The End of Splendid Isolation?

Sanjit Das

Can the country that only permitted television in 1999 and invented the idea of Gross National Happiness withstand the surge of modernity now assailing it?~~Until the early 1970s, the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan existed in a state of total isolation, shunning television and tourism in an attempt to preserve its unique cultural identity. From 1974 onwards, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk decided to allow a trickle of foreign tourists to make their way to the landlocked kingdom, requiring each visitor to pay a basic daily fee of $ 250.00 to cover internal travel and accommodation.~~It was not until the late 1990s, however, that the King stunned his small nation by relinquishing most administrative powers to the Council of Cabinet Ministers and, in 1999, lifting the ban on television and the internet, making Bhutan the last nation on earth to launch its own television station. ~~

The King made it clear that the "misuse" of television ran the risk of spoiling Bhutan's unique culture and eroding its much vaunted Gross National Happiness (GNH), a concept launched in 1972 to assess the impact of any national policy on the well being of the population.~~The king preceded to shake up Bhutan's 100-year-old autocratic monarchy yet again in 2005 when he announced that the first democratic elections would be held in 2008 and that he would abdicate in favour of his eldest son who became King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk in 2006.~~Despite the time-consuming formalities that need to be observed by all visitors Bhutan, with its verdant valleys, elaborate Buddhist temple complexes and craggy, snow capped mountains is drawing an ever increasing number of intrepid tourist. ~~Increased contact with foreigners and the power of television and the internet have started to transform Bhutan, putting especially the younger generation in the uncomfortable position of having to choose between traditional values and the seductive pull of modernity. ~~Though still somewhat understated and innocent, Bhutan's flirtation with the 21st century is looking ever more recognisable to Western eyes. Parts of downtown Thimpu now quietly hum to the sound of Western and regional pop music emanating from the handful of nightclubs that cater to the taste and mood of Bhutan's next generation. Alongside the official clubs, a number of underground dance bars have opened where men can lounge and watch geishas dancing.~~Bhutan remains a geographically and culturally isolated place which has managed to maintain a sense of unity through a strong monarchy, rigidly enforced cultural traditions, a strong religious establishment and the wholesale expulsion of some 100,000 Bhutanese of Nepali origin in the 1980s and 1990s in the name of ethnic cohesion. The question remains, however, how long this mountainous outpost can sustain its insular existence and maintain its buoyant level of Gross National Happiness. ~ ~