhibit and I intent to share them here with you all. But if you are around or if you love science enough to come all the way to Bajothang from wherever you are, you are invited. 

04 May 2014

Teacher's Day to Remember

This Teacher's Day in Bajothang was more than a cut-cake and some happy-teacher's-day dances. It will be remembered for ages, there will be thousand trees telling the story of May 2, 2014, literally. Every student and teacher in my school planted at least a tree each around the town.


Drawing the Plan of Action at 7:30
 Planting trees is not an interesting story to tell, and some could even think we got confused about the dates. It's supposed to be June 2. Well there is a difference, June is not as good as May for new saplings to grow. When we plant in May we mean to see them survive.
The Mastermind, supporter and friend.
And Green Zone in Bajothang town remained on paper for very long. The town has so many urgent issues to take care of before they could have the luxury to think of the green zone they once planned with pride. Thanks to the Environmental Wing of PHPA-II that is led by my friend Sangay Dorji. Last year he proposed the idea of plantation and I took the matter to my school. We agreed to do a massive community service and here we are. We formed a core team who put the idea together and made everything possible. Thanks to Vice Principal Melam and Ugyen Tshering for making it happen.
Plantation as far as the eyes could see
The trees are named and their survival is put up for a competition, therefore we expect this plantation to be different from other mass plantations, we want every sapling to grow into tree. The best classes will be awarded prizes at the end of the year. One parent came looking for his child's plant so that he could nurture it when she is gone to school, but only one parent. I would request more parents to own this idea.

One businessman came forward to offer refreshment to our students, I was so happy with him but I declined because we had our own refreshment. He act of kindness and responsibility earn so much respect from me. But again only one businessman showed that mentality.

The 1,300 holes were dug by JCV, we should have rather dug them ourselves because we wasted as much time in filling the massive hole. We planned the program for an hour and it took was over three hours before we could finally return to school for cut-cake celebration. By then I was dead exhausted but the cake looked very refreshing until I realised that I forgot to pick up my daughter. I borrowed a car and ran with the cake on my dashboard. I thought it was once in a lifetime fun but at the end of satisfying event I got a few disappointed friends who hated me for taking them on plantation trip. But I bet students loved it and that's all that matter.
Finally Cut-cake celebration in School
Happy Teacher's Day to all the teachers across the country, and to all my teachers who helped in shaping my life.

30 April 2014

Mountain Echoes 2014

Mountain Echoes, a Festival celebrating Literature, Art and Culture in Bhutan began in 2010. The fifth edition of the festival will happen from 22nd to 24th of May this year in Thimphu. Quite strangely I am
speaking at the festival along with people who have achieved so much in life in the field of art and literature. I don't have any significant contribution whatsoever to earn an audience who would listen to my talk, but I am assured that it's going to be a conversation format and there will be other guests with me mostly from outside Bhutan, therefore I don't have to worry about mocking empty chairs.
My Profile at the Festival
I am already worried about disappointing people because there are many remarkable people who deserves the stage unless we are already done with everybody in last four festivals. There are about fifty people speaking at the festival and I am proud to tell you about twenty are Bhutanese. The full list of speakers can be found on Mountain Echoes website.

I am honoured to be invited at Mountain Echoes, and I am thankful to people who have recommended to the organizers. I have to leave behind my insecurity and fear because there are some good friends out there who wish me well. 

My show is scheduled on 23rd May 2014, 5:00 pm at Taj Tashi

Mountain Echoes Festival is an initiative by the India-Bhutan Foundation and produced by Siyahi.

27 April 2014

The Last Wangdue Bridge

The historic wooden Wangdue bridge gave way to a motorable bridge in 1970s. The new bridge was perhaps a green iron bridge which stood there till 2002, when it was replace by the current concrete bridge.
How did I know the last bridge was green and made of iron? The answer is half submerged in the river (see picture). It is not only an eyesore near a very important site but also not a friendly foreign object in the river biodiversity. 
I am wondering why the rubble was left there. Who was supposed to clear it? Why was it left there? Was it ok to be left there in the river just like that? 

Rubble of the Last Iron Bridge
I can guess that the iron is of very good quality and given the opportunity some people might want to scrap it to pieces and use it for some purpose or simply sell it of. In Bajo town even septic tank covers are lost and a recent news reported that a home lost all its window grills, which suggest that iron is in high demand in scrap market. Then, why isn't that ugly bridge scrap lying there forever? There are at least few good tonnes of solid iron, and instead of letting it rust in the river and remain as an eyesore for ages why don't we let some people take it away for free?


24 April 2014

Rooting Hormones

There are two special plants in my school, a shrub and a tree. Mysteriously they are alone, just one each. While I understood enough of the tree the shrub remained largely mythical until I sought help on Facebook.
 
The Shrub (Name: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow)
Now I know their names and I know both propagated from cuttings. I have already begun working on multiplying the plants but given my bad track records with plants I knew I was missing on something.
The Tree

I have tried cuttings of hedges before with little success, and this time I am dealing with precious plant. I don’t want to lose this plant. I sort advices from my biologist friend Ugyen Tshering who suggested about rooting hormones that stimulate root growth during plant propagation, something I never heard before yet something that easily clicked on me. It was my environmental engineer friend Sangay Dorji who reminded this computer teacher to go to Google and search on “How to prepare organic rooting hormone” I felt very stupidly enlightened.

What I found on Google was what Sangay Dorji already shared. There are two easy ways to prepare rooting hormone at home besides commercial hormones.
  1. Extraction from willow leaf
  2. Honey

Extraction from Willow Leaf: Collect fresh willow leaves. Pour boiling water on it and leave to brew for 24 hours. Throw away the leaves and there you have the rooting hormone. It can be stored in refrigerator for months. Use the liquid for soaking the tip of your cuttings for a few hours before planting them in polybag.
Honey: Honey is natural rooting hormone. Just dip the tip of the cutting in honey and plant it right away. As simple as that.

But the success of rooting largely depends on how well you nurture them daily. Don’t be stupid like me- they don’t need sunlight as yet so keep the plants in shade to better the chance of their survival.

Rumor: Even Aspirin is said to have the rooting magic in it. Dissolve few tablets in a glass of water and soak the cuttings in it for some hours before planting them in polybag.

18 April 2014

My Mother's Donation to My School Museum

When I was planning my School Museum I called up my mother to help me. She already gave a long list of things she could help me with. But I had to reject some of her offers because I am not after antiques and valuables.

My Mother went home briefly and returned with load of stuffs for my museum. She has asked our village folks to help her son. She was surprised that not much is left in the village now.

If you have rural stuffs Please donate to my school Museum. Even torn and broken stuffs will work, after all it's a museum.

These are from my mother: (Do you want to try the quiz again? Name them)

1

2(a,b,c,d)

3

4(a,b,c)

5

6(a,b)

7

8(a,b)

16 April 2014

Twelve Frames of Inspiration, No Bob Marley

When we were young Bob Marley was just a great singer who sang 'Buffalo Soldier' and 'No Woman, No Cry', Now Bob Marley has suddenly become a god among the already confused generation. The Rastafari Flag, with either Bob himself or with a marijuana leave on it, is all over the place. For someone who died in 1981 to brainwash smart kids of 21st century is so unbelievable. Bravo Bob.

He is on the cap, scarf, shirt, locket, wrist band, pants, shorts, socks, shoes, taxi, truck, and even on the cover of textbooks and notebooks (kids buy three cello-tapes to cover their books in Rastafari Flag colors). If Bob Marley lived to see this day, how proud would he be? I swear he will shoot himself. Of all the things in the world he wouldn't want to be worshipped as the lord of the drugs. Bob Marley is grossly misunderstood by this generation and therefore when you see your child liking him you should start fearing.

Where does your child take inspiration from? If people on television can tell what your child should believe in then you are even closer, you should touch his soul with your strongest finger. If people in the town can influence your child more than you then you should question yourself.

I am a computer teacher, and I don't want my students to worship someone, they believe, who smoked marijuana all his life. That's not, I suppose, why they chose to take up computer. I want them to read about Bill Gates and dream big, I want them to believe in the excellence of Steve Jobs, I want them to be fans of Mark Zuckerberg and aspire to be like him... I want them to pause and reconsider where they want to go in life.

Therefore I want them to look at the Twelve Frames I have hung on the Computer Lab Wall, the twelve pioneers in the world of computer technology, and wonder how they must have done what they have done. Wonder, Appreciate, and Get Inspired.
12 Frames on the Wall

Enlarge the picture and see who all have made it on my list of Twelve. Did I miss out anybody worth featuring on my wall? Let me know.

Wangdue Dzong Across Time

I am growing increasingly interested in old pictures, and often I imagine myself being there in the times captured in them. The nostalgic moments I spend with old pictures add fourth dimension to my life. Cameras made it to Bhutan in 1907, evident from coronation pictures of first King but we hardly have more than few pictures until recently. We had painters as far as history stretches but they have never tried anything other than religious and spiritual symbols.
1783 Wangdue Dzong- only difference visible is the rounded edge of the walls.
But in 1783, Samuel Davis, lieutenant in the Bengal Army, joined Samuel Turner's Mission to Bhutan and Tibet as draftsman and surveyor has done us a great favour. It's only through his painting and journals that we can look back as far as 1783 into our history. And it's of course Michael Aries who gave us the access to these rare picture in his 1982 book "Views of Medieval Bhutan".

Wangdue Dzong by Samuel Davis, 1783
Of all the pictures in the book I am awed by the paintings of 145 year old Wangdue Dzong. In 1783, the dzong Samuel Davis painted was the original Dzong from Zhabdrung's time because in 1837 it was destroyed by fire. And later in 1897 the dzong was again destroyed by a severe earthquake. Thus, the dzong we saw before 2012 fire was not actually from Zhabdrung's time. But from Samuel Davis's painting we could conclude that the Dzong has always maintained its original Zhabdrung architecture despite two big disasters.

Wangdue Zam by Samuel Davis 1783
The tower bridge that was very unique was a big compliment to the magnificence of Wangdue Dzong, any old picture you see of the Dzong would have the bridge in it. It's as if the bridge was part of the Dzong. Wangdue Zam even fascinated the painter Samuel Davis back in 1783 that he went on painting it thrice.

Wangdue Dzong by Samuel Davis 1783
The magnificent Wangdue Zam stood bravely by the dzong until early 1970s. It was said that the bridge maintained it's original beauty and form until it was demolished to give way to motorable bridge.

In 1783 paintings there were two things that weren't not seen during our times, not even in 1970s pictures- the village below the Dzong and the Ta-Dzong. I wonder what must have happened to the village to have completely disappeared, in fact the landscape has changed altogether that small patch of plane where once several houses stood is now the riverbed. 

What is the story of the Ta-Dzong. Paro and Trongsa Ta-Dzongs are intact but what happened to Wangdue Ta-Dzong? It must be located below Rada Lhakhang, where the new Dratshang was constructed. Even the foundation is gone forever now.



1914 by John Claude White

1910 by John Claude White
Last days of Wangdue Zam in 1971 Stamp


Wangdue Dzong as Seen before 2012 Fire.
Wangdue Dzong was undergoing major renovation when the unfortunate fire incident happened on 24 June 2012.

To be continued. I have a picture from 1953 which went missing.