BHUTAN MEMOIRS FOR RAANA HAIDER
Just four days in Bhutan, and Raana Haider, the wife of the former Bangladeshi secretary and ambassador to Bhutan, Tufail K. Haider, is mesmerized by the ‘land of myth, marvel and jaw-dropping beauty’.
She has travelled from Beirut and Cairo to Delhi, Paris and Tokyo but the Dragon Kingdom has enthralled her to such a degree that her next ‘self appointed objective’ is to bring out a book on Bhutan with cooperation from the authorities, relevant organizations and individuals.
The kingdom’s breathtaking landscape is just one of the things that have created a deep impression on her mind.
“Bhutan is a photographer’s paradise,” she says.
Raana Haider feels deeply on environmental issues and has written on them.
She recounts a visit to Punakha where she saw the Punatsangchu.
“Punakha is on one of the higher planes so I expected more water flowing in the river but it seemed to be drying up.”
But she commended the government for its ‘early’ environment conservation policies and guidelines.
Talking about Gross National Happiness, she said it is important to have an educated and informed opinion but ‘abstract areas such as personal satisfaction, sense of well being, psychological and emotional laws’ should be taken into account.
“I don’t think GDP is all-comprehensive,” she said.
The people also impressed her with their qualities.
“They are immensely dignified, hospitable and possess excellent spoken English,” she said adding that they have a high level of self-respect and pride.
An MA in Sociology from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, Raana Haider is grateful to the Bhutanese ambassador to Bangladesh, Dasho Bap Kesang, for making possible her stay here.
“Even with the proximity of the two countries, the people of Bangladesh have very little knowledge about Bhutan but exchange of ideas, information and common issues are always appreciable,” she said.
An avid traveler, reader and researcher, she has written several books and conducted several studies but her main interest is global cultural heritage.
“I love writing on arts, architecture and history,” she smiles.
For now, Raana is planning to write a series of articles on the history and heritage of the country and issues like the tourism policy and climate change which is going to be the focus of the upcoming SAARC summit.
In around a year’s time, she hopes to compile her articles into a book along with possible contributions from other scholars
Her travels, she says, have enriched her as a person and as a writer.
“Travel is a journey, not a destination. It makes you broad-minded, promotes knowledge and acquaints you with all sorts of people and situations with shades of grey which are all open to interpretation.”
A mother of two kids, she says she manages to successfully juggle her writing, travels and home-keeping because she is ‘self-employed and enjoys what she does.’
Her future plans also includes bringing out a travel literature book titled-‘India Beyond the Taj and the Raj’ for which she specifically browsed an archive of 19th century books, memoirs and journals at the India International Centre in Delhi.
Source: bhutantoday