Jigme Khesar appears to be in touch with reality. So when planning for the coronation ceremony had just begun, he issued a directive that the government should not aim at anything extravagant. The celebration should be simple and truly reflective of the country’s economic condition. “All extravaganza, therefore, had to be shelved,” said Yeshey Dorji, foreign secretary of the Bhutanese government. “The centenary planning had to be modelled accordingly. If a road was built or repaired, it was for the benefit of everyone, not the king alone. There is not a single structure in Bhutan that was built just for the coronation ceremony,” said Dorji.

Jigme Khesar has had his share of international exposure, too. He represented Bhutan in the United Nations General Assembly in 2002 and presented a forceful speech underlining the need for a global strategy and thrust to eradicate poverty, disease and hunger. His first official tour to India was in 2001, at the invitation of then President K.R. Narayanan, where he also met Sonia Gandhi.

His special areas of interest are said to be archery and nature conservation. A keen lover of the Bhutanese national sport, archery, Jigme Khesar is said to have won many awards in the sport. Sources say that when the new constitution was drafted, it was according to his wish that a specific benchmark was laid for the preservation of the country’s green cover.

“This year, so many changes have touched Bhutan. Probably, the best of them is that the country has got a mature, optimistic leader at its helm,” said Bhutan’s Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley. The country agrees.

... contd.