The Bhutanese Exodus in The Wings of The Dragon!

 The people of Bhutan are considered one of the happiest human on earth. The small Himalayan Kingdom sandwiched between the two giants- Chaina in the north and India in the south is sometimes called the last Shangrila. The country is keeping its pace to move on with the everfast changing world under the visionary leadership of our Kings and the dynamic government.

The small country yet with the standards and values has led the western world believe in Bhutan. The unique tradition and culture with the highest priority in nature conservation attracts thousands of tourists annually. The very development philosophy of Gross National Happiness balancing the minds and the materialistic world is the core value of this small nation.

Bhutan is the only Carbon Negative Country in the World sequestring about 6 millions tons of Carbon annually by its pristine forest. The concept of biological corridors which connects all the national and nature reserve parks shall uphold the constitutional mandate of maintaining 60% of forest cover in all times to come.

With less than eight hundred thousands population, the country's economy depends on tourism, hydropower, agriculture and mining. The new tourism policy of 200$ per day per person as a Sustainable Development Fee( SDF) for international tourists came surprise for many but tourism policy of High Value Low Volume is what makes Bhutan unique from rest of the countries in world tourism industries. 

The covid-19 pandemic lately shook the world and Bhutan stood firm and handled the virus effectively than many of the most developed nations. Now with the new normal, BHUTAN Believe shall take a new path towards end of this year graduating from Least Developed Country ( (LDC).

With all these exemplary policies and enevrionment yet the young Bhutanese are opting greener pastures in Australia or Canada. Today almost every youth aspire to go Australia for study or work. The trend recently have been so strong that no one wants to miss the opportunity if they can afford. Earlier, only the government scholarships candidates and handful of privately funded master degree students were in the group. But,  today there are more undergraduates and diploma candidates opting Australia privately. Thus, making the numbers of Bhutanese leaving Australia alarmingly high for such a small nation.

Initially, Bhutanese leave for 2 years study and 3 years TRP work visa but most opt for permanent residence in Australia. The Bhutanese in Australia and overseas has made a significant contribution to the country through remittance and maintaining the foreign reserves. However, the question of who all will come back is a concern for all of us. People are already worried that only the senior citizens and  illiterates will be left behind. I warned myself and a friend that we are leaving our children behind to pursue the dream and those who are already in Australia not planning a kid even nearing 40s.

At first, dreaming a dream is beautiful but never an easy start when we have to leave our infants and young children back home with our old parents. It's always an emotional challenge and the attachments we have in the home to break and come out of comfort zone which makes it even harder. People, see it prosperous future for those who are opting Australia but we can't predict our fate with the money we earn.  Nevertheless, people are after the financial stability for themselves and thier children.

Visiting Thimphu and Paro these days are more of seeing off friends and family to abroad than just official or holiday visits. The only busiest and crowded city of our small country is becoming empty and silent daily with no charm as before. The shopkeepers say there are few customers and not a quarter sales as it used to be. The offices are with empty chairs and those who are still holding on to it are also trying their luck. The banks and passport sections are flooded by overseas aspiring candidates.

The trend is more contagious than a virus as even a most dedicated civil servents are leaving the system for abroad. The answer is definitely the greener pastures other sides and the less income in home land. But how much is more money and how much is less for the human desires? We suffer the same amount either in more or less and this is tricky in life. The answers for all the Australian exodus for now would be leaving for the future of our children and later we might regret them for being the largest diaspora in foreign land. Are we worrying much about their future too early forgetting thier childhood and our own manhood? I still have a doubt.

The early birds were those who caught the worms. The Debsi Town often called the Mini Australia and the early Australian cohort invested there for their dream house. They gave thier toughest five years or more in Australia and came back. However, the trend is already changing again with the permanent residence scheme and people are investing here itself. For example, the remittance curve for mid 2021 to end 2022 was negative. Hopefully, the curve gets reversed soon. The land price in Thimphu took a sudden fall recently from exorbitant price of Nu. 1 million per decimal to almost 50% less in Thimphu. The second hand vehicles price are bargained so much that buyers got abundant choices despite the extension of vehicles ban lift. The supply is more than the demand and is a concern for our small economy.

I just wish all these things gets back on track for our home land. Let that Crying Hill in Paro be Joyful Hill for the parents when thier children come back home. What if we put in the same hardships we do here in our own homeland? How long does it take Bhutan to move ahead with the modern world with her new national brand BHUTAN Believe? If only we all come back and invest with our skills and some savings, we give back what we got so far.

If only all those who left shall come back will the Wings of The Dragon continue!