Nawang P Phuntsho

Photo Courtesy: Kuensel As it had announced earlier, the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) successfully conducted the Second Thromde elections in Thimphu, Phuentsholing and Gelephu on January 25, 2016. Two Thromdes of Gelephu and Phuentsholing elected new thrompons while Thimphu managed to retain their first.  Unlike in the past not many candidates contested this election. As a result voting had to be carried out by asking people to press either "Yes" or "No" on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). Moreover, voter turnout trend is unsatisfactory.    Many representatives were fruitfully elected this time. However, two lone candidates in Phuentsholing Thromde election were voted out. Tirtha Maya Mongar of Pekarzhing Demkhong secured 62 'yeses' and 64 'no' votes. Likewise, Rinchending constituency's Tshogpa candidate Tshering Wangdi had received support from only 19 voters while 36 were against him. I feel sorry for the two candidates

Picture by Kuenga Dendup In Bhutan archery is more than a game. It is a rich cultural heritage. And for that matter archery was never even a hobby. For our forefathers, archery was not something that they could play every day or on weekends. But they could afford to shoot only a few times in a year during special occasions such as losar (New Year), where Bhutanese men would come out in big numbers to play.  In our rural villages, farmers gather to shoot arrows only during these festive days. Even now. That's when one village would comepete with its neighboring villages and young men compete against the senior archers.    Picture by  Kuenga Dendup However, in towns today, we have people playing archery almost everyday. And some archery ranges are always occupied. That's astounding. Sometimes, I marvel how these men could go on shooting day after day and also be able to feed their families. That makes me think that some of our men are playing archery full time.