Fast changing Thimphu

Most people find life in Thimphu a colorful one. I too lived a settled life in Thimphu for about one and half decades and almost made it my home. I could never imagine a place away from the hustle and bustle of city life. But for some time now, I am enjoying country life trying to get reconnected myself with life style we grew up with. Milch cows in the shed, oxen,dry-cows and calves etc in the barn, roosters and hens in the coop while goats and sheep in their pen. Both men and women are all engaged in their farming work.There is no rush in the village, people have their own time, it’s like routine work of their wish and choice. Life is not as easy as we may think though  but it’s beautiful in one’s own liking. People mostly consume what they grow, organic, fresh and of course healthy. It’s green all around, no pollution; be it noise, air, water, almost every thing is clean and natural. This is life in rural Bhutan.

It has not been much but life in Thimphu has changed leaps and bounds. The most apparent change visible today is in the number of cars on the road, mushroom of buildings under construction and crowds of people anywhere and everywhere. In fact life in Thimphu is akin to a social game we named, “Musical Chairs”.

I have been visiting JDWNRH hospital for some days now and the number of patients visiting the hospital is way too many. More than this rush no doubt would impact quality service delivery. I have seen doctors and health staff doing their part at their maximum stretch. You go to any department, we will come across endless line of patients waiting their turn to get service. And finding a seat at the hospital is like partaking in Musical Chair. With hawkish eye you wait any one person vacating a seat and you will see many rushing towards to grab it. You are lucky if you get a seat and just in case you leave in emergency for a while, you loose it to the next person. Thanks to Daesups, they are there to manage the crowd and help patients follow the norms.

We go to town situation is no different. To find a place to park  your car is no less playing a Musical Chair. You drive along with stream of cars, only with sheer luck you find a place to park your own. 

While it is natural that any town and city would grow if the conditions are favorable and Thimphu is no exception, but the rate of growth is alarming. 

I only hope that all Dzongkhag towns grow and provide similar services and opportunities to our people so that Thimphu gets decongested while there is sustainable socioeconomic development all across the nation.