Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. And this is precisely what Gro Holm Rypestøl shares through her newly released book ‘Bumpa’. The book is a fictional children’s novel which is based on her experience as a teacher in the Khaling School for the Blind.
The original work was published in the Norwegian language in Norway and was translated to English in the interest of the English language readers.
A Norwegian by birth, Gro came to Bhutan in 1974 as a Special Education Need teacher. She was one of the first teachers of the first school for the visually impaired children in Khaling.
Drawing experiences from what she heard, learnt and experienced back in the 70s and 80s, her book ‘Bumpa’ is a story about a village boy in the early days of Bhutan’s development. The book will engage and take young readers for a ride to the past with its vivid illustrations.
“This book talks about a boy becoming blind. And I know that having some kind of disability in Bhutan especially back in the 70s and the 80s, that was in itself really traumatic because people would look upon you as a different kind of being. So when we started to teach the boys and the girls in the school for the blind and the villagers around and Bhutan as a society really understood that these people even being blind, they are really gifted,” the author Gro Holm Rypestøl said.
“And I had to show people in Bhutan also that this is a fact that they are gifted in so many ways. Even if you are blind or deaf, if you are born with deformed hands or feet, if there is anything wrong with you physically in any way, there is hope. There are loads and loads of hope.”
The life of the protagonist, Bumpa, changes forever when he becomes blind through an unfortunate incident. However, he emerges bravely through all his inhibitions, insecurities and fear. Bumpa realizes that it’s about how one reacts to life events in times of adversities. The right path is right in front of you, one must tread softly but surely with hope.
“I really hope that the book will be a source of happiness and hope for the children in Bhutan because it is the only country in the world that’s based its philosophy on Gross National Happiness. But if you do not know where you come from, if you do not know what the situation was once upon a time, how can you be able to appreciate where you are today? And that journey I really hope that the children in Bhutan reading this book that originates back in the 70s and 80s will be able to take into today and be so happy for what has come,” the author added.
The education ministry will distribute more than 1,000 books to schools across the country for free. The book will also be available for sale and the proceeds will go to support the Disabled Persons’ Association of Bhutan.
Sonam Pem
