By Michael Rutland, O.B.E. I hope His Majesty does not remember the time, back in 1971, when in my efforts to explain the Laws of Motion, I almost changed the course of Bhutanese history. Believing in active learning of Maths and Physics, I asked Dasho Jigme – as His Majesty …
Read More »Seventy years of grace and greatness: A Tribute to His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo
By Chimi Kawang Selden As Bhutan commemorates the 70th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck, it is an opportune moment to reflect upon the remarkable legacy of a Monarch whose vision has profoundly shaped the nation’s trajectory. His Majesty’s reign embodies the highest ideals …
Read More »The Blessing from the Golden Orchid
By Kinley Wangmo It was a golden evening in Thimphu, one of those quiet peaceful evenings, when the air was soft, the prayer flags were blowing idly, and the sun was starting to set behind the mountains. I was in the fifth grade, anxious about my midterm examinations. My mother …
Read More »To Our Kings
By Brian. C Shaw Perceptions matter. Decades ago, on an overnight train from Bangkok to the Lao border, I fell to sharing beers with a Thai army officer. After discussions, he wisely observed: “Without our King, there would be no Thailand”. And without “our” King there would be no Bhutan. …
Read More »A 1974 Coronation Day Address and what it meant to me
By Dasho Kunzang Wangdi 11th November 2025 is a very significant and auspicious day. Buddhist leaders from all over the World are gathered here in Thimphu, Bhutan to participate in the first-ever Global Peace Prayer Festival hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan, and well-wishers from across the world to …
Read More »His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, The Father of the Constitution
By Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye On 4th September 2001, His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck commanded the Council of Ministers, the Chief Justice of Bhutan, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Chairperson of the Royal Advisory Council to initiate the drafting of a Constitution for the Kingdom of Bhutan. …
Read More »A Dharma King and a War Hero
A great deal has been written and analyzed about His Majesty The Fourth King over the years, and more will be written in the years to come. It is also not just books, academic papers, news articles and videos, but the Great Fourth, through his wise leadership and heroics, is …
Read More »The Fourth King and the India Relationship
By Suhasini Haidar By the time His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck ascended to the throne in 1972, the roots of the India-Bhutan relationship had already been planted firmly. The relationship in the early years since India’s Independence, built primarily between the Third King (1952-1972) and …
Read More »Securing the Nation from Indian militants
Excerpts from the forthcoming book “The Contractual Monarchy: Modern Buddhist Kingship in Bhutan” By Dasho Sonam Kinga Even as Bhutan was grappling with the security threat posed by illegal immigrants and ngolops, another severe threat emerged. This came in the form of Indian militants from the Northeast Indian states of …
Read More »A vindictive system
Two recent examples not only show how difficult it is for entrepreneurs in Bhutan, but how the system can turn vindictive when they raise their voices. The National Post Harvest Center (NPHC) and the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC) had come under some criticism a few months ago over …
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The Bhutanese Leading the way.