Royal wedding in Bhutan raises question for locals

A royal wedding in Bhutan, is more than a walk down the aisle for the nation's newest cherished couple. It is, in fact a walk down a new lane for the small Asian country, and it has the people asking questions about themselves.

THIMPU, BHUTAN (Catholic Online) - The country's goal was not simply to marry a royal couple, but instead to share that wedding with the rest of the country. Bhutan is a country that didn't even have television until 1999. Today, just a dozen years later, most of the country's people enjoyed the opportunity to see the wedding on live television.

Journalists from around the world traveled to the tiny country sandwiched between India and China. Visiting the town of Punakha, the ancient capital, reporters converged on a monastery complex that once served double duty as a military fortress. As reporters marveled at the ancient masonry, and curiously wondered just how a royal Buddhist wedding would work, the people of Bhutan wondered how the media attention would change their country.

The population of Bhutan is about 700,000 people. The King, is known for traveling around the country and meeting his people in person. Often, he has been known to travel on foot or bicycle. He has even been known to invite commoners to his palace for tea.

Modern devices such as satellite dishes and television are new in the country. And the people, who mostly make their living following traditional ways of life, especially farming, seem to have little appetite for the bustling outside world.

The royal wedding was an opportunity for many to gather around television sets and enjoy the ceremony. The people are proud of their prince and new princess, and they watched the ceremonies with great anticipation and pride. But as the joy of the nuptials faded, and the common people returned to their traditional lives, they have been left to wonder just what effect the encroachment of modern technology, media attention, and particularly television, would have on their culture.

Already, a dozen different channels are broadcasting their programs into every home with the a satellite dish. Still, whether the media attention around the royal wedding marks a technological and social turning point for the people of Bhutan, is a question that only they can decide for themselves, and fortunately, the answer is merely a switch or a plug away.

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