Page 52 - BHUTAN 2007

and successfully. We learned about the hydroelectric plant that sells India
excess electricity for hard currency and were told that another such power

facility is under construction now. We saw growing entrepreneurship in our

own young guide who owns and operates a snooker parlor in Thimphu and

has bigger plans to become a builder through a business plan involving the

hiring of experienced Indian workers through companies in India. Bhutanese
workers do not have the skills possessed by the Indians, according to

Kelzang. We saw that technology is already changing the way business is

done in the country. Computers and the Internet are available and utilized.

There are cell phones and television for mass communications. Bhutan is

busily expanding its economy and bringing prosperity to its people. No
doubt the first goal is being met.

The second pillar to achieve a happy society is the preservation and

promotion of Bhutan’s cultural values. The capital city’s National Museum,

National Library, National School of the Arts, The National School of Music
and National Hospital for Traditional Medicine are tangible proofs of the

government’s support of these aspects of the culture. The Museum houses,

preserves and displays artifacts from the country’s history, including tools,

clothing, weapons, and statuary. The National Library is a repository for the

ancient Buddhists scriptures and commentaries. It is also in the process of
acquiring books on the history of the country and its place in Asian history

as well as copies of books published in Bhutan. There is also an effort to

collect copies of books written by Bhutanese authors. At the National School

of the Arts, talented students are admitted and supported with government

stipends so they can learn the 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan, such
as weaving, tailoring, metal, wood, and stone carving, drum making,

religious painting, and gold, silver and iron smithing. The students who

successfully complete these strenuous courses, lasting from two to six years,

are guaranteed employment in government projects but are also