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Dawa Knight

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The Night Hunter

The Book: The Night Hunters.


I am no writer or an expert on English language. I just do write out of passion. And this book review is nothing lesser but out of passion.

The adventures start during nights unaccountable, nights when you felt your freedom, nights when you were excited to do something - anything, nights when you felt that you were invincible at one point.



The Night Hunters is one of the boldest books ever written by a Bhutanese author that I have ever come across. The boldness is based upon our daily usage of languages, for we all know we don’t pass our days without saying Jadha (J meaning penis and dha meaning fuck- we weren’t creative while framing a slang were we?) It is not a novel but collection of short stories. The book gives you naked truth and the way the stories are written, few of them will make you go on reading: non-stop. But few of those stories, you need to read twice or more to understand the witty riddles, or perhaps ponder upon or who knows, they might not have anything in it? The book is meant for ordinary Bhutanese people because at some point, we were night hunters, be night hunters in villages or towns. We were all searching for one night stands while we were intoxicated. The book gives you the feedback of normal Bhutanese lives and consequences that ordinary Bhutanese faces. The Galopas, the sons of Galopas and the lovers of Galopas. While you read this book, I bet you that you will find yourself reminiscing one of your days while you were school student, cow herder, an officer, a Galopa, a romantic Romeo or a real douche you became in some points of your lives. The book talks about problems one faces in native Bhutanese villages, the conflict with humans to wild animals to societal dogmatized stigma. The book talks about fatherless children and what they could become or couldn’t.



The book is meant for tourists as well as Bhutanese readers, because not much is written about Bhutan as a nation or its tribes, but it covers the normal lives of ordinary people and the fact that I like about this book is that it hasn't exploited the brand name Bhutan. Or else, most of our books are either for tourists selling our brand name like: the book from Last Shangrila or the book from the land of Gross National Happiness.


The book’s quality is splendid and it costs only Nu. 200 /-. Yes, two whiskey shots in some ordinary Discotheque. The book’s finishing can be compared with any international books, and this has taken writing of books into a very different level.

Night Hunters is a must read. And the following are my ratings. Ha ha… as though I have accomplished something great in my life, I am rating a book as if I were some great master of or in literature. :p Just for fun I have kept few of my parameters.

1. Cover Design / Paper quality: ***** stars
2. Story Content: ***** stars
3. Language : ***** stars
4. Clarity of stories: **** stars
5. Cost: ***** stars

So over all I rate this book 4.8/5. Now go grab your own copy, I am not going to scan the whole book and upload it on my blog. Shew… get lost, go to your nearest book store, and cut down on two whiskey shots tonight.

Then I Saw Her Face

The Book: Then I Saw Her Face by Ngawang P Phuntsho
When it comes for Bhutanese books in market, and their costs, we often wonder and remind ourselves time and again, WE ARE HERE TO BUY BOOKS... NOT GOLD!

Yes, Bhutanese books authored by Bhutanese Writers are expensive. If you are a tourist, you would wonder, I paid for this? And by 'This' I would mean, a couple of napkin paper bundle served you at Local Dhaba. Even Bhutanese have reacted that ways, but we have grown into this phenomenon and have now started to take in that, yes, Bhutanese Authored books are not meant to be read. Let some astray Tourist experience those.

I had met with few of Bhutanese Authors so far, and they have always mentioned about Mr. Ngawang. The sole credit goes to him for making the Bhutanese Books cheaper they say. Why so? It seems Mr. Ngawang did do free editing for most of his friends. Thank You Sir for that.

When I got a copy for Then I Saw Her Face, I thought, this one here, must be a book filled with unrequited love stories of Testosterone Charged High School boy. I was told this before, few of the stories were his. So, pretty much, I came to my embarrassing judgement. But, when I flipped few pages, I won't tell you that I went on reading the book, it would be a lie. This book is collection of short stories. And if only, I was in School Curriculum Board, I would have actually made THEN I SAW HER FACE story, the third story of this book into a school must read essay. Why? You read it, and you tell me. Some of the stories gives one a clear picture of Rural Urban Migration, poverty, hostel life, revenge, rural lives, etc. It doesn't exaggerate the lives lived by normal Bhutanese households and problems faced by most of us, which most haven't spoken of till date.

Mr. Ngawang's book tells stories of every Bhutanese and any Bhutanese with very much abridged lines, and his mastery of language can be seen in his stories. I personally liked this book, NOT BECAUSE I WAS TEMPTED TO FLIP MORE PAGES, but because after every other story, you are made to keep the book aside, and ponder on events like those. You would wonder, you would get hurt, you would laugh, but most of all, you would feel the exact emotions that you have forgotten or have kept hidden somewhere in you, those feelings get unleashed with mere words, he surly is a pen star.

You can purchase this book from Thimphu or from Amazon.com. Mr. Ngawang blogs as well. This was something he wrote down regarding his book some few years ago. And in his blog, you might see Dear Seday not being finalized. :p Mr. Ngawang's first stories weren't published in Bhutan however, few of his first stories were published in Europe and Nepal. I believe not many would know Mr. Ngawang as well, he won't talk about himself much either, but is often found in his stories I guess. A true Writer I presume.

Usually, I do ratings based on following parameters. I have done it for two, so this one here is also not an exception.

1. Cover Design / Paper quality: *** stars
2. Story Content: ***** stars
3. Language : ***** stars
4. Clarity of stories: ***** stars
5. Cost: ***** stars


Hence forth: I rate this book as 4.6 stars out of 5.

The Author, Mr. Ngawang blogs at http://www.nawangpenstar.com

Ps: The future Editions of this book and Dear Seday should have better covers and pages. I stress on this more, not just because I judge the book by its cover. Its just that we have stumbled upon into this era whereby many Bhutanese Writers are coming forward with their works, these books need to pave their ways into International market. And you can't sell books just like Shabaley wrapped by papers. :)

Coming Home

The Book: Coming Home.
Coming Home by Pema Euden.

"This book is a work of two sisters. Tenzin Euden, the elder of the two, then 15 years, came up with the plot in the winter of 2006. Pema Euden built the story and completed the book on her 12th birthday, August 24th, 2008, in time for the Centenary and Coronation Celebration."

And what was I doing in 2006 winter? Me and bunch of my friends were involved in binge drinking after our class 12 examinations (yeah, that awkward moment in your life while you are an adult and you haven't written a book, some teenager has and you wonder and realize, why the whole world hates Justin Bieber Lol). And mind you, few of my friends were crying on a round table, with their heads close together, hugging each other not because they were knights of King Arthur, they were however, lamenting over Dzongkha paper. I however, was playing snookers and smoking cigarettes, and not to forget, binge drinking. Ha ha. Good olden High school days.


The book tells a story of a girl named Tashi Choden. Tashi, who has low self esteem and is not that good in studies. The story takes shape while she meets her friend Ugyen Tshering, Yangchen, Pema and Tenzin.

The story is similar to American Movies High School days. Anyhow, it takes you back to your high school corridors whereby friends meant everything. You will rejoice while reading, and feel slightly younger. Tashi who is raised by a single mother struggles her days, unless she meets real friends of her life. Ugyen, who joins Lungtenzampa while his brother gets transferred to Thimphu. Yangchen and Tenzin are into love. Pema aspires to be a singer.

But with supports from good friends, do they succeed in their goals? Does Tashi have more secrets to share with her friends? What is bugging Tashi so hard that she feels guilty to confide among her friends? Are there more for Tashi to digest? And who's that man whose sports car is parked near Tashi's house?

The story is interestingly said, and the novel contains 136 pages precisely. And that too, coming from then 12 years old teenager, who had just entered teenage, is legacy in itself. The book does tell us more about how our society functions, how much friendship means to a high school-er and out of all, what family really is?

I hope you find copies of this book. It surly is a good read.


1. Cover Design / Paper quality: *** stars
2. Story Content: **** stars
3. Language : **** stars
4. Clarity of stories: ***** stars
5. Cost: ?????? stars

I give this book 4 Stars out of 5, because the Cost of this book is still a mystery to me. Yes, nothing about the rate of this book is mentioned. And I am wondering, where did Pema Euden disappear after writing this book? I hope to see some of her new works, someday. :)

Ps: it would be a challenge to find both the author or the book, for I never heard about this book unless I randomly stumbled upon this copy in Mr. Passu's gaming arcade.

La Ama... a mother’s call

La Ama by Chador Wangmo.
If a man can't get laid, he is called names by his friends, be it men or women and insult him over his capability or question his manhood. We tend not to re-analyze but directly tend to judge over his sexuality, some of the sensitive cases we might even get sued in first world countries.

Yes, in jeering upon for men who don't get laid or whose manhood is questioned from his teenager days, a man is challenged over his ego. He has more to prove to society than treat a woman well, or he simply forgets to treat a woman well because he has got more to prove and become a man by ill-treating a woman? I guess this is where, we all go wrong. Let men and women be treated equally, then only shall we not have problems of women being suppressed.


La Ama is a very bold and blunt book about the realities that might have or are still happening around the world. I once wrote an article about why above all, women should be educated. We see sexual predators everywhere, not that illiterate women are made preys, but even working women are preyed upon. La Ama reflects about stories when a woman has to be dependent upon someone over her bread and butter. It also states about the social dogmatic stigma for adultery committed by women, and not men.

That has always been there, if a man is a sure goti, which most of the times all of men are, it is a good thing. Men don't hesitate to brag about their sex lives while women are judged over theirs'. Some of the lines I liked from this book were:

What does love really mean? Love isn't always about finding the right person and making love to that person every night. Love connects with the soul of the other person without needing the connetion of the physical body. Maybe that's what he meant by calling me his soul mate!
Only a few women seem capable of ascending to such heights of success. The rest of us just become prey to our emotions yoked down by the love bug that shreds us each day as we struggle to play the role of many avatars. The initial role of lovelorn lady usually results in a further spread of wings to become a spouse and mother later.

Although Bhutan claims to have no disparity between the sexes, the truth is quite different. A woman's single act of adultery would be condemned to hell while a man's hundred follies would be condoned as 'a man's nature.'
The characters in this book don't fall prey to casanovas. They fall prey to sugar daddy rapists. And it does reflect about our society's polygamy nature. Whereby men will always try to evade monogamy. You see, there are two things polygyny and polyandry. Google them, it is interesting.

I liked this book because it doesn't try to butter up any of the tourists or fetch money from them, neither does it try to butter up Bhutanese readers as well. It is a bold book and has no Brand name Bhutan attached to it like few of the writers did in the past. This book surely is written out of writer's passion. And I am passionate about works of people who have the zeal for passion. It does remind us about the follies of our society, bits and bytes of it. Divorce cases, Domestic Violence, Orphaned kids, Pain in ass Relatives, Drayang girls, Night Hunting, etc. You be fool if you think that this is author's true story, we Bhutanese tend to do that. :p And what is a writer? But a person who writes with imagination, makes people see things in different perspectives, trying to bring upon a change for betterment?

By the time when you would be done with the book, I promise you, that you will be flipping pages front and back, trying to analyze the stories well. That you will be amazed and think over Dechen's life, her struggle and her choices.

I suggest this book to our generation ladies, why be gender biased? Gentlmen as well! What say? Ladies and Gentlemen, don't hit discotheques for this weekend, save your entry fees and buy this book. This book will teach you more about relationship and marriage. But just because this book says so, that women are judged and men are not judged over adultery, doesn't mean that everybody should practise adultery. Keep it simple, be faithful. You only live once, why live having remorse?

Let's rate this book as well. Well, everybody knows that a book should not be judged by its cover or quality of papers. But I am doing it so, you know why? Well just say, that I have a vision for Bhutanese authors to hit international market.

1. Cover Design / Paper quality: **** stars
2. Story Content: ***** stars
3. Language : ***** stars
4. Clarity of stories: ***** stars
5. Cost: ***** stars

I give 4.8 stars to this book. Kuch zada hogaya.. :p But that is for you to find and me to know. :) Good day folks, happy reading. Grab a copy.

Oh, and those who have read my blog, I will be sending you one copy each, email me your id or give me your addresses.


What the heck? Go get a copy! You think this is Freaking Oprah's Show? -_- Free copies bleh.

The Night Hunter

The adventures start during nights unaccountable, nights when you felt your freedom, nights when you were excited to do something - anything, nights when you felt that you were invincible at one point.



The Night Hunters is one of the boldest books ever written by a Bhutanese author that I have ever come across. The boldness is based upon our daily usage of languages, for we all know we don’t pass our days without saying J**** (J meaning p*nis and dh* meaning fuck- we weren’t creative while framing a slang were we?) It is not a novel but collection of short stories. The book gives you naked truth and the way the stories are written, few of them will make you go on reading: non-stop. But few of those stories, you need to read twice or more to understand the witty riddles, or perhaps ponder upon or who knows, they might not have anything in it? The book is meant for ordinary Bhutanese people because at some point, we were night hunters, be night hunters in villages or towns. We were all searching for one night stands while we were intoxicated. The book gives you the feedback of normal Bhutanese lives and consequences that ordinary Bhutanese faces. The Galopas, the sons of Galopas and the lovers of Galopas. While you read this book, I bet you that you will find yourself reminiscing one of your days while you were school student, cow herder, an officer, a Galopa, a romantic Romeo or a real douche you became in some points of your lives. The book talks about problems one faces in native Bhutanese villages, the conflict with humans to wild animals to societal dogmatized stigma. The book talks about fatherless children and what they could become or couldn’t.



The book is meant for tourists as well as Bhutanese readers, because not much is written about Bhutan as a nation or its tribes, but it covers the normal lives of ordinary people and the fact that I like about this book is that it hasn't exploited the brand name Bhutan. Or else, most of our books are either for tourists selling our brand name like: the book from Last Shangrila or the book from the land of Gross National Happiness.


The book’s quality is splendid and it costs only Nu. 200 /-. Yes, two whiskey shots in some ordinary Discotheque. The book’s finishing can be compared with any international books, and this has taken writing of books into a very different level.

Night Hunters is a must read. And the following are my ratings. Ha ha… as though I have accomplished something great in my life, I am rating a book as if I were some great master of or in literature. :p Just for fun I have kept few of my parameters.

1. Cover Design / Paper quality: ***** stars
2. Story Content: ***** stars
3. Language : ***** stars
4. Clarity of stories: **** stars
5. Cost: ***** stars

So over all I rate this book 4.8/5. Now go grab your own copy, I am not going to scan the whole book and upload it on my blog. Shew… get lost, go to your nearest book store, and cut down on two whiskey shots tonight.

Dear Seday

Dear Seday is a love story novel with roughly 200 pages, whereby the protagonist Nadola sees his beloved Seday after fifteen years.

The way the story is told is pretty interesting. But I liked the book because it was written with such powerful emotions that it took me back to my school days: reminiscing myself as Nadola. Those golden -olden days when you fell for your puppy love and you could do anything, you were invincible and you knew if she wasn't the one, there would be none. Wasn't that beautiful? This book has enshrined those memories and brings them into life the moment you flip those pages. A collection of letters over fifteen years.

This book is meant for both tourist and Bhutanese readers who haven't been to Eastern Region. It gives you the true taste of Bhutanese lives in eastern region. It takes you to those corridors and rooms of eastern schools' hostels whereby nothing mattered, but friendship and few packed homemade cuisines.

Bits and bytes it talks about everything, the day to day chores and how exactly construction behaves. It is written by a very witty man, and the book would make you laugh and cry. This book is interestingly written and I won't tell you more, go purchase one and you would know why?

I do like the part whereby he somehow wrote: The Assistant Engineer is a bad man and is very dark, but darker is his heart. He is not handsome now. He will not be Handsome in next life as well. Ha ha.. Something like that, but in a very funny way.

The cost of the book when I purchased was Nu. 180/- and the paper quality of pages are good. Cover design and quality, however is not up to the mark. But don't judge the book by its cover, it is a good read.

1. Cover Design / Paper quality: *** stars
2. Story Content: ***** stars
3. Language : ***** stars
4. Clarity of stories: ***** stars
5. Cost: ***** stars

Hence forth: I rate this book as 4.6 stars.