Located in the southernmost region of the vast Himalayas, Bhutan is a small landlocked country that has long remained a mystery. Despite the challenges of the modern world, it is one of the few countries on Earth that continues to maintain its ancient culture and way of life. Bhutan has taken a different route in the globalization process, whilst the majority of nations are increasing their GDP and technological growth. Instead, it embraced Gross National Happiness (GNH), which incorporates happiness, culture, and sustainable development, and used GDP as the exclusive measure of social growth. This development model has attracted the world’s attention to Bhutan. This has made Bhutan to be in the world map. However, the time has changed and there are new challenges before the country, especially in the economic development, population, and modernization processes, and Bhutan is still seeking to establish a balance between the development and the tradition. When in Bhutan, one can clearly tell that this is not another country. In Thimphu the capital there are no traffic lights in the streets; instead, there are policemen in traditional clothes controlling traffic in the middle of the road. People still wear the Gho and Kira and even in government offices and other corporate organizations, the traditional garments are still forbidden to be worn. The air is filled with the aroma of milk tea and sandalwood and temples and modern buildings are in close proximity. This duality is not only superficial but can be seen as an expression of Bhutanese values. However, the process of modernization has not been without its challenges, including economic development and brain drain, and Bhutan is currently undergoing the fastest social changes in its history.

Tourism is a main sector in the economy of Bhutan, but the country does not practice mass tourism like other countries. All foreign tourists pay a high daily fee that covers food, guides and environmental fees. The government wants to limit the number of tourists to minimize environmental and cultural impact and to be able to derive sustainable economic benefits from tourism. That has helped Bhutan to some degree, and it has also enabled tourists to get more immersion into the local culture. However, this restriction also has a limitation on the development of tourism, especially in competition with other countries that have adopted mass tourism.

This is although Bhutan has adopted a rather unique economic development strategy. The only disadvantage is that the country has also been affected by globalization, and the most obvious consequence is emigration. At the moment, more and younger Bhutanese are leaving the country for Australia, America or India to seek for better education and job. The domestic job market in Bhutan is not very developed and there is not much room for growth, especially in the high-tech sector and the modern financial services industry.

On the cultural side, Bhutan is still a highly Buddhist country. The largest religion in Bhutan is not a religion that is followed, it is a way of life that shapes the society. Every town in Bhutan has a monastery and the people pray with transepts in hand. In many villages the temples are still the centre of the community, both in the spiritual sense and also in the educational and social sense. One of the biggest festivals in Bhutan is the Tshechu, during which monks dressed in bright costumes and masks dance in the central square of the temple, chasing away the evil spirits and wishing good will. It is not only the manifestation of the religious belief, but also the process of building social consensus among the Bhutan people in the context of modernization.

The food culture is also the process of traditional and modern combination. The major food items in the Bhutanese diet include rice, chili and dairy products and the most popular dish is Ema Datshi, a chili pepper and cheese stew which is a common food in most households. Also popular are Buckwheat Momos and Ara, a traditional Bhutanese spirit. However, the introduction of the modern foods to Bhutan has been slow and traditional foods still prevail.

In its modernization process, the Government of Bhutan is steadfast in its GNH development philosophy and the four pillars of GNH, good governance, sustainable economy, culture and environment are central to government policy. The concept is recognized by the international community but the real implementation is still a challenge. For instance, although Bhutan has free health and education, the health facilities and the quality of education in rural areas is worse than that of the capital, Thimphu due to limited resources. However, while the Government promotes diversification of the economy, there are still no well-developed high-income service industries and modern technology sectors which render many young people unemployed and have to leave the country to look for work.

The Bhutan of the future must therefore establish a fine equilibrium between economic development and cultural conservation. The Government had to enhance the reforms on the education system, enhance the science, technology and innovation and create more jobs for the youths. However, Bhutan still has to further develop clean energy and sustainably protect the environment to sustain its position as a global leader in sustainable development. Furthermore, the government has to relax some policies that will help to attract foreign investment as well as to achieve equity and stability in the Bhutanese society.

Although Bhutan is facing the challenges of modernization it is one of the most unusual countries in the world. It has kept its GNH, religious culture and environmental policies to this day in the face of globalization. In the future, Bhutan may not necessarily be an economic superpower, but it could very well be a model of how to balance modernization with traditional culture.

By TDC