As the vision for the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) begins to take shape, Bhutanese living abroad, particularly in Australia, are showing interest in contributing to its development. Inspired by His Majesty’s recent visit to three Australian cities in October, many are exploring ways to invest and play a role in this ambitious project. While some have no clear idea of how they are going to invest, they are still looking forward to investing and contributing in their various capacities.
Leki Tshering, the owner of an automobile workshop in Perth, is one such aspiring investor. The 40-year-old moved to Australia in 2013 and earned a diploma in Automotive Technology in 2020.
After working for seven years, he started his automobile workshop around four months ago, specialising in servicing cars.
Speaking about his aspirations, Leki said he was inspired by His Majesty’s address during the royal visit to Australia.
“After listening to His Majesty’s address on Gelephu Mindfulness City to the Bhutanese residing here during their Majesties’ visit, I am determined to seize any opportunity that comes my way. I don’t know how far I can serve, but I have been thinking about taking the opportunity.”
Tenzin Rabgye, the CEO and co-founder of the first fully Bhutanese-owned training college in Australia, also expressed similar interest. He envisions establishing a sister college in GMC that offers international-standard courses similar to those provided in Australia.
“If given the opportunity, ABS College is excited to have a sister college in the GMC. So, ABS College in the GMC will have the same courses as us: international standard courses. And we hope that we will be able to bring in higher education apart from vocational training. This will be good because we will be bringing in international standard courses to the Bhutanese people who would like to study in the GMC.”
He further elaborated on his plans to introduce diverse courses, including health sciences, hospitality, and cybersecurity, in GMC.
“One of our main goals is to become a higher education-providing college and institution, and apart from the vocational training that we are going to do, we are going to be bringing in other health-related, hospitality-related, cybersecurity-related courses that we want to deliver at the GMC.”
Similarly, other Bhutanese working with consultancy firms and other companies in Australia expressed their desire to leverage their expertise in GMC.
“I see many opportunities in GMC, but to my experience, I am an expert in student counselling and consultant and bringing students from overseas. So, we are expecting GMC to have many international universities. So, I think Triple Gem will be playing a very big role in that area. So, we will have one of the branch offices in GMC where we will be bringing international students to GMC,” said Kinley Wangdi, MD of Triple Gem Education, Australia.
“As an individual, I see a little bit of potential. There is a product already out, the fixed-term deposit. There is for individuals, and I already have created my bank account with Oro Bank, and I have transferred the money. However, from a business perspective, it will be difficult for small business owners residing in Perth to compete with millionaires and billionaires,” said Sonam Penjor, managing partner at Bodhi5 Group of Companies, Australia.
As GMC’s plans continue to unfold, the Bhutanese diaspora in Australia, each successful in their respective fields, share a common hope to support this transformative project. Whether through education, business, or community initiatives, they aim to bring international expertise and resources to Bhutan, fostering growth and opportunities for the nation.
Devika Pradhan
Edited by Phub Gyem
