Looking back

I think 20 years is a long time. Yes, 20 years back, there were more happy times than unhappy times. Our parents must have worried for all of us; maybe sometime the worry was too much to carry. But us, children did not know much. Or I think my elder siblings did know more about life and the hardship of a farmer. But me? I was not totally pampered but I saw less hardship than all of them.

One winter when my brother was helping my father in the woods, the axe accidentally fell on his foot, leaving him in bed for many weeks. Despite the pain he was going through, we would have happy times. I remember being by his side all the time. We would always write something. And what I still remember to the last is the katsom that we composed. It is in Sharchop, a dialect spoken by the people from the east. I don’t know how much input I gave. Maybe I was only a mere spectator.

My friend Lhadon (who is now in the village and a mother of 3 children) and I would sing it at the tshechus. For a few weeks, I kept thinking of the katsom. And that made me think I should write it on my blog. Maybe I already wrote before. I’m forgetful. But I go on and write here anyway.

Ka ra ku ru aney

Kha lu lo rang nyong la

Ga dong dang ney goth pa

Nga ma bi dang ga dang

Cha la lek pu chho ney

Chharo mang pu oona

Ja thur ja mey dak ney

Nya gai tha gai shek la

Taka mangpha dak pa

Tha dang damtshi tshat pe

Dari lek pu a khan

Na shi sem ka thai na

Pa pa ma ma dak ney

Pha ma kawa chat pa

Ba ling min ga to tai

Ma ma dak ney yek pa

Tsa ka ling ga de la

Tsha lu za le lam la

Za ti tab khan meme

Wak tsa da bu ana

Zha wa zhi wa da bu

Za ney yip ney ma chhoi

Wa wur mak chhen pha la

Ya lu thur rang mang pha

Ra ba shi sha da bu

La lung gai ney ma dey

Sha rang chhang lu gang ka

Sa ra sey rey tshat pe

Ha rang chhat ney mar ba

Apa ama ka drin

Loosely translated, it goes thus:

Busy working here and there

Not many utter good words for me

Walking up and down for work

My limbs ache

If you have nice things

Many surround you

When you have tea to drink

People come from here and there

You could say it is ok

But you need faithfulness and integrity

What good people have done you this year

You must keep in mind

Calling papa and mama to food and drink

You gave your parents so much hardship

Food prepared from white rice

You called it mama

When you go to a place called Tsakaling

You want to eat oranges

A man who snubs tobacco

Acts like a child

Like a handicap

Don’t you always eat and sleep

When mighty roaring war comes

Things won’t be so easy

Like goats and sheep

Don’t try to go away crossing many mountains

When your hair hasn’t turned grey

You gotta be more active and fruitful

You stand surprised that all has turned good

But it is only because your parents made it all for you

Note: Some stanzas are little out of context but such prose are composed at the whim of a mind, unlike serious writings where you have to think and re-think of themes, sentences and paragraphs.

I think Bhutan could actually organize katsom competition where participants should come forward and compose extempore.