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It has been a hectic week in the capital, with Bhutan hosting its first ever SAARC summit that ended yesterday.
But at the end of it all there is a deep sense of satisfaction with everyone involved that all went well if not perfectly.
This sense is not only shared by those, who were directly involved in some way with the summit, but also by their friends and family members in the capital and beyond, who were equally tense about how it might go.
Such a feeling grew from the fact that a lot of preparation work was still going on or seemed to be going on even at the last minute.
The unusual weather a few days before the summit threatened to rip apart decorative flags hung all over the city.
There were stories about rushed coordination meetings with no agenda, the interiors of recently completed SAARC villas still smelling of fresh paint and volunteers, who would serve and prepare some meals for the dignitaries, doing some last minute crash course.
Thus a sense of uncertainty as the day drew close. And when it came, everyone did the best they could, starting early and staying late into the night, so that visiting dignitaries were comfortable and felt at home.
Still then the summit was not devoid of its awkward moments. There were stories of hungry angry grumbling journalists, who were ushered into the summit hall hours in advance, but there was nothing to eat once inside.
There were also rumours about how the lights went off in one villa, and the water running out for some time in another and about a canine getting to one delegate. All these incidents unfortunately are true.
But the overall ambience of the summit prevailed, which was one of friendship, harmony and cooperation. The summit in itself went the way it has always been. The leaders gave their speeches and certain declarations were adopted, but a shared sense of destiny for the region did seem to emerge at the end of it.
The summit proceedings broadcast live on national television was watched with interest all across the country, like people normally do when watching an international soccer match.
Today Bhutanese know more about SAARC than they ever did and children can identify the flags of SAARC nations as well as their leaders.
And the country’s organisational capacity to host such summits has been through the litmus test. If it came through, it is because everyone, despite differences, came together as a team.
Now it is time to get back to serving the people and addressing issues, like alleviating poverty, one of SAARC’s founding goals.
Source: Kuenselonline
But at the end of it all there is a deep sense of satisfaction with everyone involved that all went well if not perfectly.
This sense is not only shared by those, who were directly involved in some way with the summit, but also by their friends and family members in the capital and beyond, who were equally tense about how it might go.
Such a feeling grew from the fact that a lot of preparation work was still going on or seemed to be going on even at the last minute.
The unusual weather a few days before the summit threatened to rip apart decorative flags hung all over the city.
There were stories about rushed coordination meetings with no agenda, the interiors of recently completed SAARC villas still smelling of fresh paint and volunteers, who would serve and prepare some meals for the dignitaries, doing some last minute crash course.
Thus a sense of uncertainty as the day drew close. And when it came, everyone did the best they could, starting early and staying late into the night, so that visiting dignitaries were comfortable and felt at home.
Still then the summit was not devoid of its awkward moments. There were stories of hungry angry grumbling journalists, who were ushered into the summit hall hours in advance, but there was nothing to eat once inside.
There were also rumours about how the lights went off in one villa, and the water running out for some time in another and about a canine getting to one delegate. All these incidents unfortunately are true.
But the overall ambience of the summit prevailed, which was one of friendship, harmony and cooperation. The summit in itself went the way it has always been. The leaders gave their speeches and certain declarations were adopted, but a shared sense of destiny for the region did seem to emerge at the end of it.
The summit proceedings broadcast live on national television was watched with interest all across the country, like people normally do when watching an international soccer match.
Today Bhutanese know more about SAARC than they ever did and children can identify the flags of SAARC nations as well as their leaders.
And the country’s organisational capacity to host such summits has been through the litmus test. If it came through, it is because everyone, despite differences, came together as a team.
Now it is time to get back to serving the people and addressing issues, like alleviating poverty, one of SAARC’s founding goals.
Source: Kuenselonline
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