If you chose Bhutan as your travel destination in 1958, you’d have to go the Nehru and Indira way— after five days through the Chumbi Valley on yak-back. A befitting journey, you could say, for one of the last Shangri Las of the world, tucked away deep in the Himalayas. Today, Drukair (Royal Bhutan Airlines) will fly you from Delhi in an Airbus, skilfully navigating through the valleys like a kite, until, from nowhere, will appear the Indian Army Engineers-built 7,500-feet-high Paro Airfield.
The two-hour flight offers an hour-long breathtaking view of the Himalayan range if you happen to be seated on the portside while flying to Thimpu and the starboard side while returning. It’s a sight to give you goose bumps: Kanchenjunga, Everest and Dhaulagiri, all in one frame. Not too many people could comprehend the scale of such a view till only a decade back, when tourist arrivals in Bhutan were a handful. But, the hidden kingdom has considerably opened up. Last year, 255,000 tourists visited Bhutan, out of which Indians—for whom the visit is visa-free and the currency on a par with the rupee—were the largest in number.
The world’s youngest constitutional monarchy resides in the capital, Thimphu, the palace hidden by walls and weeping willows. King Jigmey Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the fifth monarch (aka K5, as per lineage chronology). The queen is the first ‘commoner’, demonstrating the modernisation of the monarchy. Such is the Bhutanese reverence for the royal family that their portraits grace homes, shops and restaurants across the country. Khesar’s father, Jigmey Singhye Wangchuck, who abdicated at the age of 52, is the architect of Bhutan’s modern transformation. As per an ancient ritual, he married into a spiritual family which traditionally required wedlock with all the unmarried daughters. So he took four queens (two of six sisters had already been married) and the present K5 is the son of K4’s third queen. Contrary to the erstwhile monarchs of neighbouring countries, the royals of Bhutan are said to have very frugal habits. In 2003, the K4 donned combat fatigues to lead his army in Operation All Clear to flush out ULFA and Bodo militants from the borders at the behest of India. His military ration was Maggi noodles, chased down with warm water.