CHAPTER - 9.

Dawa realized that his talkative friend was right about Tang – It was indeed backward compared to Choekor. But the people were resourceful and managed to move on without some basic amenities like electricity and telephones. They could even communicate without telephones!

He crossed over many gorges and ridges. While passing through a village, he noticed two elderly women and decided to follow them from a distance. Soon one of them was standing on a mound dangerously as the other one, leaning on a stick, tried to keep her from falling down by lending her a hand.

Cupping her mouth with her hand, the first lady screamed out an announcement in a distinct and clear manner about the upcoming meeting on the next day to be conducted by a Dasho and the things like cheese, butter, eggs etc that they were supposed to bring along. Though she forgot to mention rice and salt, she knew that the villagers would not forget to bring them due to the frequent meetings being held. Both the women then went to a sunny spot near a chorten and tried to relax their weary limbs. Dawa observed them from a distance due to his earlier pathetic experience of being rapped on the head.

They talked and joked about the meetings and the questions the officials asked in the meetings. In this connection the more hopeful of the two women thought that most probably the next meeting would bring them electricity or a bridge. The announcer woman wondered then if her message was heard by the villagers or not. She even asked her companion who wasn’t sure because of the river water making a loud noise crashing against the cliff. Dawa who had heard the confirmation, got up and let out a bark trying to assure them that the message was clearly heard. The women noticed Dawa then and remarked how development was benefitting even the dogs.

Dawa thought it best to get away from them at the way they laughed and slapped each other on their backs quite hard. As he walked up the valley he realized that there was no need for the women to be worried as their message was being conveyed across the river, in the fields and even in the meadows on the slopes. Someone while passing the message not only reminded about the rice and salt but also added a bottle or ara to be taken to the meeting.

He soon ran into a big dog trotting behind a sheepherder driving his sheep back home. Very cleverly he obtained information about the cave from him. The cave located in Thowadrak, could even be seen as a white spec at a distance.

Dawa decided not to leave the next morning. Being curious by nature, he wanted to find out more about human meeting and how they were different from dog meetings in Thimphu. Next morning as he sat near the chorten, he could see many dogs there. Nothing surprising about that. There were people coming from every direction. Some were carrying bags and baskets containing all those food items. The very thought of them made his mouth salivate. Some were carrying babies on their backs, while the toddlers trudged along with them. They all were in a cheerful mood, teasing one another.

As the day wore on, their spirit dipped as the wait for the Dasho proved long and tedious. At midday a deputy came along riding on a bike and without any greetings or apologies, informed them that the meeting had been called off. When a lady asked him if the meeting was to be held the next day and they had to come back again. the infuriated official informed her that if any household failed to send a member, it would be levied the usual fines.

But true to Bhutanese character, they could yet,  on the way home, laugh about their poor plight and the need to get home early for dinner inorder to protect their fields from the wild animals. Dawa, helpful as always, was thinking of being a watch dog to help protect the poor villagers their fields, only after he was cured of his mange.