Tenzin came from a poor family. If he had a meal in the morning, he would have to go on with the rest of the day empty stomach. He was misguided at a very young age. He was told that drinking alcohol beverages was a customary culture as a sharchop. Being a sharchop wasn’t easy back then. Irrespective of your desire to drink or not, one would have to abide by the norms of the village. The norms back then dictated that one should drink. This deterred his academic performances.
He left school when he was in the 2nd grade. Time went by with Tenzin working in the field. When he was 16, he realized that there are easier ways to sustain his life. He went for military training. However, he was rejected on the grounds of not meeting the weight requirement. The personnel incharge of the selection was generous enough to take Tenzin as a servant under the then Dasho.
He was taken from Tashi Yangtse to Trashigang by the Dasho. It was Tenzin’s first time travelling beyond the terrains of his village. Everything was new to him. It might not be a big deal today, but back in his days, it was comparable to travelling to another country. On reaching Trashigang, life got tougher. Tenzin, who only had knowledge on how to milk a cow or how to plough the paddy field, often found himself being beaten by the Dasho for dissatisfied services.
Yangzom, who was a milk seller, often visited the Dasho to sell the milk. That was when my father acquainted himself to Yangzom. Days went by and months passed on. Tenzin was living the same life he had been living from the day he came with the Dasho. He was in pain from the daily abuse. He couldn’t run away either, for if he did, he wouldn’t get to see Yangzom.
After an year, Yangzom and Tenzin became friends and soon, their friendship transitioned to love. Tenzin stuck with the Dasho for 2 years despite being slapped, kicked, and harshly treated. The Dasho, perhaps, finally felt remorseful for the hard years he gave Tenzin. He enrolled Tenzin in the Military Training Centre in Tencholing, Wagdue Phodrang.
After fee years of intense training, Tenzin married Yangzom. They had three children. The first born was a girl. The girl had two younger brothers.
Tenzin and Yangzom were two different worlds that came together and gave me and my siblings the lives that we have right now. My father came from an extremely remote place. To finally have a job in the capital of the country is something my father could have never expected. With all of my heart, I prostrate before my father for bringing me this far in life.
The Dragon in Gho 