What about a literary restaurant..?

What could be a better treat than drinking and eating while reading? Necessity is the mother of all invention, so a saying goes. This thought struck my mind when my plan to transform Dorokha into a small literary home failed miserably.

A year ago I got inspired, proposed and finally materialized a small public library in Dorokha with around 500 books received as generous help from Writers Association of Bhutan, Mr. Ngawang Phuntsho, Mr. Passang Tshering, Mr. CB Rai and all others kind supporter. A little over a year from its inauguration I have around 450 costumers of which 85% constitute the students.  Sitting in my book café I watch people prefer bar over books, get drunk rather than divine, spend so much on drinks overlooking the books and my little free service dedicated to 1. National Reading Year 2015 2. 60^th Birth Anniversary of the great Forth and 3.To keep reading habit alive.

As my dream faded further and my book café became a little abandoned book museum, I got to make a second move. I love a cup of tea to treat my times over books while some may prefer a cold drink, or some may love books over food or why not drinks? No wonder some great writers were notorious drinkers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hunter S. Thompson, and John Cheever, to name a few LOL.

 

As a business opportunity and a new approach to promoting books and reading culture I have planned to loan out(cost free)the café to an enthusiastic educated and unemployed youth. So the person could established a literary restaurant which could earn a little more than living for the person, my café will have a permanent librarian and my café turned abandoned book museum will have visitors finally.

This is a small trial I am planning in a very small and secluded place like Dorokha but I foresee a better success in a town like Thimphu and Phuntsholing where literacy rate is almost 100% and number of intellectuals outnumbers the whole population of Dorokha Drungkhag. City like Thimphu caters all needs for youths and adults alike but not for book lovers except for a black coffee the Junction Books offer.

NOTE: hope somebody takes it up as a business and a new approach to promoting books and reading.

Deep into the Lhop valley (Memories from an excursion to the Doya museum)

The lack of writing n record keeping culture has left us with a few pictures, some utensils, a handful of household and hunting items and nothing else to keep us thinking, wondering and still thinking. Here are some memoirs from a trip to the LHOP (Doya) Land this weekend:-

http://asteesmemoir.blogspot.com/2015/08/amo-chu-and-her-ecosystem-doyas-in-focus.html (visit here for more information on the Lhops) 

This is ROMBO/Rombu the grave yard. The lhops bury their dead member in a stone wall with fencing and roofs for protection. its believed that the most dear ones are buried nearer to home and if smell from the rot comes home its believed to be a  blessing for the family. 

the dis play of their old containers in the museum

Deep in the lhop land with traditional lhop house in the background...

This is the food prepared for the dead members during the burials

Maize the main cereal in different stages with grander in the background

These are Rombus and the ones with roof and fencing are the recent ones.

He's Passang Dendup Doya a Tarayana volunter operating the lhop community Radio.

A little amount they charge for the announcement in the radio.

This is how Doya/Lhop men use to dress

View of Lhop village from a roadside

My students entering the Lhop Museum

A better view of the Lhop museum that displays lhop lifestyles and photos

this is the view of a typical stove and utensils used by the Lhops

Mr. Sangay Khandu a teacher posing over lhop stove..

This is an aged graveyard. when the Lhops die, a share of their belongings including grains, money,jewellery and everything they are entitled to during their life should be buried with them. Therefore its said that people trend to break into their Rombu for jewelries and money

they call it a chungchu, used for storing their utensels and meat items at times

The picture shows a roster head being offered to appease the deities. its believed that the roster should face Dechenphug as a reverence to Zhabdrung Rinpoche.

Torma the ritual cakes displayed during the lhop offering and rituals as displayed in the museum.

The picture here shows the lhop tradition of marriage ceremony. The marriage tradition is quite unique as the man leave for women's house. 

This is how the Lhops dry their main cereals (Maize)

My class girls trying lheu,making chilli powder

 PART 2. dated 22/11/2017
The RIGSS FLP2 team visited the place
(TO BE ADDED)

Note: Most of the photos uploaded here are captured from the museum....

Deep into the Lhop valley (Memories from an excursion to the Doya museum)

The lack of writing culture has left us with a few pictures, some utensils, a handful of household and hunting items and nothing else to keep us thinking and still thinking. Here are some memoirs from a trip to the LHOP (Doya) Land this weekend:-

http://asteesmemoir.blogspot.com/2015/08/amo-chu-and-her-ecosystem-doyas-in-focus.html (visit here for more information on the Lhops)

Deep in the lhop land with traditional lhop house in the background...

This is the food prepared for the dead members during the burials

Maize the main cereal in different stages with grander in the background

This is ROMBO/Rombu the grave yard. The lhops bury their dead member in a stone wall with fencing and roofs for protection. its believed that the most dear ones are buried nearer to home and if smell from the rot comes home its believed to be a  blessing for the family

These are Rombus and the ones with roof and fencing are the recent ones.

He's Passang Dendup Doya a Tarayana volunter operating the lhop community Radio.

A little amount they charge for the announcement in the radio.

This is how Doya/Lhop men use to dress

View of Lhop village from a roadside

My students entering the Lhop Museum

A better view of the Lhop museum that displays lhop lifestyles and photos

this is the view of a typical stove and utensils used by the Lhops

Mr. Sangay Khandu a teacher posing over lhop stove..

This is an aged graveyard. when the Lhops die, a share of their belongings including grains, money,jewellery and everything they are entitled to during their life should be buried with them. Therefore its said that people trend to break into their Rombu for jewelries and money

they call it a chungchu, used for storing their utensels and meat items at times

The picture shows a roster head being offered to appease the deities. its believed that the roster should face Dechenphug as a reverence to Zhabdrung Rinpoche.

Torma the ritual cakes displayed during the lhop offering and rituals as displayed in the museum.

The picture here shows the lhop tradition of marriage ceremony

This is how the Lhops dry their main cereals (Maize)

My class girls trying lheu,making chilli powder

 Note: Most of the photos uploaded here are captured from the museum....