With the Doklam stand-off entering a third month, the spotlight remains on a country that has traditionally shied from it: Bhutan. How does a nation described by its leaders as “one of the world’s smallest countries, sandwiched between two of the world’s biggest powers” keep its identity and sovereignty intact? And given that it does not have ties with too many other countries, how has it managed to make no enemies? One of the factors may be that Bhutan has allowed very little to be written about it.
Most books that chronicle Bhutan since the 19th century are either travelogues or the “eat, pray, love” variety that show the spiritual power of the country’s beauty and simplicity. For example: Beyond the Sky and Earth by Jamie Zeppa, A Splendid Isolation by Madeline Drexler, Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli and The Living Road by Ajit Harisinghani.
When it comes to the politics of Bhutan, most books come wrapped in a veil of Buddhism and its deep impact on Bhutan, or reverence for the much-loved monarchy. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the present king, incidentally has published a beautiful book of photographs ( Bhutan: Through the Lens of the King ), which contains essays by former diplomat Pavan Verma. Other members of the royal family have also written books or had biographies written, including the former queen, Ashi Dorji Wangmo.
However, readers who do want to delve deeper into history and politics could start with Karma Phuntsho’s excellent The History of Bhutan , followed by The Raven Crown: The Origins of the Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan by Michael Aris, the late husband of Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1964, Bhutan faced one of its biggest crises, when its Prime Minister Jigme Dorji was assassinated. A gripping account of what followed, including Indian diplomacy at the time, can be found in bureaucrat and adviser Nari Rustomji’s The Dragon King in Crisis . Another explanation of Bhutanese politics and its reclusive foreign policy can also be found from University of Berkeley Professor Leo Rose in a volume he edited in 1977 called The Politics of Bhutan . Above all Omair Ahmad’s book is the singular, most up-to-date account of where Bhutan sees itself today. The Kingdom at the Centre of the World: Journeys into Bhutan is a must-read.
It seems fantastical that Bhutan has such few books to explain it. Yet, as any traveller to the country will attest, it is also the reason the country remains such an enigma.
