Faculty Compensated Leave Report

By Tom Baglan

Department of Communication Studies

             Whenever I told anyone of my plans to go to Bhutan, the response was invariably the same, “Where’s that?  I’ve never heard of it.”  Bhutan is one of the most isolated and undeveloped countries in the world.  Some people think that Bhutan was the inspiration behind the legend of Shangri-la.  It would be hard for me to disagree.

             One of my areas of teaching/research is Intercultural Communication and I am particularly interested in how cultures change or evolve over time and the role that communication plays in this process.  Bhutan is undergoing rapid change and therefore turned out to the ideal place to visit.  It has been only a few years since Bhutan allowed foreigners to visit the country.  There is a limit on the number of visas issued per year.  There was a fear that a large number of outsiders would change the culture in negative ways.  Bhutan was the last country in the world to get TV.  The first live broadcast was in 2006.  Citizens are required to wear the traditional clothing in public. 

             The country is primarily a Buddhist kingdom and the king feared that TV and other outside influences would cause the people to focus on materialistic things. Instead of using the traditional measure of “Gross National Product” as other countries do, the king coined a new term “Gross National Happiness” in hopes of focusing attention on traditional culture.  Instead of measuring progress in materialistic terms, he wanted to focus on those things which would create, in his words, a “paradise on earth.” 

             There are four pillars of Gross National Happiness (GNH): socioeconomic development, environmental preservation, good governance, and cultural preservation and promotion.  The king has come up with innovative solutions to achieving these four objectives.  Socioeconomic development focuses on healthcare, education, and infrastructure.  All citizens receive free healthcare, new schools are seen frequently in small villages, and road construction and new power lines can be seen as well.  Tourism provides much of the money for these things.  Additionally, dams are being built to provide hydroelectric power for the country, with excess electricity being sold to India.

             Environmental preservation is achieved through decrees setting aside at least 60% of the country as forest.  Another 25% of the country is designated as national parks.  Hunting is forbidden in the country.  There are laws governing the number of trees which can be cut down to build houses.  Supposedly the water in streams is so pure that people can drink it with no ill health effects.  Mountain climbing is forbidden in the country so as not to “disturb the spirits” of the mountains.  Eighty per cent of the citizens are farmers and the country is self-sufficient in agriculture.  These things which help preserve the environment also help to attract tourists which helps bring more money into the economy.

             Good governance also contributes to the country.  Anyone with a problem can meet personally with the king, who seems to be genuinely interested in the well-being of the citizens.  Recently, the king has allowed elections to take place, with some of the government officials being elected by the people.  In 2008 the king will step down from office.  His son will become the new king; however, the government will move toward the British system of governance.  The new king will be more of a figurehead, with other government officials being elected by the people.  It is common in government buildings to see pictures of voting machines with instructions for use so that citizens can look forward to their new powers of electing their leaders.

             The fourth pillar of cultural preservation and promotion is most closely related to my teaching/research interests.  Citizens are required to wear the traditional dress in public.  At the end of the school day, young people commonly go to additional classes to learn the traditional crafts, such as wood carving, painting of religious pictures, embroidery, etc.  There is TV and internet access in the country but it is not easy to find and the average person doesn’t seem interested in them.  It was difficult to find an internet connection that worked.  One hotel owner told me that he stopped paying the bill for internet access because there was so little demand for use.  There is a cable TV system but the average person does not have a TV so would never watch it.  Most of the stations are from India. The Bhutanese station carried a lot of Buddhist ceremonies and discussions with religious leaders.  Bhutan is a non-smoking country.  It is not only illegal to smoke but to sell tobacco products in the country.   When Bhutanese college students go to other countries for studying abroad, 95% of them return home. People there seem to have a strong feeling of community which is sometimes lacking in other cultures.

             Everybody I met was interested in what the future would bring for Bhutan.  It seems to be on the threshold of change yet very comfortable with long-held traditions.  Everyone seems to be interested in avoiding the problems experienced by other rapidly-developing countries.  It would be interesting to return in the future to see how they have managed their development.