PARALLEL UNIVERSES TO MEET AT THE SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL
1 May, 2008 - In what may prove to be an historic meeting, an astrologer, who believes that the sun and moon are practically unconquerable, will sit with an astronaut to exchange ideas in an open forum during the largest exhibition on Bhutan abroad, the 42nd Smithsonian Exhibition in June this year at Washington DC, USA.
“It’s an interesting meeting and I’m very excited to meet a man who has walked on the moon,” said Yangka, a 33-year-old monk from Paro, who teaches in the school of astrology for monks in Pangrizampa.
Both sun and moon are considered to have extreme temperatures, which explains why they are beyond man’s reach.
Yangka, accompanying a troop of 130 Bhutanese from all walks of life, led by His Royal Highness Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, will exhibit Bhutanese life to an expected audience of about 1.5 million people.
“The moon is believed to be a freezing planet. I’d like to inquire what it’s like in space and on the moon. If it’s not cold there, then I think they might have landed on some other planet,” he said. “At the same time, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, given the technological advancement of their country,” said the monk, who studied astrology for more than 13 years. He has learnt only up to class III in a government school and the only drawback he worries about is his poor English. “With interpreters, it’s sometimes difficult to convey the actual message,” he said.
He hopes to learn all that he can from the experience and share the knowledge with his colleagues and students after returning home.
“The purpose of the meeting is to talk about the meaning of space, since they have different beliefs and perspectives,” said Preston Scott, the curator for the Bhutan program. “The Folk-life Festival is very proud to be able to share with its visitors the amazing country of Bhutan,” he said.
“It’s a historic year for Bhutan. This year, Bhutanese held their first democratic elections, celebrate the 100th anniversary of monarchy and will be crowning a new, young king. The depth and breadth of Bhutanese culture, that will be seen at this year’s Festival, is unprecedented in the United States,” said the curator, who is on his 20th trip to Bhutan.
The centre-piece of the exhibition is a Bhutanese temple. The exhibition will also feature Bhutanese sports and recreation, art and architecture, narratives and family activities, traditional medicine, food, religious communities and ritual arts, and cultural programmes, beside the Bhutanese film festival. Three books on Bhutan will also be launched during the exhibition, including the book on birds of Bhutan.
The 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will feature three programmes. In addition to “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon,” other programmes are “NASA: 50 Years and Beyond” and “Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food and Wine.” So far, more than 90 countries have taken part in the exhibition.
The Folklife Festival, inaugurated in 1967, honours people from across the United States and around the world.
Meanwhile Yangka is concentrating on his students and making some articles for the exhibition.
~ By Tshering Palden, Kuensel, Bhutan's National Newspaper.
