1

Weekend Magazine
Saturday, January 26, 2013 | Vol III, issue 4
K
2
Kuensel
Going up in
smoke
2
3
Pg. 14
Inside
Dear Reader
When a forest goes up in flames its
not a pretty sight. But beyond mere
appearances is the actual impact on
the environment, by way of flora and
fauna in those areas being consumed or
displaced.
There are positive sides to a forest
fire too, but the negatives far outweigh
any plus points. For regeneration
purposes, research has shown, its good
for a forest to burn once in 50-100 years.
New growth, new species, and a ground
rich in nutrients sounds good and, in
the actual sense, is good for the forest
too.
But here, each winter, when the
dry spell begins, numerous forest fires
happen, some of which burn the same
forest again. Wheres the regeneration
then?
Whats despairing is the fact that
most, almost all, forest fires are traced
back to humans, who set forest on
fire intentionally for regeneration, or
accidentally.
Happy Reading!
Kinley Wangmo
Write to us at kinley_w@kuensel.
com.bt. Send birthday greetings,
contribute for the last page or send your
feedback.
for Marketing
Ofcer
Pg. 10
e FOREST FIRE
e WHAT CAN I BECOME?
Impact on habitat
and regeneration
Pg. 16
Cover by Chencho Tshering
The root causes
e Forest Fire
4
e
WHAT THE STARS
ARE SAYING
ZAKAR
January 26, Saturday (15th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
*RRGGD\IRUMRESURPRWLRQWRKRLVWSOD\HUDJVKLIW
house and start new business.
Bad day to marry, celebrate and sell land.
January 27, Sunday (15th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
Good day to perform rituals.
Bad day for job promotion, to consecrate, start
new business, shift house, enter a new house, roof
house, marry and celebrate.
January 28, Monday (16th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
Good day to perform daily rituals.
Bad day for job promotion, to consecrate, start new
EXVLQHVVKDQGDQGWDNHRYHUQHZRIFHPDUU\
celebrate, shift house, enter a new house and
YHQWXUHRQDORQJMRXUQH\
January 29, Tuesday (17th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
Good day to perform rituals.
Bad day for job promotion, to shift house, enter a
new house, roof house, marry, celebrate, start new
EXVLQHVVDQGKRLVWSUD\HUDJ
January 30, Wednesday (18th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
Good day to perform daily rituals.
Bad day for job promotion, to consecrate, enter
a new house, shift house, celebrate, start new
EXVLQHVVURRIKRXVHDQGYHQWXUHRQDORQJMRXUQH\
January 31, Thursday (19th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
Good day to perform daily rituals.
Bad day for job promotion, to marry, start new
business, shift house, enter into a new house,
YHQWXUHRQDORQJMRXUQH\DQGWLOOODQG
February 1, Friday (20th day of twelfth
Bhutanese month)
Good day to perform daily rituals.
Bad day to consecrate, start new business, hand
DQGWDNHRYHUQHZRIFHVKLIWKRXVHHQWHULQWRQHZ
house and sell land.
26 January 1 February
Anything happening? Let us know at
kinley_w@kuensel.com.bt
or call us at 322483. You can also nd us (K2 Kuensel)
on Facebook.
Send in information at the earliest since K2 goes to
press every Tuesday.
2013
HAPPENINGS
This Week
Archery Coaching camp
Archery coaching camp for youth aged between 16 to 23
will be held at Gelephu from January 22 to 26 followed
by Phuentsholing from January 28 to February 1 and
in Thimphu from February 3 to 8.
Six male and six female participants will be selected for
the national team who will be provided further trainings.
The camp is organised by Bhutan Archery Federation.
The registration dates are open till January 28, 2013 in
Phuentsholing and up to February 2, 2013 in Thimphu.
Winter reading program
The Jigme Dorji Wangchuck public library in Thimphu
continues their winter reading program, conducted
every Wednesday and Saturday from 1:30 pm to
2:30 pm. The program will go on till February 9,

5
A man-made disaster
Tashi Dema
K
2
I
t was an ordinary
winter afternoon
and ranger Gyaltsh-
en was in his office,
seated in front of the
computer
documenting information, when
a nervous voice, loaded with
tension, crackled on his commu-
nication set.
In the dry season, the
communication set usually
transmitted news that foresters
dreaded. The voice relayed in-
formation about a forest fire at
Debsiphakha in Thimphu.
Immediately, ranger Gyalt-
shen informed the four beat
officers in his range to mobilise
foresters to come and help con-
tain the fire that was engulfing
the ridge.
Having done that, without
losing time, Gyaltshen then
picked up a fire rack, knife, and
the 18-litre water bag from his
office store, and rushed to the
site in his office hilux.
The fire was spreading rap-
idly on the slopes, consuming
the dried grass rapidly. This
called for more help. Gyaltshen
called his chief forest officer
and asked to seek help from the
armed forces.
Joining forest fire fight-
ers and volunteers, Gyaltshen
then started battling the raging
Mountainous
terrain with
limited road
connectivity
hinders forest re
ghting
Battling ames with branches
6
2007-12 6 71
Chhukha
2007-12 2 303
Dagana
2007-12 0 0
Gasa
2007-12 1 0
Tsirang
T
2007-12 17 422.72
Wangdue
2007-12 3 1259.98
Haa
2007-12 13 1550.48
Samtse
2007-12 13 666.15
Paro
2007-12 50 5227.99
Thimphu
2007-12 10 1845.9
Punakha
2007-1
Sarpan
flames with branches he ripped
from a nearby tree.
With a strong wind fuel-
ing the fire, I thought it could
take days for us to contain it,
he said.
Among the lot battling the
flames was forester Phub Tsher-
ing from forest protection unit.
Hed rushed to the site with a
knife and spade, as soon as he
heard about the incident.
Apart from thrashing
branches to put off the flames,
he also drew a fire line with the
spade and knife, while keeping
a close eye on the movement
of fire. It helped protect a
settlement and a community
lhakhang, he said.
Having received calls for
help, the armed forces and
desuung and other volunteers,
including residents from nearby
communities, flocked to the
site.
Two hours later, the fire was
under control. But ten acres of
forest was lost to fire.
All in all, the fire at Debsi-
phakha was a manageable one.
At times, the fire burns forests
for days, spreading from moun-
tain to mountain to inaccessible
territories, making it difficult to
control the fire.
When valleys are usually
enveloped or cloudy overhead,
foresters dreading the worst,
check with foresters in other
offices in neighbouring districts
to check if a forest is burning.
Every year, about 40-45 for-
est fire incidents are reported,
and about 9,000 to 10,000 acres
of forest area are lost. Its the
biggest threat to our forest,
which we boast to be over 72
percent, a forester said.
Forest fire, forestry officials
said, literally meant a fire that
40-45
forest re incidents
are reported every
year
9,000-10,000
acres of forest area are lost every
year
45,000
acres of forest were lost to
re in the last ve years
7
2007-12 1 33.6
Bumthang
0
2007-12 0 0
Trongsa
007-12 16 2709.1
rpang
2007-12 10 1162.14
Zhemgang
2007-12 37 14114.32
Lhuntse
2007-12 33 11978.99
Mongar
2007-12 17 1420
Trashiyangtse
2007-12 16 1564.44
Trashigang
2007-12 4 500
Pemagatshel
2007-12 4 100.8
S/jongkhar
occurs in a government reserved
forests.
Blue pine, chirpine, mixed
conifer, broadleaf with conifer,
plantations and degraded for-
ests, which cover approximately
40 percent of the total forest
area, are most susceptible to
frequent forest fires.
Records maintained by the
forest fire management division
showed that, in the last five
years, more than 45,000 acres of
forest were lost to fire.
November to April is the
peak forest fire season. Low
temperatures and lack of rain-
fall, perennial grasses, and
increased wind velocity, officials
from meteorology department
said, quickens drying process
making areas susceptible to fire.
The dry and windy atmo-
sphere creates condition even
for a small spark of fire to flare
up and engulf the forest, an of-
ficial from the division said.
Meteorology officials ex-
plained areas, with less than
1,000mm rainfall annually, are
at high risk of having forest
fires.
Kurizampa, Trashigang,
Tangmachu, Rongthong in the
east and Thimphu, Paro, Haa
and Wangduephodrang in the
west, and some rain shadow
areas of the central region fall in
high risk zones.
Because of little rainfall,
high day-time temperatures and
Forget fire fighting tools,
we dont have enough
to buy proper set for
communication
QA forester
Number of cases
Legends
Area burnt(Ac)
Fire incidences 2007-2012
8
afternoon winds, the forest floor
dries out very quickly, leading
to a high risk of fire, an official
explained. Chirpine growing
areas are also high risk zone.
Forests are considered as the
most important natural wealth,
and the economy is dependent
on its protection, conservation
and management, according to
foresters.
But forest fire are mainly
caused by human intervention,
a forester said.
Some of the common causes
of forest fire are agriculture de-
bris burning, purposely setting
off fires for regeneration of grass
for cattle by farmers and by
lemon grass harvesters, smokers,
children playing with flammable
materials, roadside worker burn-
ing bitumen or making fire to
warm themselves or cook, camp-
fires and electrical short circuit.
Claiming 100 percent of the
forest fires to have been man-
made, an official from the forest
fire management division said,
in the last five years, there were
about 32 cases caused from agri-
culture debris burning.
There were 10 to 11 cases
reported to have been occurred
while children were playing, he
said.
Citing an example of the fire
that occurred in November 2012
at Samarzingkha, Thimphu the
official said children, who were
playing near the Thimchu set
the fire and ran away from the
area. Parents shouldnt give ig-
niting objects to their children,
he said.
Once fire sparks, it spreads
fast. Fighting forest fire, forest-
ers say, is difficult in a moun-
tainous terrain, where road con-
nectivity is very limited.
In places, where there is road
connectivity, containing fire is
much easier, since the fire bri-
gade being able to access the site.
Most fires occur in places
with no water source nearby
or manpower. Afternoon inci-
dences are the most difficult to
bring under control, with winds
fanning the flames.
While these natural ele-
ments restrict firefighting, lack
of equipment also hinders the
process. Unlike in developed
countries, firefighter are without
The raging fire miraculously
slowed down near a lams
resident, and this helped us
contain the fire
QRanger Gyaltshen
9
masks, gloves or water bags.
Forget fire fighting tools,
we dont have enough to buy
proper set for communica-
tion, a forester said. Most
of the sets we use are old.
Foresters said, without
any annual budget allotted
to procure fire fighting tools
and equipment, even chang-
ing the batteries for their set
was difficult.
Officials from forest fire
management division said
there are plans to replace the
tree branches with proper
firefighting tools, but because
of the terrain, it is unrealistic.
We cant carry heavy
equipment and walk for
hours to battle fire, an of-
ficial said. We have water
back pumps, which are effec-
tive during incident to reduce
the flame severity, and this
equipment is supplied to all
fire prone districts.
Fighting forest fire is also
considered a task for which
one is unprepared. Forest-
ers rush to the area without
much tools and end up at the
site until the fire is contained,
foraging meals and being
trapped in smoke.
There have also been
reports on casualties during
such incidents. At times,
fighters lose their way in the
forest. Sometimes, situations
turn out to be uncontrollable
and so grim that foresters
often find themselves praying
for divine intervention.
Farmers in the localities
often invoke deities to bring
rain to contain
forest fire.
Even
Ranger Gyalt-
shen, who ini-
tially thought
it would take
days to contain
the Debsiphakha
fire, cannot help but
believe divine inter-
vention was what it took to
contain the fire in two hours.
The raging fire miracu-
lously slowed down near a
lams resident, and this
helped us contain the fire,
he said.

Children help douse a forest re above

Changangkha lhakhang in Thimphu
10
FOREST FIRE
Theres a good side and a bad side to the burning, but the laer
is far worse
Impact on habitat
and regeneration
11
F
orest fire may be creative or
destructive, but the negative
effects always overrule the
benefits.
Head of fire resources
management division, Kinley Tshering,
said the impact on habitat depends on how
adapted the eco-system is to forest fire.
We feel that forest fire is totally destroying
the habitat, but it isnt exactly like that,
he said. In a fire adapted eco-system,
everything is adapted to fire.
In dzongkhags like Punakha,
Wangduephodrang and Mongar, where there
is chirpine forests, when the serotinous
cones burns, it opens and drops the seed on
the ground, and this leads to regeneration,
he said. If the blue pine forest, like in
Thimphu, burns, then we need to plant
saplings, as it is not going to grow back
naturally like chirpine, as blue pine forest
is not fire favourable at all, and it will burn
down with a slight intensity of fire.
Globally, forest fire is a source of
emitted carbon, which leads to global
warming, which could lead to biodiversity
changes. Research shows that, at the
regional and local levels, they lead to change
in biomass stocks, and alter the hydrological
cycle, with subsequent impacts on plant and
animal species.
Head of forest fire management
program, Tandin Dorji, said if the forest
doesnt burn at all, more fuel will be
accumulated and, in future, if there is a fire
in that area, the fire intensity will be very
high and uncontrollable. So its good if the
forest is burnt once in a while, like in the
United States, where people deliberately
burn the forest, but with precautionary
measures.
However, Tandin Dorji said no research
has been done on regeneration in Bhutan,
except for one only on lemon grass. Often in
the eastern districts, fire is started by lemon
grass farmers intentionally to increase yield.
There are some trees, which we might
find in Bhutan, which needs fire to outburst
the seeds and regenerate, he said. One
positive thing is that, for wild animals, when
the dense forest is being reduced by fire, it
becomes open and improves the food chain.
However, repeated burning in the same
area is unfavourable, as it is a key factor in
the impoverishment of the biodiversity.

If the blue pine forest, like

in Thimphu, burns, then we
need to plant saplings
Q Kinley Tshering
Head
Fire resources management
division
Sonam Choden
K
2
12
K JUNIOR
Let god decorate each golden ray of the sun reaching you with
wishes and prosperity for you. Wish you a super duper happy
birthday
with
love your sister
Lawaneya (meena)
Colouring puzzle
Facts
Wildres
- A wildre (aka forest or peat re) is an
uncontrolled re oen occurring in wildareas.
But it can also destroy houses or agricultural
resources.
- Fireghters refer to them as types of res:
surface res, dependent crown res, running
crown res, spot res and ground res.
- Running crown res are a reghters worst
nightmare because they burn extremely hot,
travel rapidly and can change direction quickly.
- The most dangerous aspect of running crown
res are the convection currents which produce
massive restorms and tornadoes that can
send embers well ahead of the main re front,
causing spot res that in turn can start new
res in another direction.
- Weather conditions can directly contribute
to the occurrence of wildres such as through
lightning strikes, or indirectly such as by an
extended dry spell or drought that contributes
to the availability of fuel.
- Another cause of wildres is the buildup
of grass, leaves and twigs in a pile. This
accumulation of dead maer can create heat,
enough in some instances to spontaneously
combust and ignite the surrounding area.
- Lightning strikes the Earth over 100,000
times a day. Of these, 10-20% cause a re.
- Man-made causes such as arson or plain
carelessness (like smoking in forested areas
or improperly extinguishing campres) by
individuals is the biggest cause of wildres.
- More than four out of every ve wildres are
caused by people.
- A large wildre, or conagration, is oen
capable of modifying the local weather
conditions or producing its own weather.
M
a
z
e
Courtesy: www.dosomething.org
13
Send greetings to
your loved ones.
Write to us at
kinley_w@kuensel.com.bt,
jigme@kuensel.com.bt,
samdrup@kuensel.com.bt
Colour me
Kids craft
Winter Hibernating Bear
You will need
- Blue and brown
construction paper
- Paper plate
- Googly eyes
- Brown marker
- Coon balls
- Glue
Instructions
- Cut out a square shape from brown construction
paper.
-
- Glue the brown square in the middle of the blue
construction paper. This will be the Bear.
-
- Using scissors, cut a paper plate in half.
-
- Then, cut out a small half-circle shape from the
paper plate. This will be the entrance to the Bears
cave.
- When ready, apply glue to the paper plate and
press it down over the Bear (brown construction
paper).
- Aer that, glue the googly eyes on their Bear.
- Once done, using the leover paper plate, draw
and cut out a moon. Glue the moon close to the
top of the page.
- Using a brown marker, draw Fall/Winter trees
around the Bears cave.
- Lastly, glue coon balls all around the Bears
cave and on the ground.
C
r
o
s
s

w
o
r
d
S
u
d
o
k
u
14
for
Marketing
WHAT CAN I BECOME?
The key to successful marketing is saying the right thing in the right way at the right
place and moment, and make clients feel they are making smart choices. Do you
think you have it in you to become a marketing ofcer?
Namgay Tshoki
K
2
Who can become a marketing
ofcer?
- with good marketing skills
- who is patient, with good communication skills
- who studied business, with further studies or
training in marketing
- someone, who is convincing enough to aract
consumers or customers to the product you are
trying to sell
- someone with good PP
- someone who likes talking
Where to study?
- Various colleges and universities
- hoose a college near or in country to have top
notch internship opportunities
The Market
- Ample opportunities with many private
organisations competing to become the best
service providers, which pushes demand for
marketing ocers
- A marketing ocer earns between Nu .,ooo to
Nu eo,ooo depending on experience
eChallenges
- Have to be able to cope with dierent services
that the company provides, which change everyday
- A particular target needs to be met, which can
be dicult sometimes
- Have to keep up with the changing technologies
- Have to keep communicating with clients
- Have to be able to sell their products in a
given period of time, which can become stressful
sometimes
- 8pend late hours working

1
0
%
1
5
%
2
0
%
15
W
hen 8angay
Vangdi started his
career with 8hutan
Plelecom s finance
section, he was
primarily following in the footsteps of his
father, a businessman.
He had the right degree, having gradu-
ated with a 8om from 8herubtse college
in zooz.
8ut what changed along the way was a
chance opportunity to study marketing,
after six years with telecom office.
A year long master s degree in market-
ing made him realise that his passion and
talent was leaning more toward this field.
I decided to change my career," he said.
8angay Vangdi switched from finance to
marketing, but continued to work with the
same office.
As a marketing manager with telecom
now, 8angay leads the marketing and
communication division. His job is now
geared towards selling telecom-based ser-
vices like mobile, internet and fixed line
services.
Ve market different services, such as
postpaid, prepaid, b-wallet, caller ring-
back tones, and e-load services under mo-
bile services through a strategic plan by a
team of marketing managers," he said. As
a marketing manager, it s important to be
a team player."
In general, he promotes road shows for
the product, works on sales promotion
and advertisements. 8ut, on a daily basis,
he is always on his feet, interacting with
people about the product, trying to get
hints on what works and what does not.
Vhen we try to sell the services, we
Another kind of
seduction
try to sell it by making some offers on it
because, without it, customers don t get
attracted to it," he said. 8ut before we
actually give the offer, we have to make
sure that people are aware of the service,
benefits and tariffs, which is challenging."
Vhat makes the job even more chal-
lenging, he said, was the question, Vhat
if one fails to attract client?"
8ecause its a job which directly im-
pacts on customer satisfaction, whenever
one is able to deliver that and clients are
satisfied and confident in the product, it s
the most satisfying of feelings.
It s a fulfilling job," he said. And the
best part is I look forward to coming to
office, because it isn t monotonous, we re
always doing something different."

16
T
he idea of home,
of having a
shelter over
ones head, is
very important
to Sonam Phuntsho, 52, a
videographer with the agriculture
ministrys information and
communication services, and a
volunteer reghter.
When a forest burns, Sonam
Phuntsho cant help but feel for
the animals, birds and insects,
for whom its home. Just like us
humans, theyll suer without a
home, he said.
Its not just forest res that
disturb Sonam Phuntsho, but also
people chopping down trees for
dierent reasons.
These reasons have encouraged
Sonam Phuntsho to plant saplings
since childhood. Since the early
70s, he has planted over 10,000
saplings in and around Thimphu.
Last year, he planted over 2,000 oak
saplings, and sowed about 20kg of
seeds in Kuenselphodrang and the
adjacent mountain ridge, about two
hours walk from the Buddha statue.
The Nu 50,000 worth seeds
and saplings were sponsored by
Bhutan Trust Fund, and four
graduates helped me plant it, he
said.
Since 2003, Sonam Phuntsho
has volunteered as a reghter
and, so far, he has done his bit, by
helping put out forest res and
replant trees. As a volunteer, he
has received a jacket and a pair
of walking shoes from the forest
department.
The rst time he baled re
was near Ramtokto, where the re
continued for about three days.
Sonam Phuntsho said it was
a huge re and, on the rst day,
he had a hard time, feeling very
tired and hungry. In the next two
days, I went prepared, with lunch
and water, he said. We were well
guided by the forest ocials about
baling the re safely without
hurting ourselves.
Its dangerous to bale with
re, as it becomes hard to breathe
with much smoke, and we cant even
see properly, he said. However, I
go to bale re, despite all the risks,
because I feel sad when I see forest
burning and, moreover, theres a
shortage of manpower.
Over the years, he said, re
ghting has improved, especially
with desuups.
However, he said, there is still
a shortage of proper re ghting
gears.
From his many experiences
so far, though, the one terrifying
moment was while trying to contain
a re near Hongtsho. A rolling
boulder almost hit me, he said.
While being protective about
the forest, Sonam Phuntsho is
also known for his civic sense.
Oen he picks garbage around
Thimphu, and dumps it in proper
The green warrior
PROFILE
He ghts forest res and plants trees because of his deep empathy with the ecosystem
place. He also makes an eort to walk
more, especially within town.
His wife and three children help
him by accompanying him to bale
forest re and plant sapling, whenever
they are free.
For all his eort in helping save the
forest, being a civic and an environment
friendly person, he received the Jigme
Singye Wangchuck outstanding
environmental stewardship award for
eld leadership in 2010.

Sonam Choden
K
2
17
W
hile forest
re can start
naturally,
almost all
within the
country are caused by people.
Natural causes, like lightning and
rolling boulders, amount to small percent
of forest res.
Out of the 251 re incidences that
occurred between 2007 and 2012, 97
percent were manmade.
About 32 incidents occurred from
burning of agricultural debris, about
10 from electric short circuit, nine from
rolling stones, six each by children
playing with re and from construction
sites, ve were arson cases, four each from
re across border and smoking tobacco,
three from labour camps, two by bee hive
collectors and one from an unaended
camp re.
Two incidences were traced back to
lightning. The cause was unknown for
about 167 forest res.
Incidences with unknown causes
are those, where the culprits couldnt be
found, head of forest re management
program, Tandin Dorji said. We usually
categorise such cases under manmade
cause.
To sensitise people on prevention
of forest re, the department has been
carrying out awareness campaigns, with
help from volunteers, desuups and forest
personnel.
Its important, because forest re
poses a threat not only to the forest,
but to the eco-system, by distorting the
balance of ora and fauna, Tandin Dorji
said.
People are advised to follow the
agricultural debris burning rule, not to
discard cigaree buds, which have not
been put o properly, and not to leave
outdoor res unaended, among others.
In the past six years, 44,457.33 acres
of land, with or without forest coverage,
were burnt.
Causes for most incidences remain
unknown, but 32 were caused while
burning debris, which razed about
5,221.99 acres of land.
There are various nes and penalties,
if one is responsible for a forest re. The
nes range from Nu 1,000 to Nu 50,000
with other penalties, like the suppressing
charges, and the price of each trees.
Apart from forest re, the other
type of common re is the house re,
which are started by various causes.
The main source or point of house re
is usually the kitchen, where there is
heat, water, electricity and gas. It is also
caused by short circuit from plug points,
or improper use of electrical outlets, or
electrical wires running above the houses.

The root causes

FOREST FIRE
In more than 9 cases out of ten, the blame can be laid at the door of man
Sonam Choden
K
2
18
TOPIC OF THE WEEK
M
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English
1. Life of Pi
2. Hotel Transylvania
3. War Witch
4. The Session
5. The Impossible
6. Beats of the Southern Wild
7. Silver Lining Playbook
8. Django Unchained
Reviews
Life of Pi
A 16 year-old Indian boy whose passage to a new life in
America aboard a freighter ends in a shipwreck in the
Pacic. He is le to fend for himself on a life ra with an
orangutan, hyena and Bengal tiger.
Genres: Adaptation, Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Run Time:2 hours 6 minutes
What should be done to make forest reghting easier?
Movie Courtesy: www.yahoomovies.com
Tenzin 49
Woodcuer
The idea should be to reduce forest
res. People should be made aware
of preventive mechanisms. As for
controlling res, it should not be le to
forestry ocials only.
Sangay Thinley 13
Class VII student
The government should provide
helicopter services to bale forest
res in places where there are no
roads. Beer safety equipment
should also be provided to people
ghting res.
Sonam Choden 19
Class XII graduate
Those working with the forest
department should be provided
with beer trainings and
equipment to ght forest re.
Fire prone areas in the country
should be made accessible by
means of roads.
Hindi
1. Dabangg 2
2. Khiladi786
3. 1920 The Evil Returns
4. Talaash
5. Jab Tak Hain Jaan
Korean(TV drama)
1. To the Beautiful You
2. The Thousand Men
3. Mr Nice Guy
4. Faith
5. Full House Part 2
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CROSSWORD/COMIC
Cryptic clues:
Across: 1 Wine store is just a short distance in a
car (6) 4 Handy consultants (8) 9 Joint account - end of
solvency - whats le? (6) 10 Dramatist a number never go
out to see (8) 12 Strangely in maer of discipline hes strict
(8) 13 First and last leers to Rose out in the islands (6) 15
It may be taken as an indication of loyalty (4) 16 Means to
secure artistic work? (7,3) 19 Give the head of department
a lile publicity (10) 20 Ill-natured sort of house party (4)
23 Its used to li - or bring down (6) 25 Island that gives us
energy (8) 27 Registered having listened for a change (8) 28
Friendly aempt to appear unimportant (6) 29 Soundest
form of exports (5,3) 30 Did some lines when kept in (6)
Down: 1 Capital boom possibly follows depression
(7) 2 Calculating power (9) 3 Pole position? (6) 5
Cry from a small boat (4) 6 Periodical may include
explosive material (8) 7 Being unqualied she shows
some hesitation (5) 8 Good man collects new notes for
capital cover (7) 11 Put down to do more evening work?
(7) 14 Gather dust? (5,2) 17 Crams the stu together
and nishes (5,2,2) 18 They should be able to identify
any salts in a mixture (8) 19 She plays with a key in a
lock (7) 21 Visibly unaected by sorrow (3-4) 22 Sign
of a pressing need? (6) 24 Stop or pass on (5) 26 List of
consumer items for chaps of the upper class (4)
Quick clues:
Across: 1 Behave obsequiously (6) 4 Declare
ocially (8) 9 16c. Venetian painter (6) 10 Actively
rebelling (2,2,4) 12 Urgency (8) 13 Scribble aimlessly (6)
15 Sort (4) 16 Unique (3,3,4) 19 Undecided (2,3,5) 20
Omit in reading (4) 23 Australian currency unit (6)
25 A fragrant shrub (8) 27 Peevishly impatient (8)
28 Extreme food shortage (6) 29 Bequeath (4,4) 30
Unfortunate state (6)
Down: 1 Deteriorate (2,2,3) 2 Then and there
(2,3,4) 3 Pass by (6) 5 Totally engrossed (4) 6 Supersonic
airliner (8) 7 Bierly pungent (5) 8 Inexplicable maer
(7) 11 A saint of Assisi (7) 14 Of the heart (7) 17 In all
seriousness (2,7) 18 Commonly known as (2-6) 19
Comprehensive (2-5) 21 Omen (7) 22 Happen to (6)
24 Reveal a secret (3,2) 26 Again (4)
Cryptic answers Quick answers
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Dear Raj,
No, there is no need to keep
searching the web. Let me reveal
the secret: Google Alerts. This
free service by Google allows
subscribers to get an email
whenever new content that
matches predefined keywords
becomes available on the web.
Google Alerts is very easy
to use. Go to alerts.google.com,
enter the keywords (for example,
climate change, Bhutan,
Lionel Messi, or gross national
happiness), select what kind
of results you are interested in
(news articles, blog posts, and
more), how often you would like
to be notified (instantly, once a
day, or once a week), and how
many results you want to handle
(only the best, or all results).
Finally, click Create Alert. Thats
it. From now on, you will receive
an email when newly-created web
content matches the criteria. You
can create up to 1,000 alerts, and
manage these alerts using the
Manage your alerts button.

TECH CORNER : ASK BOAZ

Boaz Shmueli is a faculty
member at the Rigsum Institute
of IT & Management
He blogs at ThimphuTech.com
I noticed a Facebook friend is always the first to find and post links to interesting news and
articles about Bhutan. How does she do that? Is she constantly using Google to find the
new content?
Raj K, Thimphu
?
?
?
Getting alerts
Readers are encouraged to
submit technology-related
questions to boaz@thim-
phutech.com
Better 3G Reception
Bhutan Telecom recently changed the frequency used for their
3G service from 2100 MHz to 850 MHz. The lower the frequency,
the better a signal can penetrate through obstacles. In an urban
environment, where there are buildings and walls, 850 MHz has
better coverage than 2100 MHz. We can expect better reception and
higher data rates following this shift.
When buying a smartphone or data card, its a good idea to
check whether it supports multiple frequencies (also known as
bands). The four most common frequencies are 850, 900, 1900,
and 2100 MHz. A quad-band phone is one that supports all four
frequencies, and will thus work almost anywhere in the world.
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LET S MAKE IT SIMPLE: KNOW YOUR CONSTITUTION
A
s explained
earlier schedules
are essentially
extensions of
the Constitution
that explain the signicance of
national symbols and emblems like
the national ag, the national emblem
and the national anthem.
As extensions of the Constitution
what is contained in the schedule
cannot be easily changed or amended
like the articles of the constitution.
While the rst schedule contained
the national ag and the national
emblem the second schedule contains
the national anthem. The rst few
lines (translation) goes like this,
In the Kingdom of Bhutan adorned with
cypress trees,
The protector who reigns over the realm
of spiritual and secular traditions,
He is the King of Bhutan, the precious
sovereign.
There is a third and fourth sched-
ule that brings to a close the text of the
Constitution.
The third schedule contains the
oath or affirmation of office that must
be taken by constitutional post hold-
ers and parliament members. The
oath essentially affirms to uphold the
sovereignty and integrity of Bhutan
and perform their duties without fear
or favour.
The fourth schedule contains the
oath of secrecy that is also taken by
constitutional post holders and mem-
bers of parliament who must affirm
that they will not directly or indirectly
communicate or reveal to any person
any matter brought under their indi-
vidual consideration or that they come
to know about...except as may be
required for the discharge of duties.

What is contained in the Second

Schedule of the Constitution?
The National Anthem
Answer to previous question: The dragon in the national ag holds four jewels
Correction
The lets make it simple page of the January 12 edition said that the Constitution has two schedules.
This is incorrect. The Constitution has four schedules.
?
Q What does Choe sid mean?
Write to us as at
kinley_w@kuensel.com.bt
Q Meanings
Oath promise, pledge
Sovereignty independence, authority
Integrity - honour, dignity
Punakha Higher Secondary
School students sing the
national anthem
(photo courtesy: www.gofar.sg)
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LAST PAGE
Safety during
forest re
T
he biggest
concern
during a
forest fire
is public
safety.
We dont have safety gear
or equipment like in developed
countries. Despite the lack of
such facilities, its important
for people to be educated about
safety.
Even when there is no road
access; we still combat fire with
tree leaves, twigs and branches.
But Ive noticed, over the years,
people have become more
sensitive and responsible during
a forest fire. The number of
volunteers battling forest fires
has increased.
With urban areas expanding
rapidly, settlements come closer
to the tree line, and people
living along these are at risk if
a forest fire breaks out. The
municipal office should give
a thought to wild land-urban
interface, and people should be
made aware of the risk involved.
While public safety hasnt
received much importance,
collective cooperation and
organisation during a forest fire
have improved impressively.
With the forest fire policy
2011 in place, we are hoping
proper management during
forest fire will get a head start
with time.
Back in 2003, I received
an opportunity to do my
masters in fire ecology in the
United States, where I worked
on a thesis on framework
development of fire strategy for
Bhutan. I worked on it, since
we didnt have any forest fire
policy nor any strategies.
While forest fires have more
of a negative factor, Ive also
learnt that fires are at times
deliberately lit up, and for
scientific reasons.
Such fires are set under
controlled conditions. Also
known as prescribed forest fires,
in some of the fire adaptive
ecosystems, experts consider it
good for the ecosystem. In such
cases, the severity and intensity
of fire in that area are reduced,
while promoting regeneration of
new species.
By saying this, I am
not encouraging anyone to
deliberately light up a forest. It
has to be done by experts, and
after a study.
In Yellowstone Park in USA,
in 1988, a fire burnt down acres
and acres of land because, in
that area, fire had not occurred
for a long time. Dead leaves
had all the while been stacking
up. The fire, when it happened,
was severe because of the leaves.

As told to Thinley Zangmo

Kinley Tshering is the
head of forest resource
management division under
department of forest and
park services.
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