Meeting my King
Tashi is all smiles whenever he recalls the moment when he first me His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo. It was in 1997 in Sarpang, and he was six years old. He was a kindergarten student at the primary school.
That morning his father had told him that His Majesty the King was visiting the school. With great excitement, Tashi put on his uniform and walked happily to school thinking all the way about his king, whose portrait hangs on a wall at home. “I used to ask my parents about His Majesty and they told me that he is a great King.”
He remembers a flurry of activity as many cars drove into the compound. The students were fidgeting with excitement. Tashi, who was standing in front, tried not to turn around to look at the royal entourage. A tall, kind looking man strode to the front of the school assembly, which was being held outside in the warmth of the morning. He sat down on the steps in front of the school. He took a look around and suddenly beckoned to Tashi to come forward.
The next few minutes were like a dream. “I didn’t know if I was sacred, or excited, or proud. I only know he was a gentle, kind person, like a caring father,” recalls Tashi as he looks at the now familiar picture of His Majesty talking to him a decade ago. His Majesty talked to him about his family and told him to go and play with Their Royal Highnesses.
Since then Tashi’s friends often gather around him, asking him to recount the conversation over and over again. It is still a dream.
Tashi Palden Dorji, 16-year-old student, Paro
Source: The Legacy of a King