Bhutan is famously known for its Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, and for being the country that first adopted GNH over GDP as their main development indicator from 2010. As per the index of 2023, over 48% of citizens above 15 are ‘deeply happy’. But is Bhutan really, really happy? Especially, since the country has slipped to No. 97 in the World Happiness Report rankings (that finds Finland No 1 over the last six years)?
From the time you board Drukair, you feel you’re enrolling into a spa for the brain. Serene flight attendants speak softly and ensure that even the most boisterous Indian passengers don’t ask for a drink. This is one of the rare international flights that does not serve alcohol. The other aspect that automatically raises the happiness quotient – or, at least, my HQ – is that there are few Indian tourists. Naturally, the decibel levels of this vacation stayed at an all-time low.
Immigration is a breeze at Paro. If you’ve got your visa, it takes a minute. Literally. And the biggest shock: there are immigration officers at every counter, unlike in Delhi, or for that matter, Heathrow or JFK. Every person we spoke to, from our guide Chokey and trusted driver to hotel staff to the police manning the temples, was unfailingly polite and amiable. People are favourably inclined towards Indians. This is understandable given that all meats are exported from India, roads are India-built, and India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner.
Bhutan is also the only carbon-negative country in the world. The government charges a high daily fee for non-Indian tourists to ensure that only the ‘genuinely interested’ (read: high-end, pockets-opening tourist) visit.
But Bhutan is not a country for everyone. No one speaks loudly. There are plenty of Karaoke bars, but they have soundproof walls. Roads are litter-free, even at tourist-heavy spots like the Tiger’s Nest monastery trek. The only person making a racket while we were walking to the monastery was an Indian watching videos in full volume on his mobile phone. The happiness – or seeming contentment – of the Bhutanese people also has to do with their respect for what the royal family and government do for them. Education and healthcare are free, taxes are low, and if you need to go abroad for medical care or education, the government pays for it. The temples and dzongs – old Bhutanese fortresses – are as pristine and peaceful as the landscape and architectural marvels. There is no vandalism – perhaps goaded by the fact that the punishment for vandalism is life imprisonment. Faith is a big deal here. One of my overriding memories is of a tourist cradling a 3-foot-high wooden phallus while she walked three times around the fertility temple at Punakha.
Temples, forts and even the hike to the monastery located at 10,000 feet above sea level, have not been ‘dressed up’ G20-style or made easy for tourists. The road to salvation is rocky, with steep roads and 700 steps made of proper stone. There is no pandering to tourists just because Bhutan depends on tourism.
The government wants more (high-end) tourists, and has announced that non-Indian tourists will now pay half the monstrously high daily tourism fee — a small price to pay to visit a smoke-free, grime-shorn land caught in time.
Bhutan is like your well-behaved cousin, who may not participate in your waywardness but will also not judge you for your dodgy behaviour. Happiness-inducing behaviour indeed.
