The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Desuups, a group initiated by none other than His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo joined the security forces of the nation to offer a Guard of Honour to mark the 105th national day celebrations at Changlimithang, in the capital Thimphu.
As two contingents of male and female Desuups attired in orange took part in the drill it marked the first ever event in history where a fourth contingent marched with the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA), Royal Bodyguards (RBG) and the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP).
“Guard of honour was a dream come true for Desuups and I am privileged, lucky and fortunate to have stood there waiting for my Supreme Commander and to salute him with my heart out. Above all I am proud that I am a Desuup,” Desuup Sonam Tshering told The Bhutanese.
The Desuups were represented by 127 members of whom 44 were female and they marched the artificial turf on which they stood in an unflinching posture for hours under the scorching sun.
“It was the best moment of my life as a Desuup and I felt fortunate and honored to offer the guard of honor alongside RBA, RBG and the RBP. Everyone should seize the opportunity to be a Desuup,” Desuup C.B Sunwar said.
Apart from the guard of honor the Desuups also performed a dance number that depicted various traditions and cultures across the country. The male Desuup dancers performed four ‘Zheys’ which originated from four different regions while the female group joined in with two folk dances donning the ‘Merak’ and ‘Doyap’ attire.
“With the mixture of these six songs and dances we wanted to convey to our countrymen that we are all the same and also to exhibit our love and respect for each other,” Sonam Tshering said.
A total of 114 Desuup volunteers left for Punakha yesterday, two days in advance to render services at the upcoming Pel Dechok Khorlo Dompai Nangchen Wang which will start from the 20th of this month.
Some more members are expected to pour in from different regions next week.
One of the active members, Desuup Sonam Choden said “as a member who has taken the oath of allegiance to serve in times of any kind of national emergencies, I shall remain a proud citizen and will never fail in my responsibilities as a Desuup.”
The Desuung Integrated Training Program, which was initiated under the command of His Majesty the King, is a value-based personal development program which instills confidence in citizens to effectively partake in nation building, and endows them with important skills to be of use during disaster situations.
Five batches of Desuups have passed out till date ever since it first started in 2010. The Desuup program now has 584 members of which 172 are female.
The Program saw volunteers from all walks of life and from all age groups. Civil servants, private employees and entrepreneurs with varying professional backgrounds and fresh university graduates have all volunteered for the training program. So far, the oldest volunteer has been a Drangpon (Justice) who was born in 1970, and the youngest a graduate born in 1987.
Besides the Desuup program, the national day celebrations had performances from joyous school students, comedians and dance groups from various communities as far as Laya including a traditional dance led by Lyonchhen and cabinet ministers dressed in nomad attires.
His Majesty also shared a light moment with the crowd that filled the whole of Changlimithang stadium to the brim.
