SHIFTING LOYALTY - ROLLING STONE GATHERING NO MOSS

NB

This piece was written in 2012 when I first joined Extension Services in the Dzong. With this I sought reasons as to why I entered Dzong after working almost one and half decade in the protected area systems. It was posted in my earlier blog which was removed and I reproduce here without any changes. However, the story now changes as I have come back to the protected area system.

The first and the last Dzong that I served in between  February 8, 2012 to May 31, 2016

I am an honest individual in my own way and I don’t care what others say and yes, this is my blog and I can only exploit myself as exploiting others could result into circumstances that are undesirable. And I am one who hate problems of any nature, especially if that originate from me. I don’t want any problems to me and I hate to create problem to others. Similarly, I expect no one to create problems for me. I live on the simple principle “not to harm anyone and to help anyone within my capacity” which to some or many (if anyone reads this blog) may appear ridiculous because people with such principles aspects more magic things to happen to their life than anyone else and I am an indifferent person. As always, what I write here is for my record and it should make no sense whatsoever to anyone who reads it. I have no intention to harm anyone with what I write in my blog nor am I looking for rewards. It’s just about passing my time.

So, the main story goes here. My work in one of the beautiful wildlife sanctuaries began in April, 1999 and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the management. Life went on the way it should and being a senior individual in the group I had opportunities that others did not have. I am grateful to my senior and junior colleagues for everything they did to me. I have been lucky that more good things happened to me than others. An assessment of my immediate superiors could be interesting but since I write only true stories I might trigger unhappiness in them which is against one of my principles. They were as cool as ice, as hot as Bhut Jolokia chili, as caring as mothers and at some points like a pumpkin in the book. They were highly knowledgeable, they knew nothing, they were such great humans and they behaved like the wild animals. My bosses were also brilliant as well as laggards; they knew how to do their things and did not bother what others think about them. To put in a sentence “they were as ordinary as possible,” dancing to the tune of their bosses and situations. Well! Who in Bhutan is extraordinary? So, no surprises at all. Look at the diversity of their characters. Aren't they amazing? So, having worked with people of such varying characters, I enjoyed both boon and bane. Boon because I looked at their positive sides as an example and shun the negative side of their behavior that gave me chance to reflect once a while and to look at the world holistically. Bane because many times their negative behavior forced me to ideologically challenged them, cheat them and even threaten them. Whatever the story, I felt it as an enough experience to continue with them and opted myself out of the job in my own terms. I thought I should live better under the shadow of bigger tree than being under a same lean and thin tree with occasional sun rays hitting my body parts, a torturous one at times. And this is one of the several reasons that I chose Dzong. I have served under the same condition for fourteen years and it is not such a short time for a life not more than seventy five (that if one can survive). Look at my logics. It is interesting. One must diversify the works. Trying a change for good (if it turns good). I hope the change does not give me experience that's painful or worthless.

The other reason is quite and quiet personal. In my past job, that beautiful fourteen years, I thought I just existed. It meant that I did not live. My language teacher, now Education Minister, during my pre-university study at Sherubtse (1994 - 1996) told in one of his classes that stones exist and that we as people live. I did not understand the actual meaning of this statement and even today I do not know much about what that meant. But, I concluded myself that people who do nothing just exist (like stones) and that people who positively help the society in whatever small or bigger ways live. Taking this example, I felt that I just existed in my past fourteen years. So, to live myself I thought I should explore new areas where I can make better contributions to the society in whatever small ways. I started weighing all the available options that offered me to be closer to helping the society. Of the very few choices I had, I liked the idea of working in the Dzong, the centre for developmental works for the society in Bhutanese context. Hence, I gave up the idea of rejoining my past job right after completing my forced by circumstances Bachelors degree. I did not find any charm in territorial works (though I do not hate it) and I dispised research largely due to the lack of support while being in Thimphu (functional divisions). All these small but impact producing things really does not go well with my thinking. So, the Dzong emerged as Hobson’s choice.

Some other small reasons behind my choosing the Dzong include the disorder in my interest. Being an explorer, I can understand what to do, what I did and what I am going to do. The science records of the Bhutanese archives carried no information on the herpetofauna of Bhutan. Therefore, I took up the study very seriously and wrote a report of a national standard. Out of this very report I wrote an international peer reviewed paper (I can share a copy if anyone wants it). But as we (Bhutanese) are poor readers, nobody read it. If such papers are not read and not referred, they are useless. They are as good as being not written. Some action plans (biodiversity) did not read the peer reviewed paper and did not mention anything about the reptiles, despite the fact that the information had been available from my work. It meant that my work has been useless. Therefore, I felt it meaningless to continue my research work, especially for my beautiful country as no one would read and cite. From now on, if I continue this herpetofauna work it will be entirely for publication and production outside Bhutan at any cost.

Only a handful of my friends know that I am a trained Wild Lifer. As I said earlier, being a senior member of the management for all the time, my office trained me for twelve months at the Wildlife Institute of India. On the first occasion, it was three months certificate course wildlife management while I underwent nine months PG Diploma in Wildlife Management from the same institute in the second time. I thought I am a good wild lifer and I still believe I am good because I won a Silver Medal for best thesis (Wildlife Management Planning) and also won the WII Directors Conservation Medal for being a best foreign trainee. Wildlife is my passion. I like my wildlife job. But to be dynamic one should move ahead and taste changes. And this is one of the several reasons that I am in the Dzong.

A few of my friends (really very few that include my former wildlife colleagues) felt and still feel that I should work for the sanctuaries and the parks. Yes, they must feel it because it should be like that. But, life is not as simple as we deem. The axe does not land in that area where you want it to hit and the wood does not split the way you want it to (Nosa tarey mefo, thrangdhi shingi megag). I think it is fair enough that things sometimes do not go the way you want because the world would be so boring if everything happens the way you desire. One’s life must include tensions and depressions as much as the enjoyment and happiness. Otherwise, life would be a humdrum affair. It is based on this concept that I opted out for something new but I have not given up my hobbies and interest of wildlife conservation - no, not even a single bit.

Moreover, so many years of Barababuship is monotonous. One must learn to take charge of situation at some point of time instead of being an underdog for the whole life. With so much of education and experience (I mean wildlife) I am prepared to take charge of any protected area but only if chances are given. It is a complicated issue and one cannot demand such jobs and it would be sickly thing to claim oneself that one is prepared for bigger responsibilities. People in power must recognize your contributions and they must entrust you with responsibilities. Unfortunately, Barababus do not get cognizance because of the very fact that one is a Barababu. Here, I do not mean to say that Barababus have been overlooked; I just mean that the nature of job is like that. However, I am thankful to god that at least I had the option to move out of Barababuship for doing nearly a similar thing. And yes, there must be Barababus, otherwise it is not the case of everyone being the Boss. There must be someone to be subordinates and not everyone can become a Boss. Therefore, I do not question my authorities for whatever they do. But, for the moment, I am not a Barababu anymore. I but have a fervent hope that my small contributions that include establishments of new field offices, field surveys, patrolling and a few scientific reports in national and international journals are seriously taken by my successors in their own small or bigger ways. It’s note worthy here that I bought prayer beads (Pchems or Mani Phrangmas) for the hunters of my range at one point of time and I appreciate that some of them have given up fishing and hunting after that. For this small reason I give myself a salute because, I have at least saved thousand fishes - not definitely for conservation but for the life of the animals.

Hope I have not blown my trumpets to irritate my readers (if any). My sincere apologies. I have given up my job that goes with my hobbies only for the sake of change and I am prepared to revert back to my old profession any time. 

  

Disclaimer 

This is my personal thought and anything written here is not intended to harm or promote people or things mentioned here. No one is authorized to use the content of this blog for either personal or private purpose. People mentioned here in are fictitious characters and any resemblance to anyone with some characters or more are purely coincidence.