Dawa thought
he was in Bumthang after crossing the fourth pass (i.e. Dochula, Pelela,
Yotongla and Thrumshingla). But he wondered aloud why Bumthang was so hot. His
confusion was cleared by a grisly dog lying in the shade of a garbage bin.
The dog
informed him that he (Dawa) was in Mongar instead. He must have overlooked the
small pass that separates Chumey valley from Chokhor valley. Dawa then
recollected the pass. It was rather small, but not insignificant. A dog so far away from the west was not expected to be familiar with the legends of the
place. Dawa felt very proud of his name when the grisly dog acquinted him with
the history of the pass. The legend has it that once the enemies of Thuksay
Dawa, the spiritual son of saint Pema Lingpa, attacked him. His protective deities then turned themselves into
ferocious dogs and stopped his enemies from crossing the pass into Chumey
valley where Thuksay dawa was living at that time. That is how the pass came to
be known as Kikila pass or the pass of the dogs.
The oldie then
asked Dawa to go back the same way he reached Mongar through the Thrumshingla
pass. Though it was very difficult to cross even for a strong dog. Dawa took
offence at the remark and was determined to cross it ten times, if he had to,
inorder to get to Bumthang, his ultimate destination.
It was only
then that his passion for languages made him notice the different accent of the
grisly dog. On enquiry, the dog told him that originally he was from Bumthang.
When there was a dog population boom in Bumthang, the dogs were rounded up,
loaded in a truck, deported to and dumped in Mongar. This created a furore
between the people of the two dzongkhags. Though no follow up action was taken
afterwards. Despite many dogs returning immediately, the grisly doggie decided
to settle down in monger as he found the warm climate of Mongar suitable.
Dawa then
talked to him about the dog pound in Thimphu, which was dreaded by every dog
and from where, once impounded, there was no escape for a dog. Despite Dawa’s
initial distrust, he realized that the other dog’s fondness for Bumthang was
genuine.
He stayed in
Mongar for a few days and was shown around the town by the grisly dog. He
showed Dawa the places which were frequented by the boss dogs, the follower
dogs and the ordinary dogs. The last group seemed to be quite content with their
lot as they lived by the simple philosophy of ‘one does not desire what one
does not see.’
The dog dynamics
of monger made Dawa conclude that dogs all over were the same and recollect the circumstances in Thimphu, particularly
about his own band of followers. They followed Dawa everywhere and lived in a
make-believe world of their own creation. Dawa also understood the difficulties
of a dog world. It was difficult not to enjoy the privileges that came with
power. He realized that for his own survival he had to avoid the company of his
followers when they started flatering him and stealing his words. They looked
like stealing his thoughts as well. Dawa realized that he would be a non-entity
if he allowed them to have their own way. They had started doubting his
leadership qualities. If none of them dared to challenge him, it was solely for
the reason that Dawa discharged his leaderly duties flawlessly..
His
followers were exasperated by his humble behaviour. They asked him to be more authoritative
and take advantage of his position. Dawa felt glad when he escaped from them
and thought his mange was a blessing in disguise.
After a
heavy meal one day, when he was resting in the football field, Dawa felt sluggish
and drowsy. He woke up with a start when the grisly dog asked him to go back to
Bumthang before he became used to the easy life of Mongar. The cold climate of
Bumthang would energize him and make him active. Dawa knew that the grisly dog
was right and decided to leave for Bumthang.
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