Beyond the high school Geography classes with the most gracious Miss SK Rai who introduced us to far-away entities like Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, the boundless Amazon River, the incredible Amazon Rainforest, the giant sugarcane industry, and other prominent physical features, there was always a mystic about this vast country sitting right in the middle of Latin America. Over time, the greatest footballer of all times, the peerless Pele, suddenly shot into our young boys’ irresistible fascination. As time passed by, Paulo Freire, Paulo Coelho and their train came into view.
My actual engagement with this fifth largest country in the world, home to some 126 nationalities from across the globe, began as an absolute surprise when I received an invitation from the NewCities Foundation to serve as a member of the International Jury to evaluate the top 10 cities shortlisted out of thousands from around the world. As I poured over dense dossiers and watched extraordinary videos submitted by participating cities, one candidate outshone all the rest by far – Curitiba in the Parana State of Brazil, on all criteria for assessment.
I had an opportunity to discover the magic of the top city physically two years later when I was invited to deliver the keynote address at a 5-day Happiness Summit taking place in Curitiba. My wonderful hosts even organised a helicopter ride to obtain a bird’s eye view of the city that far exceeded my imagination of it based on the assessment I had done earlier. I was able to explore the outer as well as the inner life of he city that made it so special.
My subsequent visits took me to Porta Alegre in the south and to the federal capital district of Brasilia, followed by a second call on Brasilia, and to Mariana in Minas Gerais besides Sao Paulo. My audiences comprised a wide cross section of the Brazilian society including university students, faculty, top management, city government, businesses, school and college students, teachers and administrators, Senators of the Federal Parliament, thought leaders, civil society, media and citizens in general.
Wherever my engagements took me, I found extraordinary goodwill towards Bhutan and desire to learn about the country’s holistic development vision of Gross National Happiness as well as the Green School model of restorative learning. Several individuals and institutions are working passionately to advance the well-being and happiness of their fellow-citizens and peace and prosperity of their great nation.
The country’s Federal Parliament made a small but significant change in the Constitution to include pursuit of happiness as a fundamental human goal, and My Green School has been translated in the national language, Portuguese and widely used across the education community and beyond.
Every visit to this vast country in South America has been an education in more ways than one. My most recent visit, arranged with infinite grace and warmth by FairJob based in Sao Paulo, was exceptional in the number of engagements and places covered as well as the intensity of involvement by my audiences at every venue. My incredible host, Dr Fernando Brancaccio Neto, ably supported by his amazing team, arranged a breathless but deeply fulfilling itinerary for me but the experience of meeting and interacting with full-hall assembly of eager listeners was truly unforgettable.
However, what the cultural heartland of Mariana had in store for me was absolutely beyond my wildest imagination. Even my wide-awake host was unaware of what the august institution of the Marianense Academy of Letters prepared for me till a welcome band of local musicians gave us a sense of the quintessential culture of the vibrant city and the historic Academy.
A full two-hour programme was to begin inside the historic 314-year old Town Hall filled with the members of the Academy, officials from the city administration, local dignitaries, writers, artists, civil society and citizens of Mariana. As the master of ceremonies began her announcement, something unexpected began to unfold and my nervousness heightened while the dignitaries were invited to take their seats on the stage.
The best kept secret was revealed by the Honourable President of the Marianense Academy of Letters, Dr Jose Benedito Donadon-Leal, who welcomed the new guest and members of the audience and explained the reason for the special event – the former minister of education of Bhutan, Thakur S Powdyel, was to be sworn in a distinguished Honorary Academician of the Marianense Academy of Letters.
The President spoke on Bhutan’s holistic development vision of Gross National Happiness and the need for such a vision in today’s troubled time. He described my visit to Mariana, the birthplace of Aldravia, as a ‘special gift to the city, and referred to the new member of the Academy of Letters as ‘a word reference in green, inclusive education connected to happiness for the well-being of humanity’. ‘Thank you very much for existing’, the President said.
Dr. Donadon-Leal is a co-founder and passionate advocate of the unique Brazilian poetic genre called Adravia, ushering in a quiet revolution in the democratisation of the poetic convention and unleashing a freer and more liberal form that is among the most compact structures with just six words flowing vertically from the top and the meaning conveyed through internal coherence and suggestion. Aldravia is to the Brazilians what Haiku is to the Japanese.
The President was quite impressed with a few of my attempts at Aldravia by ‘the first Bhutan, in fact first Easterner’, as he said. “There is one more surprise for you”, he said and led me to wide hallway outside and where he unveiled a metal Plaque installed on the high wall to join other recipients of the high honour from around the world. I couldn’t believe what I saw!
The next day unfolded with a visit to K-12 Colegio School that had yet more surprises that I was totally unprepared for. The school had worked for over three weeks since the time they heard that a first-ever visitor from Bhutan would come to their school. They had carried out extensive research on Bhutan, GNH and Green School and most of the classes and corridors were decked out with beautiful Aldravias written by children and teachers, multi-coloured Buddhist prayer-banners, Bhutan’s national flag and a variety of articles on Bhutan. They had even prepared a full 12-month table calendar highlighting different aspects of Bhutan through beautiful aldravias for each month. The Brazilian and Bhutanese national flags faced each other on the last page. There were representations of My Green School everywhere with the Sherig Mandala right in the middle of the courtyard.
As we entered the multi-purpose hall, it looked like the school had prepared a full annual concert that began with the singing of the Brazilian national anthem and the Minas Gerias State Anthem. I had a lump in my throat as the school played Bhutan’s national anthem in the same breath and spirit as they did theirs. There were songs, dances, speeches, prize awards, a question & answer segment that filled the hall till past lunch-time.
In attendance were top officials of the Academy of Letters, city administration, parents, university and college teachers and professors, local artists who joined the school community to welcome the former minister of education from Bhutan. It was a long-planned celebration of Bhutan and its unique vision of development as well as its holistic model of restorative learning through an exceptional medium of Aldravia and the quintessential Marianense warmth and hospitality.
The English translation of the concluding message on the calendar reads: It is with great joy that this year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Movement of Aldravista Art, and receive the visit of Thakur Powdyel, who served as Former Minister of Education, Royal Government of Bhutan, at Flecha School. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to you, Mr Powdyel, and say we do believe we have been taking the right way in order to build our Green School.
I dedicate this life-time award to my beloved teachers at whose feet I began learning the letters of the Alphabet in my village school all the way to the point when I have this rare privilege of being admitted into this august Academy of Letters. I am eternally grateful to my most gracious and generous hosts and officials of the Academy for the exceptional warmth and hospitality as well as the special honour that I have received from them.
Moving mails from my host fill my heart with gratitude and joy:
.… we would like to emphasize that your visit and presence here in Brazil was so wonderful and successful that today you are even more of a reference and a must-see for all events here. And this is due to his grace, humility, wisdom and peace that he transmitted throughout his life journey and that made his elevation evident to us Brazilians.
Every sentence you said in so many places throughout Brazil echoes strongly in the thoughts of all those here who wish to see their team happier and healthier! I hear and read several messages from friends and work partners about how much learning and reflection your visits and lectures brought and how a small Kingdom on the other side of the world can be so powerful in positive references for the common good of an entire nation so in need of good governance, justice and social peace like Brazil.
My family had the honor of meeting and hearing your kind and wise words and our last lunch with family and true friends was the end of an intense week, full of work and visions, but which taught us more than complete courses!
With my deepest gratitude and prayers…
Thakur S Powdyel, former Minister of Education.
