I went in search of happiness, to the ‘Dragon Kingdom’ of Bhutan, which has evolved to some perfection, the Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index. Articulated in 1972 by the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wanchuk, GNH is based on the 1729 code by Zhabdrung Rimpoche, widely regarded as the ‘unifier’ of the mountain kingdom, who had incidentally fled from Tibet in the early part of the 17th century to settle in western Bhutan.
The 2008 Constitution, under which Bhutan turned into Constitutional Monarchy when royalty passed seamlessly to the fifth king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, the current monarch aged 21 years then, under Article 9 directs the State ‘to promote those conditions that will enable the pursuit of GNH’.
The 10th Plan of Bhutan defined GNH by outlining four strategic areas, popularly known as the four pillars of GNH, namely, fostering sustainable and equitable socioeconomic development, ensuri n g e nv i r o n m e n t a l conservation, preserving and promoting native culture and traditions, and instituting good governance.
This was well expressed by their first Prime Minister elected under the 2008 Constitution, Lyonchhen Jigme Thinley, in his opening address at a seminar on ‘Education for Happiness’ in 2009, where he distinguished ‘happiness’ both from the Western materialistic notion of physical gains as well as the ‘feel good’ moods pedantically associated with happiness, defining the latter as a multi-dimensional, multilevelled holistic view of overall enrichment and empowerment of the human being with due respect for the environment and the indigenous culture and traditions. These have derived from Buddhism, specifically from the Mahayana tradition, brought into Bhutan from Tibet sometime in the 7th century, later growing into Tantric Vajrayana.
Thus the innumerable Chortens and Dzongs (monumentsand monasteries, which have also served as fortresses and abode of local kings) dotting the landscape have proved to be the fountainhead of Buddhist teaching and practices, more and more esoteric, exemplified by the likes of Guru Rimpoche, also known as Guru Padmasambhava (it is believed that the Guru fled from India to Tibet as part of the expulsion drive of Buddhism sometime in the 5th-6th centuries), Guru Milarepa (a Tibetan Zen Master) and Guru Drupka Kuenley, otherwise known as the ‘Divine Madman’ who instilled a distinct worldliness into his teachings by bringing forth the concept of the Phallus, etched even today on the walls of the houses in Ponakha where the iconic Chimi Lhakhang is situated as a tribute to the Master. Following Bhutan’s persistence and active advocacy since becoming a UN member in 1972, Resolution 65/309 was adopted in July 2011 which placed ‘happiness’ on the global development agenda. In 2010, the Centre for Bhutan Studies under resident economist Karma Ura and a group of researchers, developed a sophisticated survey instrument after a nation-wide survey to measure the population’s well being under certain specially devised barometers in 9 domains based on 33 indicators, thus a painstaking scientific assessment of the happiness quotient.
This was conducted in order to generate a holistic model of development and thus prove to the world that a country of 750,000 people (even less than an average Indian town) could generate an alternative paradigm for its citizens. Besides discovering the basics of Mahayana Buddhism in a myriad myths, lores, incantations and practices, nature with a perennial green cover (over 70per cent of the country being under forest cover, one of the highest in the world) is an irresistible draw and together produce a wonderful symphony of unadulterated l i f e i n t h e p r i s t i n e surroundings. The 7th edition of ‘Mountain Echoes’, the most prominent lit-fest event of the country with the participation of more number of local writers than Indians this year proved to be an added attraction. My short encounter with Amitav Ghosh who was invited to the fest, at the Folk Heritage Museum, provided further impetus to discover the country through its strong narrative and oral traditions, an added bonanza.
Finally, our driver said it all.Knowledgeable to the core despite being a high school dropout, he felt that there was an innate urge to be happy in all the citizens of the land though many of them may not be well endowed in the material sense. This perhaps gives the common folk the urge to better their lot, inspired by their king, the royal portraits being ubiquitous throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom, a rare phenomenon in today’s world of faster globalization, but more importantly to express their persona as an integral part of nature. Just an hour’s flight awayfrom Paro, the second largest town hosting the only international airport (there are three other domestic airports in different parts of the country with a criss cross of hill roads to supplement their nascent infrastructure), our very own ‘City of Joy’ stands out as a humongous depiction of quotidian living, combining aspiration with struggle and toil amidst a decadent urban structure with its crumbling houses, rickety vehicles and a teeming populace, perhaps representing the angst of today’s India in its minutiae.
Wonder if I could ever reach for the elusive happiness in my own country, shorn of the spiritual shibboleths which have demented generations of egregious Indians, grown up in the incomparable wealth accumulated over millennia!
Malay Mishra is an academic researcher and former ambassador Email: malay.mishra55@gmail.com