My Green School, a book written by former education minister Thakur S. Powdyel, is quietly making a little history of its own. The book, based on the concept of Gross National Happiness, has been translated and published in the Bengali language. This is the 18th language the book has been published in since it was first launched in 2014 in English.
The book was first translated into Catalan and Spanish in 2016.
It was later published in more languages. The books in Vietnamese and Japanese are currently being taught as a curriculum in a few institutes in the respective countries.
The author says the idea to translate the book was not his own. He says he got calls and emails requesting permission for his book to be published in different languages.
“It is actually a book that was initially meant to be used within the country when we began that nationwide educational reform initiative in 2009. However, some people outside Bhutan came to know about the existence of such a book. They would read it and feel that there is something in this little book that would be meaningful and relevant to their fellow citizens, to their society, and to their country, and the process of translation began from there.”
Translation works are ongoing to publish the book in a few more languages. Ironically, the book has yet to be translated into Dzongkha.
My Green School is an educational outline that incorporates the value of Gross National Happiness in education and also in an individual. He writes about Gross National Happiness and its role in creating holistic education.
“This little book is not only about schools or about education per se, this book is about life. Incidentally green is a colour but more importantly green is a metaphor. It’s a metaphor for anything and anything that supports life and sustains life in its infinite varieties. That’s why it resonates with so many countries in the world because it is something that fulfils the deep yearning of the heart.”
The author says the book was originally just an outline for the more elaborate version of a Green School. However, the elaborated version has not been released, because he says the outline has already made its mark in the world.
The author added that readers can look forward to another book soon.
Singye Dema
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
