By now, everyone must have seen her and heard about her. In fact, now everyone knows her. Yes, you got it right. She is Karma Dechen, a woman whose story resonated with almost every Bhutanese and moved everyone’s heart when His Majesty The King mentioned her in His Majesty’s Royal address on Friday. Following an Audience with Their Majesties yesterday, Karma shared that she is expected to receive training in culinary or baking.
Karma Dechen became the talk of the town when His Majesty opened this year’s winter parliament session with a mention of her name. Her happiness knew no bounds when she received a call from His Majesty’s office about the Royal Audience.
“Their Majesties and Their Royal Highness the Gyalseys granted an audience. His Majesty said I would receive training either in baking or culinary and my husband in carpentry. I was overwhelmed and felt very lucky. Now I have a strong will to work harder and do the best I can for my son’s future.”
Currently working at Café Himalayan and Bakery, 27-year-old Karma Dechen multitasks from making coffee to waitressing.
She studied till class 10 and came to Thimphu with no skills in hope of getting employed. Being the family’s sole breadwinner, she has been working in the café for almost seven years now.
“After my studies, I came to Thimphu with the hope to find a job. But it is not easy to get a job here in the capital. And with my salary, it is difficult to sustain myself here. Most people opt to migrate to Thimphu but life is not as easy as we imagine, especially for people like me. No matter what we do, it is important for all of us to work hard and put the effort into every little thing we do.”
For now, Karma added that she is not planning on having a second child because she wants to focus on her son. While Karma is hopeful about the future ahead of her, she wants to work harder.
Samten Dolkar & Namgay Dema
Edited by Tshering Zam & Sonam Pem
