At every death anniversary of the late King on 21st July, I struggled with the gnawing emotion " to write and not write ". But life is unpredictable. Today you are sailing well in good health and next day you could be on the pyre at the crematorium ground. I do not wish to carry the burden of my feeling of what the King was. So here I share an insight into the heart of the Father of modern Bhutan.
I look back to my early years and still feel astounded with the rare occassions of holding substantive national discussions with the King. Why did the King take me a young student into confidence and in all seriousness? Perhaps it was my frankness free of inhibition and pure matter of fact approach. I am like any ordinary Bhutanese but minus the fear for self preservation. Fear is good caution but quite meaningless when it comes to Death and King. If the two forces wish to end your life or cause misery, they need no valid cause. There is nothing one can do. I guess His Majesty was able to gain royal sight directly into my sub- conscience.
The King loved his Queen Her Majesty Kesang Choden and genuinely cared of Her Majesty's concerns in regards to the Crown Prince. In his first reference to the queen, I was for awhile baffled. " Kesang " who could HM be referring to I wondered. Then it dawned upon me that the King need not address the Queen as I needed to in honorific terms.
The celebration Day of Bhutan's entry to United Nations was not complete until the Queen of Bhutan joined the King in person at the celebration ground. " I must go to ..... ' HM said as he turned to walk towards the approaching car to receive Her Majesty. For me it was such an emotional moment on a very proud and emotional national occassion. The sight of King and Queen hand in hand was so very rare those days. So imagine my emotional whirpool on the day of Bhutan becoming member of UN Family of Nations and our King with our still beautiful brave Queen walking hand in hand !
His Majesty was a Bhutanese Leader of extraordinary calibre who seemed endowed with leadership courage and insight at birth itself. Bhutan was his only priority.
For him India and China were neighbours of Bhutan. Other less responsible and more reckless might tag one as friend and the other as enemy. But the King of Butan had the ultimate national obligation to value correct relationship with the two giant neighbours. It cannot be reduced to simple mathmatics based on a matter of weighing scale on volume of monetary gifts or number of handshakes. The crux is the end goal. Who was more sincere in respecting sovereign status of Bhutan without that dangerous all embracing affection of a Protector of a Protectorate?
In 1962 during Sino- India war, His Majesty King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was determined to protect his Kingdom and even more importantly demonstrate Bhutan's neutrality in the war between China and India. The Indian PM Nehru had come to Bhutan on a state visit in 1958. And had warned Bhutan about China. And in 1959, many Tibetans fled to India via Bhutan. Some stayed within Bhutan as refugees.This Tibet China episode ofcourse haunted Bhutanese society.
However, His Majesty King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck never under valued the Bhutanese national need to preserve sensible relationship with China. And that paid off handsome dividend in 1962 when Chinese troops did not cross into Bhutan from Arunachal Pradesh. And the visionary King with inborn political astuteness granted passage to the fleeing Indian troops through Bhutanese territory down to the Indian plains only after arms were surrendered. It was clearly a humanitarian gesture not at all political. Such a gesture was made easier because the fleeing Indian soldiers were not carrying much of military hardwares or fighting will. And unlike the 2017 Doklam intrusion, India in 1962 had no intention to use Bhutanese soil to renew the fight against Chinese troops.
The King also deftly tided over the mid 1950s southern uprising and began modernising Bhutan. Further the greatest internal.challenges to Bhutan's stabilty was wisely managed with out-of-norm patience, candour and diplomacy when his able Prime Minister was assassinated. The King wisely refused offer of any help from India in such internal political turmoil as grave as those were. Strangely, there were insinuations planted here and there that pro King forces had the Prime Minister Jigme Palden Dorji killed because they deemed that the Dorji family was out to overshadow the King's authority. If so then who had incited and helped the two uprisings from southern Bhutanese during the reigns of both 3rd King and 4th King calling for democracy and ouster of absolute Monarchy?
The 3rd King commanded absolute dedication of his subjects from East to West of the Kingdom. He never felt insecure about the Throne and the rabin crown. He was one great King who felt he was there to serve the nation not his dynasty. He did not order the conscripted soldiers to fight for the King and Country. He asked them to join him to " defend our country and way of life ". But recognising the danger of foreign induced internal strifes or rivalries, HM did secure the dynasty reign before his untimely death. He was convined by people of all walks of life that Bhutanese people believed in the leadership of the Wangchuck Kings. And His Majesty was very confident that his son the Crown Prince would not fail the demands upon Kingship to serve the Kingdom.
History will confirm that His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck the 4th King served the nation with exemplary Kingship. But as a son, it is hard to say for sure how far he fulfilled royal.personal wishes if any passed down in some kind of form by the 3rd King. If there were mistakes by a very young King under the political storms that haunted his early reign, I feel that a father like the 3rd King would understand and surely forgive.
All I want to say and wish our 4th and 5th Kings is that may their Majesties be served by such selfless Faithfuls as were those unwavering Tha-Dhsmtse-Chen officers and Palace staffs who served the 3rd King. They were not highly educated and sophiscated. Simple and cultured were thrir ways. And their love and respect for the King was beyond extra- ordinary. For few of them the call of duty had no limits to personal and family sacrifice for a King who had passed into another world.. Incredible Bhutanese whose spirit matched royal valour! True respects and faithfulness can be tested when the King is without the sceptre and especially if the King was dead like the 3rd King. I humbly bow to such great spirit of relationship of King and his men.
Just to be clear no Chinese government, whether the ROC (aka Taiwan) or the PRC (mainland China) ever recognizes the so called Arunachal Pradesh part of India. South Tibet (so called AP) includes Tawang, birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama and home to a four hundred years old Tibetan monastery. India invaded and annexed Tawang in 1951, four years after the British has already left.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear the Bhutan king then was had the foresight to make sure the Indian troops passed through Bhutan soil without staying. India at that time in 1962 ask Nepal to let India station troops in a patch of land in Nepal bordering China for the reason of monitoring China. Nepal at that time agreed and the Indian troops is still there today despite repeated Nepal request to vacate the area. Once the Indian troops squatted there they never leave.