Book Review: Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World by Omair Ahmad

Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World by Omair Ahmad

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

Despite the neighboring state of India, relatively limited number of books for common readers are available on Bhutan, a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas. This can be attributed to unique geography and isolation a policy of self-imposed isolation, which was successful in preserving its territorial integrity as a Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan is much less known in the U.S. and western hemisphere that too for its Buddhism and as a mystical, serene travel destination. Bhutan is slowly gaining popularity as a travel destination and the readers will know a surprising fact on reading the book connecting Bhutan with the 'Golden Gate Bridge' of San Francisco.

Omair Ahmad has written an insightful and beautiful book into the history of Bhutan, Druk Yul: Land of the Thunder Dragon. The book is beautifully researched, with the most relevant information and this book will be of particular interest to scholars, and students of the history & culture.  

The author dives into the transition of the Buddhist Kingdom from a vassal state of Tibet to a fully independent country. Bhutan's kings fought primarily against Tibetan invasions in the 17th century and later lost territory to British India in the 1864-65 Duar War. They also had border conflicts with Sikkim and internal power struggles before establishing the monarchy in 1907.

The author takes us into the intermingling journey of people living in the porous boundaries of Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, British India, and Bhutan without getting into the complexity of the geopolitical wars.  Once the border of Bhutan was settled in the 1950s, history becomes more interesting with a variety of characters, annexation of Sikkim in India and the politics of the creation of an international profile of Bhutan monarchy. 

Since Bhutan is sandwiched between hungry empires, the country has learned to maintain a delicate balance and customers. between them. The book shows why Bhutan is so important to truly understanding the ongoing relationship between India and China that was proven in Doklam conflict in 2017.

The book doesn’t shy away from tough topics either, like the Nepali refugee crisis and Bhutan’s experiments with democracy. Through these incidents, you get a sense of how this small but significant Himalayan nation is carving out its own unique path amid big regional changes.

The books touch lightly on the effect of modern civilization on Buddhist traditions, culture & heritage. Bhutan has been doing a delicate balancing act between tradition and modernization. The book becomes more engaging with the personal travel experiences and observations of the author. Omair Ahmad has a very engaging style of writing, which helps the readers to race through the book. We should be thankful to Shetty for undertaking this rather difficult task and bringing out the output in such an easy and readable and referable format.

There’s no better way to experience the quiet paradise of Bhutan before touring than reading out this book. Read the book to know of nation with a mythic backdrop of Buddhism in which old traditional values struggle against stronger modern forces in the world.