They came to Thimphu for an official meeting but are taking home a precious gift in the concept of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC)
Local government leaders attending the 13th FYP coordination meeting in Thimphu will go back to their respective gewogs more enlightened, more profound and with more insight about the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC).
In a general consensus amongst the Gups from 205 gewogs after receiving an audience from His Majesty the King on 16th July, all the Gups this paper talked to shared that they were amazed by the vastness and the farsightedness of both His Majesty and the GMC project.
“I was engulfed in a mist previously. After HM’s audience, the fog has been cleared and I can now see the concept very clearly,” said Tshewang Dorji, Balam Gup from Monggar. “It is for the benefit of all Bhutanese and the nation.”
He said that people were previously unsure if the government was going to take away their land at deflated rates. However, he said that it is not this way and the concept clearly underlines that land will prevail with the owners for generations to come.
“More exciting news is that the landowners will be earning consistently from the project, and earning ten times more. Trade will definitely be enhanced but at the same time, the fruits reaped from GMC will be savored by all the Bhutanese,” the Gup said, reiterating on how much he understood about the benefit of GMC.
Langchenphug Gup from Samdrup Jongkhar, Guman Singh Gaylal shared that without a project like GMC, Bhutan will move forward but at a snail’s pace. “I understood that in the absence of a vision and project like GMC, the country will trudge along but in the same manner like we did from the 1st Five Year Plan to the 12th Five Year Plan.”
Like in a same family, Guman Singh said that Bhutanese people have been doing business with each other for so long. “GMC is a very rare, exquisite and out-of-the box concept and am very proud of His Majesty the King’s vision and intellect.”
According to him, if Bhutan and the Bhutanese people want to move forward in the 21st century, GMC is the correct answer to all our problems. “I will give all my effort and energy for the project to be successful,” he added.
Likewise, another Gup said that people in his gewog are already supporting the project although they only got a vague idea about the project. “It is my duty to go back and make an in-depth presentation to them regarding the project,” he exclaimed.
Dungna Gup from Chhukha lamented that people used to approach and ask him what GMC is all about. “I had no answer until now. Henceforth, I can proudly answer all their questions and queries related to GMC without any hitch,” he added.
“It is such a noble ad farsighted vision laid down by our Kings which will benefit generations of Bhutanese people.”
Another Gup shared that he is alarmed at the number of people leaving the country looking for greener pastures abroad. “Not to mention around six members of my family who have left the country,” he lamented.
“It is His Majesty’s undoubting love and aspiration that instead of sending our people looking for greener pastures, we can create a greener pasture in the form of GMC here, and entice them back.”
With so many people moving out of the country, Bhutan stands at a crossroad, and things will only get uglier in about 5-7 years from now if not acted upon immediately. Senior and retired civil servants who have served the government for so long said that GMC is the immediate as well as the long term solution to strengthen the national integrity and agenda.
“Instead of sending our children and grandchildren to foreign land, we should bring the world to Bhutan, but on our own terms. That is exactly what GMC will be doing,” a retired senior civil servant said.
In the meantime, Gups expressed elation on how they would be going about in their respective gewogs educating their folks about GMC and its long-term prospects for the country.
By Tashi Namgyal, Thimphu
