Cultural Diversity And Resilience

6 Cultural Diversity and Resilience* Sangay Chophel**

6.1 Introduction The significance of cultural diversity for humanity is now being increasingly recognised by several international organisations. The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity represents the first international instrument aimed at promoting cultural diversity. Developing cultural resilience is also given importance, which can be understood as the culture’s capacity to maintain and develop cultural identity, knowledge and practices, and able to overcome challenges and difficulties from other norms and ideals. The key importance of culture, as I perceive, includes: to instill values for the full development of human being, to meet spiritual and emotional needs, to temper the pace of modernisation and the negative impacts of globalisation, to safeguard and strengthen the country’s sovereignty and security, to develop resilience, and to promote diversity for meaningful contribution. Culture is a concept that cannot be easily explicated and quantified. As such, not all variables of culture are included in this study; priority was given to those that have a strong relation to one’s sense of well-being. The data was largely collected based on existing cultural practices, values and norms as traditionally laid out in Bhutan. This paper attempts to assess the strength and relevance of various aspects of culture in Bhutan through the perceptions of respondents towards basic cultural elements such as language; sense of identity; core values, change in values, beliefs, norms, and customs; and participation in various cultural activities, such The questionnaire for the survey was jointly designed by the author and Tashi Choden, researcher at the Centre for Bhutan Studies. Some of the text from the brief introduction she wrote on culture has been used in this paper. ** Publication Officer, The Centre for Bhutan Studies. *

Cultural Diversity and Resilience as festivals, sports, and songs. Also, a modest attempt has been made to see whether Bhutanese culture as a whole is capable of maintaining and developing itself in spite of challenges from other ideals and norms - a feature of cultural resilience.

6.2 Survey Two surveys were carried out. The first one was carried out from October 2006 till March 2007, which covered nine dzongkhags. During the second survey, which was carried out in December 2007 to March 2008, some of the questions were revised and was administered in remaining eleven dzongkhags. Altogether, the two surveys covered 1300 respondents. This paper analyzes language variable using the combined data from both the surveys and rest of the variables are analysed based on the data collected during the second survey which covered 950 respondents.

6.3 Result 6.3.1

Language

Language is a human characteristic and is needed for full participation in any society. Understanding the mother tongue and speaking it fluently may indicate the strength of the language, and the degree to which people are able to retain their culture and to pass it on to subsequent generations. This is one of the first surveys to collect data on first language and how people can understand and speak their mother tongue. The National Statistical Bureau has done a survey on spoken language, presumably referring to mother tongue, but not on language competency. Singye Namgyel (2003) asked questions on language competency but the sample was not representative of the whole population - questions were asked only to educators and students. Table 6.1 shows the diversity of language in Bhutan (n=1251). The first linguistic survey of Bhutan identified nineteen different languages spoken in Bhutan.1 Since the present survey did not ask the language questions in each and every village in Bhutan, not all the languages could Driem, George Van (2004). “Bhutan’s endangered languages documentation programme under the Dzongkha Development Authority: The three rare gems,” in Ura, Karma and Kinga, Sonam (eds.) The Spider and the Piglet. Thimphu: The Centre for Bhutan Studies, p. 295. 1

149

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings be covered. However, the languages that are shown in the table are representative of the country as a whole since the data covers all the twenty dzongkhags in Bhutan. The proportions of people speaking their mother tongues are shown from the survey as well from the Population and Housing Census of Bhutan. Data reveals that more respondents speak Sharchop followed by Dzongkha. Table 6.1 First language as % of total respondents Types of language Tshangla (Shachop) Dzongkha Khengkha Nepali (Lhotshamkha) Cho-ca-nga-ca-kha (Kurichu valley) Bumtapkha Dzalakha Kurtop Lhokpu Monpakha Nyenkha (Henkha or Mangdebikha) Dakpakha B'okha (Tibetan) Chalikha Adabashi

% (Survey) 37.3 24.6 9.6 8.6 7.7 4.2 2.5 1.9 1.4 1.0 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1

% (PHCB) 27.3 23.1 5.5 20.9 1.9 1.9 0.7 2.9 0.4 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3

92.8% of the respondents (n=1252) reported that they could understand their first language very well, 6.9% reported that they could understand quite well, 0.3% reported that they could understand only a little, and there were none who could not understand their first language at all. 92.5% of the respondents (n=1252) could speak their first language very well, 6.8% could speak quite well, 0.7% could speak only a little, and there were none who could not speak their first language at all. This indicates that the health of the first language as a whole is good. 6.3.2

Sense of identity

Identifying oneself with a cultural group or groups is essential for overall well-being. A sense of identity is also known to correlate with social capital. A person can choose to have multiple identities, while the decision to accord the relative importance of one over another is entirely up to the individual. For this, choice and critical reflection and reasoning are needed. Without a sense of identity individuals’ resiliency power may also be weakened. 150

Cultural Diversity and Resilience

Identity may mean different things to different people, depending on the importance they give in relation to their own existence. Traditions of a society can also influence one’s sense of identity, as these are usually well-rooted practices that exhibit cultural values and norms. ‘Bhutanese traditions’ is a very broad term that encompasses customs, rituals, religious ceremonies, traditional dress, sports, music, dance, poetry, arts, code of behaviour, among others. Therefore, one single question asking about the importance of maintaining Bhutanese traditions within everyday life is an important indicator of how desirable and relevant such practices are to the Bhutanese people. When asked how important it is to maintain the Bhutanese traditions within their everyday life, 86.3% of the respondents (n=945) reported that is very important and 12.6% reported that it is important. It is worth noting that 1.1% of the respondents think it is not important as there are those who view culture and tradition as remains of the past and therefore, not necessarily in tune with changing times. This kind of perception tells us that for tradition to be appealing and relevant, the values and meanings behind such practices must be better understood in order to be appreciated by our own people. These respondents were mostly young people falling in the age group 0-17 years, as 3.4% of them reported that it is not important to maintain Bhutanese traditions within their everyday life. Table 6.2 Importance of maintaining Bhutanese traditions by age group Age category

0-17

Count

18-30

% within age category Count

31-45

% within age category Count

46-60

% within age category Count

How important is it to you to maintain Bhutanese traditions within your everyday life? Not Very important Important important 2 12 44

Total

58

3.4%

20.7%

75.9%

100.0%

4

55

325

384

1.0%

14.3%

84.6%

100.0%

3

28

235

266

1.1%

10.5%

88.3%

100.0%

1

18

153

172

151

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings

Above 60

% within age category Count

Total

% within age category Count % within age category

6.3.3 6.3.3.1

.6%

10.5%

89.0%

100.0%

0

6

57

63

.0%

9.5%

90.5%

100.0%

10

119

814

943

1.1%

12.6%

86.3%

100.0%

Values, beliefs, norms and customs Values

Values indicate what is right and important in life, and influences our behaviours. It drives the development of society, and contributes to happiness. Traditional Bhutanese values address the individual’s relationship with nature, with others in society and individual selfdiscipline; all sentient beings need to be respected. The survey incorporated questions that address attitudes and perceptions of the Bhutanese people on values such as tha damtshig, which stands for sacred commitment to others in society (Wangyel 2001), the importance of life priorities, and the importance for children to learn qualities at home. The survey also included questions on change in values, justification on non-virtuous acts, and the importance of folk tales because of the values contained in it. 6.3.3.1.1

Tha damtshig

To assess the strength of tha damtshig respondents were asked to what extent they agree to the following statements: 1. 2. 3.

One must always love and respect parents. Both husband and wife should maintain a faithful happy marriage. One must always maintain tha damtshig between poen and yog.

These questions have been adapted to the values traditionally accorded to relationships between parent and child (pha da bhushi gi damtshig); husband and wife (nyen da drok gi damtshig); and master and servant (peon da yok gi damtshig, whereby the master should ensure the welfare of his servant, and the servant should serve with dedication).

152

Cultural Diversity and Resilience 99.9% of the respondents (n=949) agreed that one must always love and respect parents, 0.1% neither agreed nor disagreed, and there were none who disagreed to the statement. 99.2% of the respondents (n=949) agreed that both husband and wife should maintain a faithful and happy marriage, 0.8% neither agreed nor disagreed, and there were none who disagreed to the statement. 99.5% of the respondents (n=950) agreed that one must always maintain tha damtshig between poen and yog, 0.3% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 0.2% disagreed to the statement. Hence, it can be said that the strength of tha damtshig is strong in Bhutan. 6.3.3.1.2

Life priorities

The importance that people assign to certain life priorities or goals can indicate where society might be heading in terms of steering the course of cultural and societal well-being. This is addressed by asking the respondents to indicate the importance they assign to some selected life priorities. Table 6.3 Importance of life goals as % of respondents Life goals Family life Responsibility Career success Spiritual faith Financial security Compassion Friendship Generosity Material wealth Reciprocity Freedom Pleasure

Not important 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.6 2.1 1.6 2.3

Somewhat important 4.8 7.9 9.4 12.0 12.1 16.8 18.8 20.2 20.1 22.5 27.7 33.6

Very important 95.1 91.8 90.3 87.7 87.5 82.8 81.1 79.3 79.2 75.4 70.7 64.0

N 950 949 949 950 947 948 950 949 949 948 948 948

Figure 6.1 shows the importance of life priorities. Family life was rated as the most important goal in life, but the respondents think that other Bhutanese people do not consider family life as important as they do when assessed by them. They consider that other Bhutanese people value financial security as the most important goal, which is in fact a competitive goal that does not increase one’s happiness. On the other hand pursuing goals like family life and spirituality can increase one’s happiness.

153

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings

Figure 6.1 Life priorities as % of respondents reporting it as very important Importance of life goals/ priorities 100 90 80

84.7 79.2 79.3

Percent

75.4 69.2 70.772.2 68.8 70 64.0

69.2

81.1

82.8

69.7

87.5

95.1 91.8 90.3 87.0 84.0 79.9 77.5

88.9 87.7

71.1

60 50 40 30 20 10

Pl ea su re Fr ee do m Re ci pr M oc at ity er ia lw ea lth G en er os ity Fr ie nd sh ip C om pa Fi ss na io nc n ia ls ec ur Sp ity iri tu al fa C ith ar ee rs uc ce Re ss sp on sib ili ty Fa m ily lif e

0

Self reported

Assessment on other people

Table 6.4 shows that the differences are larger between self-reported and assessment on how other people accord the importance to responsibility, friendship, compassion, family life, spiritual faith, generosity and reciprocity, indicating that society is not as good as we think. It indicates that society is moving in the direction other than what we want. The differences are smaller when it comes to priorities that are concerned mostly with oneself, such as material wealth, pleasure, career success, freedom, and financial security that do not benefit others much. Table 6.4 Difference between self reported and assessment on how other people accord the importance (reporting very important) to the following life priorities as % of respondents Life goals/ priorities Responsibility Friendship Compassion Family life Spiritual faith Generosity

154

Self reported 91.8 81.1 82.8 95.1 87.7 79.3

Assessment on other people 79.9 69.7 71.1 84.0 77.5 69.2

Difference 11.9 11.3 11.7 11.1 10.2 10.1

Cultural Diversity and Resilience Reciprocity Material wealth Pleasure Career success Freedom Financial security 6.3.3.1.3

75.4 79.2 64.0 90.3 70.7 87.5

68.8 84.7 69.2 87.0 72.2 88.9

6.6 5.5 5.2 3.3 1.6 1.4

Change in values

With the passage of time, values undergo changes due to various forces, and it will be very useful to observe its pattern of changes. An increase in values, such as tolerance, compassion and spiritual faith, which are indicators of resilience, would enhance one’s ability to overcome adversity. Table 6.5 Changes in values of people in general as % of respondents during the last few years Values

More

Spirituality Compassion Tolerance Honesty Concern about material wealth Selfishness

64.9 58.7 45.9 35.1 81.7 43.5

Stayed the same 24.8 30.8 36.3 38.6 17.1 37.6

Less

N

10.3 10.4 17.8 26.3 1.2 19

944 938 937 927 941 932

Table 6.5 shows that more than 50% of the respondents reported that most people in Bhutan have become more spiritual and compassionate over the last few years. 45.9% reported that they have become more tolerant, and only 35.1% reported that they have become more honest. 81.7% reported that most people have become more concerned about material wealth. This either indicates that people are becoming more materialistic or wealth is needed because of the shortage in this area. And 43.5% reported that they have become more selfish. If this is really true the happiness of the people would be adversely affected. 6.3.3.1.4

Importance of qualities for children to learn at home

To make better human beings children should be encouraged to learn qualities in order to meaningfully contribute to societal well-being. A set of qualities were identified and respondents were asked to indicate how important each of them are for children to learn at home. Respect for parents and discipline (drig) was considered as the most important qualities for children to learn, and there were comparatively fewer respondents according more importance to independence. 155

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings

Table 6.6 Importance of qualities for children to learn as % of respondents Qualities Independence Tolerance for other people (Zoepa) Impartiality Helping neighbours Obedience to authority Honesty Hard work Caring for family members and relatives Respect for elders Discipline (Drig) Respect for parents 6.3.3.1.5

Not important 5.2 0.8

Somewhat important 17.5 15.3

Very important 76.5 83.9

Don’t know 0.8 0

N

4.2 0.2

10 11.2

84.9 88.5

0.8 0.1

948 948

0.2

5.6

94.1

0.1

948

0.2 0.2 0.2

4 3.4 2.5

95.8 96.3 97.2

0 0.1 0.1

945 948 948

0.2 0.2 0.2

2.1 2 1.5

97.7 97.8 98.3

0 0 0

949 948 949

948 948

Justification on non-virtuous acts

Table 6.7 shows that the perception of the respondents on actions that are not considered virtuous - killing, rape, stealing, lying, harmful thoughts, suicide, creating disharmony in human relations, harsh and offensive speech, gossip (frivolous speech), and sexual misconduct - essentially drawn from Buddhist values, and on some debatable acts like divorce, abortion and prostitution. A high percentage of the respondents reported that these acts can never be justified. Divorce was the only issue where comparatively fewer respondents reported that it can never be justified. Table 6.7 Justification on non-virtuous acts as % of respondents Non-virtuous acts Divorce Gossip (frivolous speech) Lying Harsh and offensive speech

156

Can never be justified 68.1 80.1 82.1 86.6

Can sometimes be justified 30.8 18.8

Can always be justified 1.1 1.2

Don’t know

N

0 0

948 949

17.9 12.9

0 0.4

0 0

950 950

Cultural Diversity and Resilience Abortion Killing Harmful thoughts Prostitution Stealing Sexual misconduct Suicide Creating disharmony in human relations Rape 6.3.3.1.6

92.4 93.2 93.3 94.0 94.4 94.4 95.4

96.7 98.6

6.7 6.3 6.4

0.2 0.4 0.2

0.6 0.1 0.1

950 950 949

5.4 5.3 5.0

0.1 0.3 0.2

0.5 0 0.4

949 950 949

3.9 3.0

0.5 0.3

0.2 0

949 949

0.9

0.1

0.3

949

Folk tales

For oral transmission of values, folk tales serve as an important vehicle. 62.5% of the respondents (n=950) reported that folktales are very important to learn because of the values contained in it, 33.8% reported that it is important, 1.6% reported that it is not important, and 2.1% reported that they don’t know whether it is important to learn folk tales. There was lower percentage of urban respondents reporting that folk tales are very important than rural respondents as shown in table 6.8. Further, the percentage of respondents according importance to folk tales was comparatively lower in Thimphu, which is essentially an urban area, than other dzongkhags, as shown in figure 6.2. Only 45.5% of the respondents from Thimphu reported that it is very important to learn folk tales. This indicates that transmission of values through folk tales is declining in urban areas and, particularly, in Thimphu. Table 6.8 Importance of folk tales by area of residence Area of residence

Rural

Count

Urban

% within area of residence Count % within

Importance of folk tales Not ImporVery important tant important 12 244 520

Don't know 15

Total

1.5%

30.8%

65.7%

1.9%

100.0%

3

77

74

5

159

1.9%

48.4%

46.5%

3.1%

100.0%

791

157

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings area of residence Count

Total

% within area of residence

15

321

594

20

950

1.6%

33.8%

62.5%

2.1%

100.0%

Figure 6.2 Importance of folk tales by dzongkhags Importance of folk tales

90 81.8

80

74.6 73.8

% of respondents

70

69.0 66.7

60 50

61.0

60.7 59.0 56.6 54.2

Not Important

50.8 45.5

40

Important Very important Don't know

30 20 10

Pe m

Ta sh

H

aa ig an g

ag at sh el G as W a an Ts gd ira ue ng ph od ra Ta ng sh Sa iy m an dr gt up se jo ng kh ar Sa m ts e D ag an Zh a em ga ng Th im ph u

0

6.3.3.2

Attitudes and beliefs

With the passage of time, it becomes useful to track the changes in, and the applicability of, traditional beliefs in communities. We need to determine whether such attitudes and beliefs are valid and appropriate for living harmoniously together in society. If not, its practice or promotion could have some negative consequences to the society. Some key beliefs were extracted to document the views on attitudes and beliefs, which also highlight gender inequality.

158

Cultural Diversity and Resilience

Figure 6.3 Beliefs related to gender Beliefs related to gender 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

% of respondents

80.5

74.3 62.1

55.3

26.2 12.4 7.1 An education is more important for a boy than a girl

Disagree Agree

34.8

11.7

Neutral 9.9

15.1

10.7

On the Women are Females tend whole, men more suited to carry drip make better for domestic leaders than work than women do men

A high percentage of the respondents disagreed to the statements that are general in nature, such as an education is more important for a boy than a girl and that, on the whole, men make better leaders than women do, but a high percentage of the respondents agreed to statements that were related to customs, such as women are more suited for domestic work than men and that women carry drip (drip can be roughly translated as impurities, for example women are believed to carry drip so that they are not allowed to enter the inner sanctum of the temples), indicating that people give more priority to customs than gender issues. Even females themselves reported that women carry drip more than males as shown in figure 6.4. 76.6% of the female respondents reported that women carry drip whereas there were 71.9% of male respondents. Figure 6.4 Females carry drip by gender

% of respondents

Females carry drip by gender 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

71.9

76.6

Male

Agree

Female

16.2 13.9

11.8 9.4

Disagree

Neutral

Do you agree that females carry drip?

159

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings

There were comparatively more rural respondents (75.6%) than urban respondents (67.3%) reporting than females carry drip as shown in figure 6.5. Figure 6.5 Females carry drip by area of residence

% of respondents

Females carry drip by area of residence 75.6

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

67.3

14.1

Agree

Rural Urban

20.0 10.3

Disagree

12.7

Neutral

Do you agree that females carry drip?

6.3.3.3

Customs and traditions

6.3.3.3.1

Duezang

In Bhutan, duezang (roughly translated as auspicious days) are observed to accumulate merit, to pre-empt any unknown forces that could cause misfortune, or to recover from afflictions. There are myriad ways of observing duezang in Bhutan. On this, a high percentage (86.8%) of the respondents observe duezang by lighting butter lamps followed by visiting lhakhangs/nyes/chortens and by reciting prayers as shown in figure 6.6. Figure 6.6 Ways of observing duezang as % of respondents (n=950) Ways of observing duezang 86.8

Lighting buttter lamps

57.4

Visiting lhakhangs/ngyes/chortens

47.1

Reciting prayer

16.7

Making offerings to gods

11.4

Refraining from doing farm work

9.5

Performing prostration

9.2

Chanting/reciting mantras

6.4

Carrying out religious ceremonies

2

Other ways of observing duezang

1.4

Refraining from eating/serving meat

160

Hoisting prayer flags

1.2

Refraining from killing animlas

0.9

Fasting

0.8 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Cultural Diversity and Resilience

Visiting lhakhangs (temples), carrying out religious ceremonies, and releasing animals from slaughter are Buddhist intermediary attentiontraining techniques for practicing spirituality and stilling the mind. Such techniques are known to bring about predictable changes in brain and immune function, and subsequently increase the subjective well-being of the individual. 6.3.3.3.2

Astrologers

In addition to observing duezang, people consult astrologers, which have significance on the well-being of the individuals, from time to time on important matters, such as for the general overview of the year for the well-being of family members and for specific occasions and activities to be undertaken. 78.1% of the respondents (n=950) reported that they consult astrologers for matters related to them and their family’s wellbeing as against 21.9% who reported that they do not consult astrologers. 6.3.3.3.3

Driglam Namzha

Driglam Namzha (etiquette and code of conduct) is the most commonly practised cultural heritage in Bhutan, and known to contribute to order and harmony in society. Its distinctiveness and uniqueness serve to form one of the several aspects of the identity of Bhutan. So, it makes sense to ask its importance. 93.7% of the respondents (n=950) reported that Driglam Namzha is very important, 5.9% reported that it is important and 0.4% reported that it is not important. 61% of the respondents (n=940) reported that Driglam Namzha is getting stronger, 23% reported that it had stayed the same, and 16% reported that it is getting weaker during the past 12 months. 6.3.4 6.3.4.1

Participation in cultural activities Local festivals

A local festival is an event where social and cultural capital develops. Also, such activities foster a certain sense of cultural identity. 89% of the respondents (n=947) reported that they take part in the local festivals in their community, 8.2% reported that they do not take part in the local festivals and 2.7% reported that there is no such events in their community. As age increases participation in local festivals increases, and as education level increases participation in local festivals decreases, as 161

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings shown in figure 6.7 and 6.8 respectively. This shows that youth and those who have higher qualification do not give much importance to local festivals, and implicitly Bhutanese culture in general. Figure 6.7 Participation in local festivals by age Participation in local festivals by age 100

% of respondents

95

93

94

94

90 85

84

80

80

75 70 0-17

18-30

31-45

46-60

Above 60

Figure 6.8 Participation in local festivals by education level Participation in local festivals by education level 100 90

95

90

% of respondents

80

85 74

70

64

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 No formal education

1-6

7-10

11-12

Further education

Respondents in the highest income bracket (income more than Nu. one lakh) took part in local festivals comparatively less than other income levels. Once again, this shows that higher income people do not give much importance to local festivals. It must be noted though that most of 162

Cultural Diversity and Resilience the respondents who earned more than Nu. one lakh per year were mostly from urban areas. Figure 6.9 Participation in local festivals by income level Participation in local festivals by income 93.9 93.1

% of respondents

95

88.3

90 85

80.9

80 75 70 Less than 15000

15001-50000 50001-100000

>100000

As shown in figure 6.10, participation in local festivals was comparatively lower in Thimphu than other dzongkhags. The level of participation was highest in Tashigang. Figure 6.10 Participation in local festivals by dzongkhags Participation in local festivals by dzongkhags % of respondents

120 100

99.3 96.6 94.5 94.0 92.9 91.5 90.6 89.0 88.3 88.1 84.1

80

64.4

60 40 20

G

as a Pe H m aa a Ta gat sh sh e iy an l Zh gts em e ga ng D ag an Sa a W m an t gd Ts s e i u r Sa e a m pho ng dr d up ra j o ng ng k Th har im ph u

Ta sh i

ga n

g

0

When asked about the importance of participating in local festivals, 85.6% of the respondents (n=933) reported that it is important, 12.9%

163

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings reported that it is somewhat important and 1.5% reported that it is not important. 89.7% of the respondents (n=906) reported that local festivals is getting vibrant, 9.7% reported that it is declining, and 0.6% reported that it has been discontinued. The reasons for deteriorating community festivals are shown in figure 6.11. The main reasons are less faith in such practices, modernisation process and influence of western culture. This calls for the need to strengthen traditions and customs to temper the influence of western culture. Figure 6.11 Reasons for deteriorating local festivals Reasons for deteriorating community festivals Less faith in such practices Modernisation process Influence of western culture Out-migration High expenditure Busy/time constraints Children do not maintain these practices Poor knowledge about local festivals Lack of cooperation in the community Not performing according to the rule No monks/paws to continue Others Practice involves killing animals Government restrictions Influence of scientific education

31.2

20.4

7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 5.4 4.3 3.3 3.2 2.2 2.2 0

5

10

11.8 10.8

15.1

15 20 Percent

25

30

35

On average in a year, 56.4% of the respondents (n=932) spent between 1 to 5 days attending cultural events, such as community tshechus, festivals, etc., 19.8% spent between 6 to 12 days, 8.6% spent between 13 to 20 days, 9.3% spent more than 20 days, and 5.8% did not spent any days attending events. 6.3.4.2

Sports and games

The participation in both traditional as well as modern games and sports were captured in order to draw comparison between the two. The percentages of the respondents who played such games in the past 12 months are given in table 6.9.

164

Cultural Diversity and Resilience

Table 6.9 Frequency of playing games and sports in the past 12 months Type of sports and games

More than once a week

Traditional games Modern games

3.8% (36) 8.1% (77)

Once or twice a month 8.6% (82) 7.2% (68)

A few times a year 24.1% (229) 10.8% (103)

Never

Total

63.5% (603) 73.9% (702)

100% (950) 100% (950)

It is evident from the table that there are more respondents playing modern games more than once a week than traditional games. But there are also more respondents never playing modern games than traditional games. Altogether it shows that the level of playing sports is low in Bhutan. 6.3.4.3

Songs

The type of songs people listen to most indicates to some degree which culture has major influence on their thinking and behaviour. Listening exceedingly to foreign songs may undermine native and traditional songs, and hence their influence on the citizens. Tradition and customs are important for fostering national solidarity and security. The percentage of respondents listening to various types of song is given in table 6.10. Rigsar (modern songs), boedra (court songs) and zhungdra (traditional songs) are the keys forms of Bhutanese songs. A higher percentage of respondents listen to rigsar songs the most than zhungdra and boedra indicating that the popularity of zhungdra and boedra – essentially traditional songs - are declining. Table 6.10 Songs listened to the most as % of respondents Type of song Rigsar Zhungdra Boedra Nepali Hindi English Others

% 43.6 36.9 24.5 11.6 11.2 10.8 0.7

165

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings Listening to rigsar, boedra and zhungdra were further disaggregated by dzongkhag as these are the essential forms of Bhutanese songs plus a relatively higher percentage of the respondents listen to these songs than other songs. Of those who listen to zhungdra the most, respondents from Tashigang (a rural area) listen to zhungdra more than any other dzongkhags; of those who listen to boedra the most, respondents from Dagana (a rural area) listen to boedra more than any other dzongkhags; and of those who listen to rigsar the most, respondents from Samdrupjongkhar (an urban area as the survey was conducted in Samdrupjongkhar town) listen to rigsar more than any other dzongkhags. Further, we observe in figure 6.12 that Thimphu respondents listen to zhungdra less than any other dzongkhags. Zhungdra songs are laden with values and knowledge, but this does not mean much to them, and their tendency to assimilate values and knowledge would also be less. A similar result is shown with regard to boedra for Thimphu respondents as shown in figure 6.13. However, Thimphu falls in the upper limit (11.4% of the Thimphu respondents listen most to rigsar song as shown in figure 6.14) when it comes to listening to rigsar songs - rigsar songs contain high sounding lyrics but without much value. Figure 6.12 Listening to zhungdra most by dzongkhags Listening to zhungdra most by dzongkhags 25

% of respondents

20

19.9 15.7

15

14.5 Zhungdra

10

8.5

5

8.0

7.7

6.6

5.4

5.1

3.7

3.1

Sa m

166

Pe H aa m ag a Ta ts he sh l iy an gt se Ts ira ng G as a Sa m Th tse im ph u

Ta sh

ig an g

D a dr up gan a jo ng kh W Z a an r h gd e m ga ue n ph g od ra ng

0

1.7

Cultural Diversity and Resilience

Figure 6.13 Listening to boedra most by dzongkhags Listening to boedra most by dzongkhags 25

% of respondents

20

19.7 15.0

15

11.6 12.0

10

Boedra

9.0 9.4 5.6 6.4

5

3.9 3.4

1.7 2.1

D ag Sa m Tas an W dru hig a an p a gd jon ng ue g k ph ha r Pe odr m an ag g a Zh tsh e e Ta m l sh ga iy ng an gt Ts se ira ng G Th asa im ph u H a Sa a m ts e

0

Figure 6.14 Listening to rigsar most by dzongkhags Listening to rigsar most by dzongkhags 15.5 13.5 11.4 10.9

9.9 7.5

Rigsar

6.5 6.0 5.6 5.6 5.3 2.4

Sa m

dr up

jo ng Ta kha sh r ig Th ang Pe imp m h ag u at W sh an gd D el ue a g ph an od a ra ng Ta sh H iy aa an gt Ts se ira ng Sa m Zh t e m se ga ng G as a

% of respondents

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

6.4 Conclusion Some of key finding from this study include the following: 1. 2.

More than 92% of the respondents can understand and speak their first language very well. 86.3% of the respondents reported that it is very important to maintain Bhutanese traditions.

167

Gross National Happiness Survey Findings 3.

Almost all of the respondents strongly agreed to the values of thadamtshi. 4. The large difference between self-reported and assessment on how other people accord the importance to responsibility, friendship, compassion, family life, spiritual faith, generosity and reciprocity indicates that society is not as good as we think. 5. 81.7% reported that most people have become more concerned about material wealth and 43.5% reported that they have become more selfish over the last few years. 6. Respect for parents and discipline (drig) was considered as the most important qualities for children to learn. 7. Respondents accorded more importance to customs than on gender issues. 8. Most of the respondents observe duezang by lighting butter lamps and by visiting lhakhangs/nyes/chortens. 9. The level of importance accorded to learn folk tales and participation in local festivals was relatively lower in Thimphu than other dzongkhags. The number of people listening to zhungdra and boedra was also very low in Thimphu. 10. In general, the level of participation in sports and games is low in Bhutan. 11. The fact that 61% of the respondents reporting that Driglam Namzha is getting stronger in the past 12 months and 89.7% reporting that local festivals are getting vibrant obliquely indicates that Bhutanese culture is capable of developing in spite of challenges from other cultures. The influence of foreign music and songs is also not very strong as more respondents listen to Bhutanese songs than Nepali, Hindi, English and other songs.

References Davidson, R.J. (2005). “Well-being and affective style: Neural substrates and biobehavioural correlates,” in Huppert, Felicia A., Baylis, Nick, and Kaverne, Barry (eds) The Science of well-being. Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapter 5. Driem, George Van (2004). “Bhutan’s endangered languages documentation programme under the Dzongkha Development Authority: The three rare gems,” in Ura, Karma and Kinga, Sonam (eds.) The Spider and the Piglet. Thimphu: The Centre for Bhutan Studies.

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Cultural Diversity and Resilience Headey, Bruce, (2006), “Life goals matter to happiness: A revision of setpoint theory”, Discussion Papers 629, DIW Berlin. Namgyel, Singye (2003). The language web of Bhutan. Thimphu: Singye Namgyel. Office of the Census Commissioner (2005). Population and Housing Census of Bhutan, 2005. Thimphu: RGOB. Sen, Amartya (2006). Identity and violence: The illusion of destiny. London: Allen Lane. UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001). Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_diversity. Ura, Karma and Galay, Karma (eds). (2004). Gross National Happiness and development: Proceedings of the first international seminar on operationalising Gross National Happiness. Thimphu: Centre for Bhutan Studies. Wangyal, Tashi (2001). “Ensuring social sustainability: Can Bhutan’s education system ensure intergenerational transmission of values?,” Journal of Bhutan Studies, Vol 3, No.1, Summer 2001.

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