Bhutan-The Land of Happiness

A place where gross national happiness is more important than gross national product

Money Does not Buy Happiness and the people of this nation know it very well!


While Bhutan is definitely one of the smallest countries in the world, yet the cultural diversity and its richness are profound. As such strong emphasis is laid on the promotion and preservation of its rich cultural diversity. It is believed that ensuring protection and preservation of their unique culture would assist in protecting the sovereignty of the nation.

img_5151I travelled to Thimpu and Paro, Bhutan for work so I had little time to explore the Gross Happy Nation as much as I would have loved to but Yeshey Rinchen, my chauffeur, a friendly talker left me with so many stories. Yeshey lives in Western part of Bhutan and narrated so proudly that while he earns his livelihood by driving taxi, his wife is studying hotel management in Darjeeling in India. I was impressed to see the pride he took in his culture. He told me that arranged marriages were popular just a few decades back. Normally, people married among the relatives. Cross-cousin marriage is a popular tradition amongst the people of eastern Bhutan. This is now becoming unpopular among the literate mass and most of the marriages take place on their accord depending on their choice.

In the western part of Bhutan, the husband goes out to the wife’s house after marriage while the practice in eastern Bhutan is that the wife usually accompanies the husband. Yeshey lives in his wife’s house as per the tradition.

Yeshey has just become father of a girl child. Unlike many Asian Countries, The birth of a new born baby Girl is always welcomed heartily. Bhutanese value children as predecessor of future and therefore do not discriminate between a girl child and a boy child. Mothers are always looked after carefully


IMG_5143.JPGWelcome rituals by men and women wearing traditional dresses of Bhutan


To deal with the cultural disruption and environmental degradation that unchecked tourism can bring in, they work with a concept of “high value, low impact” tourism where visitors are charged $250 per day as visa fees (Except India, Maldives and Bangladesh Citizens). But this includes accommodation, transport, guide charges. Locals are given a yearlong training in Bhutanese culture, history and hospitality before they can officially guide tourists.

img_5793Monks praying at the Monastery

Now hold your breath, I did when I was landing as it is scary how close the plane gets to the mountains, there is no room for error, only 8 pilots can land on this narrow strip between mountains as high as 18000ft that surround the city of Paro. When was the last time you saw a landing strip with so many obstructions in every direction? The pilots are required to navigate the valley through a series of sharp turns before landing or taking off. The airport is surrounded by mountains on all direction except for the narrow valley to the right, the plane will take several sharp turns during take off and landing.


Other than these amazing facts about this small nation there are many hidden stories to explore in search of happiness which left me longing to go back.

img_5242Paro airportimg_5088Scary Landing at Paro

2 thoughts on “Bhutan-The Land of Happiness”

  1. Though I have been to Bhutan and retain very fond memories……….your article has been very enlightening….informative and descriptive as always.

    Liked by 1 person

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