FROM MONGAR TO BUMTHANG.

Dated: 18^th August, 2016.

Today’s lesson on Dawa (Chapter-7, Dawa in Mongar) began with a recap of the previous chapter (Chapter-6, One, Two, Three Passes). All I had to do was to mention the word ‘Pelela’ and the next moment, the students were blabbering about the sheepherder’s tent, the beautiful female dog, Dawa feeling guilty and ashamed, his longing last look at the bitch. How Dawa came across the white-spotted dog while climbing down the Pelela Pass, the truckload of tourists, his arrival in Trongsa and departure for Bumthang.

Once I’s sure that they remembered the main points, I thought it was time to read two paragraphs of the next chapter, having spent a little time on the title (Dawa in Mongar). I read out and explained the two paragraphs. How Dawa was under the wrong impression that he was in Bumthang while he was actually in Mongar. His encounter with the grisly, ghastly dog before learning about the importance of the Kikila Pass (The story of Thuksay Dawa, the spiritual son of Terton Pema Lingpa, his enemies and finally, how the protecting deities of Thuksay Dawa chased away the enemies), Dawa’s desire to get to Bumthang at any cost and see this important pass once for all.

The time was ripe for me to put in some values. I spoke about one great quality that Dawa possessed in abundance – DETERMINATION. If someone has this quality, nothing can stop him from reaching his goals and targets, despite the heavy odds staked against him. Some people give up very early in life, even after the first attempt: while others like Dawa, never ever. If their target is to be a doctor, an engineer, a pilot or a politician, they will not rest till they have reached their goals of being so.

19^th August, 2014.

Thank you, Reader, for your unwavering faith in me. Last Friday, we were finally done with chapter-7. I was a bit surprised as I was not expecting to finish more than 2 and half pages. Would you believe it? We did nearly 4 pages. While explaining something about the Dog Deportation, I told them that it is based on a similar incident in the late 90s. As the dog population boomed in Bumthang, the local people started panicking. Dogs could be seen everywhere, multiplying, mushrooming beyond one’s wildest imagination. I also didn’t let go of this opportunity of talking about my own personal experience of how I fractured my left hand and how consequently I came to suffer from this ‘dog phobia’. We continued with Dawa’s realization of the grisly dog’s nostalgia for Bumthang, going around Mongar town and learning about the dog dynamics, Dawa being reminded of his followers in Thimphu, shunning their company, his followers’ complaint of Dawa lacking in essential leadership qualities and how mange, the disease he was suffering from, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We concluded with Dawa’s decision to go to Bumthang at the grisly dog’s request. As the gong was sounded, I asked the class to go through the chapter carefully in order to be able to answer the questions from the text in the next class.

Tuesday, 23^nd August, 2013.

I’d to change my plan of asking them to answer questions from chapter-7, as they had their Weekly Test yesterday and was eager to discuss the grammar questions. I did as I was bid by the class, though the students’ performance was far from satisfactory.

Today, we started with Ms. Sonam Wangmo’s presenting her “Book Talk” on what has been a very popular novel in Bhutan in recent years, Pema Choden’s “Returning Home”.  Then for the convenience of the students, I briefly summarized chapter-7 once more, starting with Dawa’s arrival in Mongar under the misconception of the place being his destination – Bumthang, his encounter with the grisly dog to Dawa acquiring some useful knowledge about the significance of the Kikila Pass, his ability to detect through the accent of the grisly dog that he did not originally hail from Mongar till Dawa deciding to leave for Bumthang at the request of the grisly dog.

It was time for them to get busy with the questions and their answers. I told them that they would have to answer 8 questions in 20 minutes. I wouldn’t repeat the questions unless they found the questions difficult to answer. Once they finished answering the questions, they would exchange their Notebooks and go through their friends’ answers, correct them and mark them. The students would put their initials at the end before returning their friends’ notebooks.

Here are the questions for your information:

1.     Name all the passes that Dawa had to cross before arriving at Mongar.

Ans: Dawa crossed altogether 5 passes before arriving at Mongar without realizing that he had crossed one too many. The 5 passes were Dochula, Pelela, Yotongla, Thrumshingla and kikila.

2.     Where did Dawa find the grisly dog for the first time?

Ans:  Dawa found the grisly dog in the shade of a garbage bin with the words ‘Use Me’ written on it.

3.     What is the dog pass popularly known as?

Ans:  The dog pass is popularly known as ‘Kikila Pass’.

4.     Why were the dogs deported to Mongar?

Ans:  The dogs were deported from Bumthang to Mongar as there was an increase in the dog population. Dogs were to be found everywhere. Some people, due to their abhorrence and dislike of dogs wanted to get rid of the dogs. One particular day, the dogs were rounded up, loaded on a truck and dumped in Mongar.

5.     What did the grisly dog tell Dawa about himself?

Ans:  The grisly dog told Dawa that he was originally from Bumthang. He was deported to Mongar some years back by force. He also told Dawa that Mongar was all right for him as the warmer climate of the place was agreeable to his old bones.

6.     How many types of dogs were to be found in Mongar? Where did the followers of the bosses congregate normally?

Ans:  There were three types of dogs to be found in Mongar – the bosses, their followers and the ordinary dogs.

The followers normally congregated in front of the shops, the dzong and the parking lot.

7.     Why did none of the dogs, back in Thimphu, challenge Dawa openly despite having taken a disliking to his ‘unleaderlike characteristics’?

Ans:  The dogs back in Thimphu did not challenge Dawa despite his unleaderlike characteristics as Dawa performed his job flawlessly.

8.     Why did the grisly dog ask Dawa to go back to Bumthang? Where was Dawa at that time?

Ans:  The grisly dog asked Dawa to go back to Bumthang as the warmer climate of Mongar makes people lazy and lethargic. He also told Dawa that he was not a warm-climate dog and the cold climate of Bumthang keeps dogs warm and active. It will invigorate and stimulate Dawa.

Dawa was sitting in the football field at that time after a heavy meal.

HAPPY TO BE BACK AGAIN !

I’D LIKE to begin the second half of the academic session, 2016, by thanking you whole-heartedly, dear reader. When I looked at the readership figure last time, it was nearly 5000, but I was in for a pleasant surprise when I found it leapfrogging to 7500+ last night. No matter what, you have persisted with me, you have shown your abiding faith in ‘Yours truly’, and that is the appetizer I needed desperately. Thank you once more and let me see if I am able to help sustain your interest in the novel that most of the Bhutanese of this generation, have grown up with.

Mid-Term English Paper-II was set by Mr. Tshering Dorji, who really proved himself to be a godsend when we were faced with an acute shortage of English teachers in CCS at the beginning of the year. I have dared to discuss his paper, for the benefit of you, learners, without his consent. I sincerely hope that Sir would not bring a case of plagiarism, defamation, or something related to copyrights or whatever, against me and take me to a court of law for this unpardonable act on my part!

Let’s discuss Section-D, that is, the Novel and take off with the MCQs under Set-I. There were 5 questions altogether and all the questions were interesting, a product of Tshering Dorji Sir’s diligence.

1.     Dawa had many qualities and the quality that shaped his life was his –

a.     perseverance.

b.     language.

c.      voice.

d.     ancestral background.

·       The answer to the above question is obviously his ‘voice’, option C.

2.     Singyemo rejected Dawa’s marriage proposal because –

a.     his legs were crooked.

b.     he was infected with mange.

c.      he was not romantic.

d.     he had no proper lineage.

·       The answer, it goes without saying, is Option D.

3.     ‘Dawa’s growth curve plateaued prematurely and he was destined to be a non-descript stray dog’. What do you assume the meaning of ‘plateaued prematurely’ to be in the statement?

a.     lacking physical stature.

b.     stopped growing before proper time.

c.      state of rapid growth.

d.     deformity due to malnutrition.

4.     The thing most dreaded by dogs is –

a.     being put in a pound.

b.     becoming a leader.

c.      becoming an underdog.

d.     being infected with mange.

·       Here Option C is the most appropriate answer.

5.     Dampa decided to live at Changanglha Temple because –

a.     It was his ancestral home.

b.     It gave him peace and tranquillity that an aged dog needed.

c.      It was a beautiful place.

d.     there was plenty of food everywhere.

·       The correct answer is …….. Yes, you have guessed it correctly. It is Option A.

Questions 1b had 3 short questions altogether:

1)     How would you show your understanding of how Dawa changed his name from Koto to Dawa?

2)     What roles did Dampa and Molay play in Dawa’s life?

3)     What imaginary lineage does he create to win his beloved? What characteristic does it reveal?

As we have already discussed the first two questions somewhere in the earlier blogs, there is no point trying to discuss them again. The first part of Q.3 has also been discussed, but let’s try to answer the question again, mainly for the later part of the question. I have referred to the answer scripts of Phuntso Wangmo and Sonam Zangmo as both of them came out with top-notch performances in IX E.

Answer to Q.3: Dawa invented the story that his great grandfather was a pure damchi from Lhasa. He was stolen on the day he was born by a vulture. He was said to be raised on bird food, kept as he was in the nest of the vulture on a sheer rock face, not in a dirty corner by any means. A sheepherder, having found him, presented him to the lady of an aristocratic family. He was rewarded with the post of the Chamberlain of the house as a result. There he was offered a handful of barley flour along with butter tea as the lady did not want her to grow any bigger, for her own comfort.

The invented story reveals Dawa’s intelligence, defence against his stunted growth and, to some extent, boastful nature. He wanted to impress upon Singyemo that he had a great lineage and was not really responsible for his small size!

THAT IS ALL FOR NOW. WE WILL TRY TO DISCUSS THE SET-II questions in the next. Till then, HAPPY WEEKENDER! STAY BLESSED.

Students - Seriousness Personified!

Contd from pg 1/-

       I.          Explain the line: Dogs bear the price of human cleanliness.  (Thakur Singh)

Ans:  The above line is taken from the concluding part of Chapter-5 entitled: Dawa Runs Away. Through this comment, Dawa seems to have a dig at human beings. Despite all our apparent lack of a sense of neatness and cleanliness, time and again we are found to be acting whimsically, on the spur of the moment in the name of protecting our environment. We do not even bother about the consequences our actions may have on the other living beings.

People in Wangduephodran are found to be burning all the wastes, in the name of beautifying and keeping the environment neat and clean, without realizing the dreadful impacts on the dog population there. The food being burnt everyday and ending up in smoke can feed a large number of dogs there. As a result, the dogs in the town are found to be famished and skeletal!

     II.          Why was Dawa smelly in front of the elderly couple?

Ans:  Dawa was smelly in front of the elderly couple as he had had a lot of daal, fried with a lot of onions earlier in the day. Daal fried in onions is bad for the stomach and digestion.

    III.          Why did Dampa ask Dawa not to leave Thimphu?

Ans:  Dampa asked Dawa not to leave Thimphu as they were good friends in the first place. Secondly, mange, in Dampa’s opinion was not a killer disease. Mange in dogs comes and goes just like that. But Dampa was mainly worried about the consequences if the dogs in Thimphu found out that Dawa was trying to run away. They would tear him into pieces then. Besides, the dogs in the other areas would not be any less lenient. They would also attack him and not let him go unharmed. For all these reasons, Dampa tried to stop Dawa from leaving Thimphu.

   IV.          Why was the Leader of Warnings and Signals made to resign?  (Dhan Brd.)

Ans:  The former Leader of Warnings and Signals was made to resign as he failed to warn the dog populace in Thimphu of the dog catchers. As a result, the Leader of howling was taken to the pound. In fact, he was said to be entertaining a band of his trusted followers at that time. For this great lapse on his part, he was made to resign and became an underdog.

     V.          Briefly tell us what happened when Dawa reached Dochula.

Ans:  Initially, he was frightened thinking what would happen if some humans caught him and took him to the dreaded pound. There were not too many people around. The only ones out were the commuters trying to catch their flight and those saying their early morning prayers. During his journey downhill, Dawa was careful not to intrude upon others’ territories.

   VI.          What is meant by ‘Victory to God’?  (Thakur Singh)

Ans:  (Before answering the question, I asked the class to explain the term in Dzongkha first.) We say ‘Victory to God’ to express our gratitude and affirm that there is no one more powerful than God. (I couldn’t help sharing the story of Nick Vijucic from the video clip shown to our students during the morning assembly, in this connection, to drive home His mercy and miraculous power).

  VII.          What is the difference between mange and leprosies?  (Sonam Zangmo A)

Ans: The difference is leprosy is a human disease. It was a deadly disease once. Now thanks to some world organizations, the disease is on the verge of extinction. Whereas, mange is a disease to be found among the dogs. When a dog gets mange, his/her fur will come off, the whole body will be itchy and so on.

VIII.          What was the difference between Dawa and the other leaders?  (Sonam Zangmo B)

Ans:  The difference between Dawa and the other dogs was while the other leaders enjoyed their posts and positions; Dawa dreaded thinking about what might happen if he became an underdog. He did not feel any sense of satisfaction and was doubtful if he had chosen the wrong profession. The fear of his own end loomed large and Dawa simply fretted over it.

That ended our session on Dawa. I was happy in the end. Pupils like Dhan Bdr. who rarely opened their mouths before this class, started asking me questions with genuine interest in the novel. That is a big plus, no doubt. Let’s see what the future has to unfold!

The Last Look At Dawa...Before the Mid-Year Exam.

Yesterday I had two periods with IXE. On the previous day, I had asked the students to go through the text very carefully before the examination and ask me their doubts regarding anything related to the text in the class yesterday.

At the start, I was quite disappointed. Despite my repeated requests, the class or most of them did not seem to have gone through the novel as I had requested them to. But once Abinash asked me the first question, the rest of the class acted as if on a clue and asked me questions till the end of the gong. Actually, I promised to give them another chance so that they could ask me the rest of the questions in the last period, but as classed were called off in the afternoon the promise remained unfulfilled. Anyway, it was a good experience for me as I realized for the first time in my life that I could deal with Dawa Koto, as Dawa is popularly known as in the students’ per lance.

I would love to reproduce the questions for the benefit of the students across the country:

       I.          Who was Dawa?

Ans:  Dawa was a yellow-brown dog, with a ragged coat. He is the protagonist of the novel entitled “Dawa, the Story of a Stray Dog” by Mrs. Kunzang Choden.

     II.          Who is an ‘underdog’?  (Sonam Zangmo A)

Ans:  A fallen, disgraced leader is an underdog. Once a leader failed to discharge his duties properly, he was made to resign from his post and became an underdog. The life of an underdog was unbearable.

    III.          Why was Dawa appointed as The Leader of Howling in Thimphu?

Ans:  There were various reasons why Dawa was appointed as The Leader of Howling in Thimphu. Firstly, the previous Leader of Howling was taken to the pound due to sheer negligence on the part of The Leader of Warnings and Signals. Secondly, in the absence of the Leader of Howling, there was none to lead the nocturnal howling. This task was assigned to Dawa as he was a stranger in the city. Thirdly, Dawa had a gifted voice and trained himself for leading the nightly howling sessions in Paro.

   IV.          Why did Dawa invent the story about his lineage?  (Abinash)

Ans: Dawa had to invent the story about his lineage mainly to impress the beautiful female dog, Singyemo, who left him for the more boisterous Katu. He realized that without a proper background, survival in a city like Thimphu was going to be a bit bothersome.

     V.          Why did Dawa have a vision of a human jumping out to catch him near Dochula?

Ans:  Dawa had a vision of a human jumping out and catching him near Dochula as like many other dogs in Thimphu, he dreaded the dog pound there.

   VI.          Can you please give a brief description of Moley?  (Dhan Bdr.)

Ans:  Moley was a very ancient dog in Paro and very beautiful as her name suggests – the beautiful female. She claimed that nearly half the dog population in Paro had descended from her. Surprisingly, not much is written in the text about her physical features.

Moley liked Dawa as he always asked intelligent questions. It was Moley who directed Dawa to Thimphu.

  VII.          How did the skinny dog greet Dawa when he arrived at Wangduephodrang?

Ans:  The skinny dog, on Dawa’s arrival in the town, greeted him by remarking if Dawa knew that Wangduephodran happens to be the cleanest town in the country.

Contd on pg 2/-

Taking stock of the students’ Progress with Dawa (till Chapter-5) through the Weekly Test on 15h May, 2016.

Last Monday, the students of standard-IX had their Weekly Test in English. I set the paper. As Mr.Tshering Dorji is dealing with all sections of standard-IX but one, I tried to make it as easy for him as I could. Correcting some 130 papers within a limited period of time is never easy. I told him that we would ask them 4 questions from the first 5 chapters of the novel each carrying 5 marks. The questions were:-

1.      How did Dawa lose his family?

Ans:- One day his mother took them to the garbage dump behind the restaurant. To their good fortune, there was a chunk of port lying there. As they were hungry, they started devouring the meat without much consideration for the youngest and weakest member of the family. Dawa was too weak to get on to the top of the heap and compete with his other siblings for the port. He waited restlessly down. He was very surprised therefore, to find his siblings along with his mother dropping down the heap like a rock falling of the cliff, with their mouths foaming and frothing. Then they lay still. Dawa waited for long for them to be awake. Then he realized that they were not going to wake up. Some wretched human had lacerated the port with poison. That is how Dawa lost his family.

2.      Briefly write what you know about Dampa or Moley.

Ans:- Dawa met Dampa, a small dog, for the first time when he was resting outside a tent during a party in Thimphu. This unusual looking dog with its muddy-coloured body and white neck caught Dawa’s notice with the swiftness with which he moved around and darted in and out of the tent meant for the VIPs with a mouthful. He had a heart shaped face with large eyes. Dampa also had spindly legs. Later on Dawa and Dampa became good friends. It was Dampa who asked to take his Dzongkha seriously as he had leadership aspirations. He also asked Dawa to learn the honorific terms from humans.

OR

Moley was one of the most ancient and wise dogs in Paro. Despite her age, she with her rheumy eyes, was beautiful as her name suggests – Beautiful Female. More than half of the dog population in Paro was claimed to have originated from her. It was Moley who directed Dawa to Thimphu. She liked Dawa a lot compared to the other dogs in town, as Dawa asked intelligent questions. Moley also requested Dawa to enlighten her with the stories of his travels beyond Paro, on his return.

3.      What story did Dawa invent about his lineage?

Ans:- Dawa began to wonder about his lineage after his rejection by Singyemo, the coquettish bitch, who left Dawa for Katu. After sometime, he made up the story that his great grandfather was a damchi from an aristocratic family in Lhasa. The day he was born, he was stolen by a vulture who took him up to his nest on a rock face. Bred as his great grandpa was on bird food, he did not grow in size. A sheepherder found him later on and presented him to the lady of the aristocratic family. The lady was so charmed with the small dog that the sheepherder was immediately made the chamberlain of the household as a reward. She would keep Dawa’s great grandpa in her sleeve for the warmth and fed him with a daily dose of barley flour mixed with a little amount of butter tea. Initially, Dawa did not like to tell this story about his lineage, but with the passage of time, the more he narrated this story, the more he began to believe it himself.

4.      Who is an underdog? What happened when someone became an underdog?

Ans:- A fallen, disgraced leader became an underdog. The former Leader of Warnings and Signals was one such underdog.

Once a leader became an underdog, life was miserable for him. The underdog had no dog rights and completely defenceless. Every dog in that area could abuse and attack him either verbally or physically. They could taunt or tease him and the poor underdog could not even fight back in self-defence. Even puppies and females could attack him in any way they liked. It was really pathetic to see the underdog, the former Leader of Warnings and Signals moving around, keeping a safe distance from the other dogs with fear and terror writ large on his face.

Despite my best attempts, the students of IX E have disappointed me in the Test. We discussed all these questions earlier in the class. I even wrote some of the points on the green board for them. I rebuked them today by saying that if they do not practise answering questions seriously; most of them are not going to do well in the Mid-Year Examination. After the distribution of the test papers, we spent sometime discussing the answers again. Thakur Singh, the class captain, was a bit upset as despite having written some eight points about Dampa (Q.NO. 2), he did not get more than 4 out of 5. I pacified him by telling that in standard-IX, they are supposed to write their answers in paragraphs rather than writing them point wise. As he is good, I asked him not to worry about the marks he secured in the Test.

Finally, I asked the class to try to write down the answer of any 1 of the 4 questions. They were given some 10 minutes for that. I also asked them to try to write the answers to the other questions at home/hostel. The last 10 minutes were spent in listening to their answers and providing feedback.

Chapter-6 (One, Two,Three Passes), 2016

Today, we had the last class on Dawa before the Mid-Term Examination. I told them that a week before the exam, I will try to revise the novel once more, time permitting. But for that they have to wait for a couple of weeks more. Then as they were informed yesterday, the questions from Chapter-6 were written on the green board for them to copy and answer in 30 minutes.

1.      What helped Dawa climb to the top of Pelela?

Answer:- A camp of yak herders helped Dawa to climb to the top of Pelela.

2.      What did Dawa do that he would not have done under ordinary circumstances?

Answer:- Dawa removed the lid of a pan and gobbled up the food made of radish and cheese. Something he would have never done under ordinary circumstances.

3.      What, in Dawa’s opinion, is the most important part of a dog?

Answer:- The tail, in Dawa’s  opinion, is the most important part of a dog.

4.      Write two things you have learnt about the yak herder dog.

Answer:- She was a beautiful dog with long, lustrous fur that covered her well-shaped body. She had an incredible tail, thick and proud.

5.      How did Dawa feel when he heard the yak herder woman’s exclamations of shock and surprise in the camp?

Answer:- Dawa felt ashamed and guilty to his whole being when he heard the yak herder woman’s exclamations of shock and surprise.

6.      What saved Dawa from the white-spotted dog in the compound of the Chorten?

Answer:-A busload of tourists saved Dawa from the white-spotted dog>

7.      What were some of the words that the tourists used? What do you think they were talking about?

Answer:- ‘Amazing’, ‘Awesome’, ‘Pristine’, and ‘hotspot bio-diversity’ were some of the words that the tourists used. They were either talking about our country or the environment of the place.

8.      What did the woman among them say about Dawa?

Answer:- The woman among the tourists said that Dawa was the ‘strangest-looking dog’ she had ever seen. She also felt that Dawa had the largest dog brain.

9.      What were some of the foods offered by the tourists to Dawa?

Answer:- Some of the foods offered to Dawa by the tourists were – spicy pork, bland chicken, local rice, bread, boiled eggs and chocolate.

10.   What did Dawa see when he arrived in Trongsa?

Answer:- When Dawa arrived in Trongsa, he saw a tiny dog tied to the leg of a bench in front of a shop.

11.   How do you know that the dog was loved and cared?

Answer:- The tiny dog was loved and cared as its fur was cut to keep it cool and it was tied so that it could not run away or get stolen.

12.   How did Dawa feel about the dog?

Answer;- Dawa felt sorry for the dog and pitied it. He thought he was lucky not to have an owner.

13.    How did Dawa feel about the dogs in Trongsa?

Answer:- Dawa felt that the dogs in Trongsa had great opinions about themselves  ( were very proud) and  they would start yelping every time a person tried to enter a shop or a dog came into their view.

14.   Where was Dawa headed?

Answer:- Dawa was headed to Bumthang

Chapter-6 (One, Two, Three Passes), 2016.

Continued from the Summary, 2015.

These days, teaching has been fun like never before. In standard XI, the very idea of the students imagining themselves to be in the Hall, watching the movie entitled “The Ballad of Gelong Sumdar Tashi” was a hit and the way we concluded it in one section, was quite interesting. I told them that as the movie comes to an end, we find Sumdar Tashi dressed in a monk’s robe, retracing his steps towards Punakha. The very handsome, inexperienced teenager at the start of the show, is not the same person any more, especially after his mother’s demise and is grown worldly-wise. Gone is his passion for his wife and child as he has made up his mind to go back to the monastic body in Punakha to spend the rest of his life as a monk. That is where his true calling lies.

Anyway, we are not concerned with the Ballad of Gelong Sumdar Tashi here. So let me get back to Chapter-6 of Dawa, entitled ‘One, Two, Three Passes’. As per my plans, I decided to finish it in two periods. Today’s class was as enjoyable as yesterday’s. As per my plan, we started off with the speech. Then I asked a student to talk about the previous lesson (Recapitulation). I was pleasantly surprised when the students started talking about the picnickers and the tourists in the compound of the chorten. I then read out the rest of the unfinished paragraph, not forgetting to sum up the main points once more.

While talking about John, the photographer, who tried to take Dawa’s photographs and asked Dawa to ‘say cheese’, I told them that ' say cheese’ is an expression used by many while taking others’ photographs. Most probably, they try to get the ones about to be photographed, come out a winner with a pleasing smile. I even posed for them with a winning smile on my face, just to make the idea clear to them. I had a feeling that the class enjoyed it a lot.

While talking about the various foods being offered to Dawa, like spicy pork, chicken, bread and boiled eggs and chocolate, I could not help imparting some values about the last item. I asked them if they liked chocolates and sweets. The whole class answered in unison.. I asked them not to take too many as they are bad for the teeth. I lost half of my teeth by the time I was in my early forties because of the sweets I used to take even then! That’s why, I informed them, you won’t find me smiling ever!

I also kept on asking questions throughout. Something I must have picked up from my Canadian colleague, Mrs. Heather Robertson, when I observed her class. Once we were done with the chapter, I summarized the chapter once more with the help of the students. Next, I asked them to copy the questions from the green board and write their answers at home/hostel. The questions were:

1.      What did Dawa do on entering inside the camp of the yak herder? How did he feel about it afterwards? How would you have done or felt if you were in Dawa’s place?

Ans: (Expected answer) As the climb up on Pelela was a difficult and tiring one, Dawa was hungry when he entered the tent. He went up and sniffed around. Then he pushed the lid of a pot among some other pots and pans and gobbled the food, made of radish and cheese. Dawa, being an intelligent and street-smart dog, kept his eyes and ears open while eating. Hardly had he finished eating when he heard some voices coming from behind and dashed out of the tent.

Later, when he heard the woman exclaiming in shock about the empty pot or his misdeed, Dawa felt extremely ashamed of himself and guilty to the core.

Being a clever dog, I would have done the same thing to satisfy my hunger. After all, who would try to remember good manners and behavior, when he is hungry like Dawa was. I needed to survive and the only way to do so was by gobbling up the unguarded, god-sent food. Just like Dawa did, I would have felt ashamed of myself afterwards. OR.

Though Dawa is one of my favourite characters, I would not have touched the food. I would not have touched the food as it was meant for someone else. Touching the food meant for someone else is considered to be a great sin in our religion. I would never do anything that is against my religion. I would have controlled myself and gone out to look for food on the way. (Open-ended)

2.      Describe the dog Dawa  found in Trongsa and the other dogs.

Ans: The tiny dog was tied to the leg of a bench in front of a shop as Dawa entered the town. The fur of its body had been cropped .But the fur over its ears surprisingly, was not. As a result, it had grown very long, almost touching the ground. The dog also had a bell tinkling around its neck. It was a very strange-looking dog. From the way it was tied and treated, it was obvious that the dog was loved and well taken care of. Dawa wondered if the damche had been stolen from the same house.

Later on, Dawa also found some other tiny dogs tied in a similar fashion. They were very proud of themselves and yelped boisterously at Dawa non-stop. They were the least friendly dogs Dawa had seen anywhere. So Dawa proceeded towards Bumthang without any further delay. Before he left for Bumthang, he could calm one of those dogs down to obtain the information about the way to Bumthang.

As I was coming out of the class, I reminded them that in the next class tomorrow, I would ask them to answer questions from chapter-6. I also told them that this is all we are going to do from Dawa before the Mid-Term Exam. If I continue to teach them after the exam, we will start with chapter-7. It was then that Takur Sing, the class captain was heard saying: Sir, we’d like you to teach us English after the exam …”

“I would love to teach you even after the exam, despite my heavy workload”, I answered back, feeling extremely happy with the way the day had rolled on.

BEGINNING CHAPTER - 5 WITH A NEW OUTLOOK, 2016. (2)

Contd from pg 1/-

A couple of students were absent in the class today due to sickness and a couple more, due to the preparation with their model for the Science Exhibition. So, I decided that instead of continuing with the last 4 pages of Chapter-5, it would be worthwhile to try to keep the students on track and not letting them stray away.

As usual, in the last period, I asked them to try to answer 17 objective type questions from the pages we have done so far, within 30 minutes (they were given 25 minutes though). The total marks for the questions were 20 and most of the questions could be answered in 2/3 words or in 1 sentence at the most. 3 of the questions ( Nos. X, XV and XVI) required to be answered in 2 sentences.

After the given time, I asked them to exchange their Note Books and mark their friends’ copies. I wanted them to ask me, one after another, for the answers, but they did not have time to copy down the questions while writing their answers, so I read out the questions once more in the next 10 minutes and some students raised their hands to give away the answers. It was disheartening to find only 4 students raising their hands frequently.  Anyway, at the end, I found out that Sonam Zangmo A was the only one to have answered all the questions correctly. Well, almost, as she made one mistake. 8 more students got more than 75% and 2 students could not even score 50%!

I reminded them therefore, of the importance of studying the novel seriously line by line and the importance of asking questions even regarding the meaning of unfamiliar words ( flatulent, for example) and expressions. As there was a few minutes still left, I decided to make hay by summarizing the content of the pages done so far once more along with the students. Fortunately, I had forgotten to talk about the role of Gelong Ma Pelmo the first time I was talking about the aged couple in Changangkha Lhakhang, Fortunately, because this made the students to realize the need to write down the points sequentially for exam purposes. I remembered her just in the nick of time to deal with the couple talking about her leprosy more appropriately and how she got cured by meditating in the cave in Tang. One thing I liked about summarizing was the way I tried to include the exact words of the answers to the questions they were asked earlier.

On the whole, the last two days have been quite an enriching and exciting teaching-learning experience for me. And was I not happy not to have wasted a single minute of the instructional time today? God willing, I want the trend to be continued till the end of the academic year.

The following are the questions they were asked in the last period:

       I.          Chapter-5 is entitled ……………………………..? Ans:- Chapter-5 is entitled Dawa Runs Away.

     II.          What was Dawa’s usual place of solace?    Ans:- Dawa’s usual place of solace Is The National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu.

    III.          How did Dawa get mange?  Ans:- Dawa got mange from an unguarded/unprotected encounter with the fluffy dog.

   IV.          Why did that dog never show up any symptoms of mange?  Ans:- The fluffy dog never showed up any symptoms of mange because she was taken to the doctor by her owner for a check-up regularly.

     V.          When did Dawa notice the aged couple sitting near him?  Ans:- Dawa noticed the aged couple sitting near him close to the evening time.

   VI.          What/who were the aged couple talking about?  Ans:- The aged couple was talking about a common friend.

  VII.          What happened to the friend?  Ans:- She was very ill and perhaps dying.

VIII.          Who was Gelong Ma Pelmo? Ans:- She was a princess.

    IX.          What was wrong with her?  Ans:- She had/ suffered from leprosy.

     X.          How was she cured?  Ans:- She cured herself of leprosy by praying and meditating in a cave in Tang for many years.

    XI.          What happened to her finally?  Ans:- She attained enlightenment finally.

  XII.          When the aged couple tried to shoo Dawa away, how did he feel? Ans:- He felt ashamed of himself.

XIII.          What caused Dawa flatulence?  Ans:- Dal with a lot of fried onions caused Dawa flatulence.

XIV.          Why would Dawa not go near Dampa?  Ans:- Dawa would not go near Dampa for the fear of infecting him with mange.

  XV.          What did Dawa ask the teenager dog to tell Dampa?  Ans:- Dawa asked the teenager dog to tell Dampa that a friend wished to see him and he was waiting down there near the steps.

XVI.          What risks Dawa would have to take if he ran away from Thimphu? Ans:- If he ran away from Thimphu, the dogs in his area would chase him and try to kill him. The guard dogs in the other territories would attack him and tear him apart.

XVII.          Where was the black, brown Damche dog born and brought up?  Ans;_ The black, brown damche dog was born and brought up in a loving and caring family in Trongsa.

BEGINNING CHAPTER - 5 WITH A NEW OUTLOOK, 2016.

Today the lesson went off rather well. Yesterday’s Test became null and void due to the Mock Drill on Earthquake. So at the start of the class, I informed them about my intention of conducting it next week. They will have to answer two short questions but the only difference next time will be instead of chapter-4, the questions may be set from any of the chapters done so far.

After the prepared speech delivered by Rinchen Dorji, I started off with a summary of Chapter-4 once more. I asked them then to turn to Chapter-5 and spent some time discussing the topic of the chapter based on the title: Dawa Runs Away. They were mainly talking about his fear of turning out to be an underdog and being ill-treated by the other dogs. I told them they were right but there may be other reasons why Dawa decided to run away. Who knows most probably, he was suffering from a dangerous disease or something. After all, he is no coward.  

Later, when Dawa sought out the Memorial Chorten for solace, as he was suffering from the deadly disease of mange and when he recollected words of the utility of distancing oneself from the crowds at times, I put in my feeling that it is better to distance ourselves from our relatives and friends at times in order to take stock of things.

Sitting under the bush in the compound of the Chorten, as Dawa observed the interactions of the humans and the dogs, he noticed people being phobic of some of the dogs straying on their way, I shared with them my own experience and the resultant phobia of dogs. The year was 2003. I was working at Jakar Higher Secondary School in Bumthang. As I was waiting for the Captain (they were not called Councillors then) to lock up the collapsible gate of the Administrative Building after the Evening Study, suddenly the lights went off, covering the whole area under a blanket of darkness. Luckily, I was staying in the teachers’ quarters, some 1 minute's distance from the Administrative Block. The captain had vanished into thin air by then as I thought it best to hurry up to my place. Two huge black dogs emerged right then in front of me from nowhere. In Bumthang you have this gigantic dogs that look like the bear. I was scared to the pit of my stomach at the very sight of the monsters. I tried to look for a stick or something to save myself. But when fear takes a steady grip on you, your mind does not work sanely any more. I lost my balance up the stiff, narrow path in the half-walk-half-run state and fell face down. I was expecting the Devil disguised as the dogs to tear me apart. Surprisingly, the last of them I saw was both the dogs in the air with their front feet stretched and their mouths snarling and foaming. I do not know why I was spared by them that sinister evening. I only fractured my left hand! But the phobia was their greatest parting gift to me. So, I told the class, it is just natural for many to fear dogs and to try to avoid them at any cost.

When Dawa was saddened by the negative attitude of humans, encouraging their kids to be cruel to animals by kicking the dog out of their way, I did not let go of the chance to impart some values to them as well. One should never be cruel to the other animals in this world. I shared with them the essay we are doing in Class-XI these days. It is about a tribe called the Touaregs living in the Sahara desert. This once upon a time prosperous tribe, who had led a picture perfect life earlier, are starving sans food, sans clothes, sans everything. The only thing they are left with now is their civility. Their civility, kindness and compassion is what makes them unique under the trying circumstances. Despite their poverty and hunger, they make dinner for the author with the meat they have been saving for the harder times! This is what we must be like – gentle, kind, polite and helpful to others even under the most horrid circumstances.

As we got closer to finding out the reason for Dawa getting afflicted with mange – his encounter with ‘the fluffy dog with the fluffiest tail’, I reminded them to be careful while making friends. Someone may smell divine and desirable as a result of wearing a perfume, but from inside s/he may be thoroughly rotten. So, they, especially the girls, need to be very cautious of the charmers, snuggling upto them for the kill.

Finally, when Dawa realized that he had spent the whole day in the chorten, he noticed the elderly couple sitting near him. He also heard them talking about Faith and Miracles. I told them in this context, never to lose faith in God and in their own selves. Faith and miracles, I further added, can work out miracles. Then, all on a sudden, something clicked somewhere in my mind. We hear our Principal Sir, Mr. Namgay Wangchuk, talking about the importance of the Morning Assembly and the Prayer everyday to our students time and again. So here was a chance to tell them to pray more seriously during the prayer time. Even if they find a friend in the next line, chatting animatedly with another friend unseen by the teachers, they should not let themselves be influenced by others and pray with their whole heart. This prayer will stand them in good stead and heal all kinds of wounds – physical, mental and intellectual in due course of time.

I looked at my watch and realized there was still time to do one more paragraph at the cost of not being able to summarize the pages studied together at the end. I asked Sonam Zangmo to continue. The main points could be summarized in the next class. I tried my best to talk about the important points after their readings and explanations. As they seemed to be enjoying the story, why not make hay while the sun shines? The lesson was, to be honest about it, exhausting but enjoyable and that is what counts in the final analysis.

Contd on pg 2/-

Little Things In A Lesson Make A Vast Difference.

Contd from Dawa Gets Panicky.

While answering Q.No.2, Thakur Singh was found to have written the correct points but made it quite lengthy in the process. I asked him to try to keep things simple as the question could have been answered in on sentence:

Dawa was target Number One on the hit list of the Leader of Territories as he had opposed the move to entrust the Leader of Territories with the additional post of the Leader of Population Expansion.

Regarding Q.No.4, the class was informed that so many things can be written about the disgraced Leader of Warnings and Signals like:

ü  Once he was a very popular leader with a huge fan following.

ü  He was then the life of every gathering.

ü  On that fatal day, he was actually entertaining some of his friends,

ü  Now, as an underdog, he can be seen moving about keeping a safe distance from the other dogs.

ü  He is broken in spirit and body.

ü  There is always a look of terror on his face, etc.

For some reasons, I do hope and pray that I was able to get my message across. Tomorrow they will have to answer 2/3 short questions and their papers will be evaluated for the CA (Continuous Assessment) records. This is very important as a certain percentage of the marks they secure in the Class Work, will be added to their Mid-Year marks for English-II.

QUESTIONS;

1. Who were the three most powerful dog leaders of Thimphu? ( For the answer, please refer to the earlier section of this blog) 
2. .Why was Dawa target number one on the hit list of the Leader of Territories? ( Please refer to the earlier section as well)
3. .  Why was the former Leader of Warnings and Signals made to resign? ( The answer has been discussed earlier).
4.  Write two things you have learnt about the former Leader of Warnings and Signals. ( For the answer, refer to the earlier part of this blog).
5. What was the reply when Dawa asked his ardent supporters what they thought about a fallen leader?Ans:- The reply was that a fallen leader should be treated according to the dog rules.
6. What was the only difference between Dawa and the other dog leaders? Ans:- The only difference between Dawa and the other dog leaders was, while the other leaders enjoyed their positions, Dawa worried and fretted about his post. 

As i was coming out of the class, something written above the green board caught my eyes:

ALONE WE ARE MERE DROPS, BUT TOGETHER WE ARE THE MIGHTY OCEAN. How very true!