Dawa’s appointment as the leader of the howling pack was
predestined and not accidental. He knew every nook and corner of the city within
a few hours of his arrival. Dogs in Thimphu, unlike their counterparts in
Paro, who mainly depend on their sense of smell for finding food, have to keep
their eyes and ears open for food and there is always plenty of food.
Once during a party, Dawa noticed a muddy-colored dog
(physical features of Dampa – small, with a heart-shaped face, large eyes, and
spindly legs) moving around the tent with an electrifying swiftness, grabbing a
mouthful from a particular tent and disappearing. Dawa later followed the dog
and was surprised when the dog spoke to him in Dzongkha. He told Dawa of his
fondness for food from the special people. Till his encounter with the dog,
Dawa always thought that his ability to understand human language and speak in Dzongkha was quite unique.
He was Dampa (his history – born near Changankha Lhakhang.
His ancestry dates back to the time, hundreds of years ago, when the lhakhang was built). He told Dawa that he preferred to keep himself aloof from the other
dogs and of his fondness for only Dzongkha. He also advised Dawa to work on his
Dzongkha as he had leadership aspirations.
Dawa never forgot Dampa’s advice and followed various groups
of monks to learn the best Dzongkha. The first group spoke in Dzongkha laced
with curse words. The second group of monks spoke in a language similar to Esperanto – a mixture of Dzongkha,
Tibetan, English and Hindi. Although they spoke in a fused language, Dawa
followed them around from a distance and heard bits and pieces of their
conversation. He was greatly intrigued by their incomprehensible expressions and realized
only later on that their topic centred on chilli paste!
Disillusioned, Dawa went back to Dampa in Changangka. Dampa
agreed with him, on having been informed of the difficulty of finding the right
teacher, that monks today, under the influence of the cultures of other
countries through TV, do not speak the best Dzongkha any more. Then pointing to
a monk, he asked Dawa to follow him as he had the best Dzongkha.
The kind and gentle monk befriended Dawa with his amicable
nature and Dawa found the best teacher he was looking for. He learned the best
Dzongkha by following the monk around. With his flair for language, Dawa became
proficient in Dzongkha within a very short time. When he went back to Dampa, he
was impressed. He then asked Dawa to try to learn the honorific terms from a
human school for children. At nightfall Dawa finally left Dampa for the
joy of howling.
Dawa then followed a group of children, closely observed two
teachers teaching two different classes and selected the class that looked more
involved and animated for the sheer joy of learning.
To be continued ………
It a heart touching story
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying alot
How
ReplyDeletedawa become leader of howling pack
THROUGH HIS UNIQUE VOICE
DeleteHow the leader often emerge in time of chaotic vaccums
ReplyDeleteCan u tell me exactly about Dawa's leadership qualities .Only leadership qualities
ReplyDeleteWhat is importance of protagonist encounter with the maid,sonam pem
ReplyDeleteMy head is going to burst. This summary is AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteWow
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good way to understand a noval with in a short period of time and its easy to read, good for the childrens to study
ReplyDeletedawa leadership koto
ReplyDeleteDescribe dawa's encounter with dampa
ReplyDeleteCasa first met Dampa during part at Lungtenphu.It is Dampa who advices Dawa to learn how to speak pure Dzongkha and who sends Dawa to school to learn honorific terms.
DeleteHope it is correct♥
Dawa first met*
DeleteWhat are the roles of dampa
ReplyDeleteWhat are the lessons taught by this novel?
ReplyDelete