Hello from Bhutan!

This is the first in a series of podcasts on Bhutanese living abroad. The series will explore their lives outside of Bhutan. 

This episode highlights how the lives of a Clinical systems application trainer at the NHS in the UK and a postgraduate student studying sustainable resource management in Germany have changed due to Covid-19. 

Two young women who tested positive in quarantine share their experience in this episode. Lhachi and Tseki are 2 of the 3 Bhutanese confirmed Covid-19 cases.  Both are recovering well. 

Bhutan has seen 5 confirmed cases till date, two of which were American tourists. The first confirmed case in Bhutan was an American tourist. 

How's your relationship with Social Media right now? Dorji Wangchuk talks about fake news, too much information and how to stay sane in the time of COVID-19. 

As of 2nd April, 3218 Bhutanese were in quarantine. I speak to former MP Sangay Khandu about life in quarantine. Bhutan recently extended the mandatory quarantine period to 21 days from 14 day. Khandu speaks candidly about mental health challenges he's faced due to COVID-19 and how a lot more needs to be done for the mental health of Bhutanese stuck abroad. 

Independent Bhutanese films have been doing incredibly well at international film festivals. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is one of them. The film opened to rave reviews in Bhutan after touring the world via film festivals. This is Pawo's first film as a writer-director. Lunana won the Audience Choice Award at the Palms Spring International Film Festival 2020 beating Oscar-nominated films!

The National Assembly of Bhutan will be deliberating the Goods and Services Tax Bill of Bhutan 2020. We've never had a single rate tax before GST. The GST deliberation is important for women because for the first time, there will will be a discussion to remove taxation on feminine hygiene products like tampons and sanitary napkins. 

In this episode, I share an opinion piece of mine written in December 2018 for The Diplomat on "Why Bhutan’s 'Blood Tax' Needs To Be Scrapped."

Tshering Denkar is Bhutan's first travel blogger. She travels solo, hitchhiking most of the time in all kinds of vehicles. Her journey through Bhutan is the most authentic and straight from the heart visual narrative you will find. 

Health officials say at least 10-15 percent of Bhutanese women experience Postpartum depression after childbirth. There are many Bhutanese women who also experience difficult pregnancies, but do not talk about it. Dragon Tales brings you a conversation with two mothers whose experiences are rarely recorded or shared in Bhutanese society.