118th National Day Speech - His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck |118th National day

118th National Day Speech - His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck |118th National day 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆'𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 I am honoured to mark this occasion here in Bumthang, a sacred land blessed by Guru Rinpoche and Longchenpa, the birthplace of Pema Lingpa, and the ancestral home of the Wangchuck dynasty. I speak to you today from the grounds of Wangduechhoeling Palace, built by Jigme Namgyel, where Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck was born. There couldn’t have been a more fitting place to honour our forefathers and to reaffirm our pledge to serve Bhutan with courage, determination, and unwavering dedication. To all Bhutanese watching the celebrations, you are in our hearts wherever you are. As we all know, the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) is of extraordinary importance for Bhutan’s prosperous future. I would like to share updates on the progress we have made. The love, loyalty, and dedication of the Bhutanese people, and their understanding of what our country needs, is truly unmatched. This was clear when over 17,000 volunteers from all walks of life, spanning four generations — from children to the elderly, came forward to support the three volunteer programs organized at Gelephu this year. Jetsun and I, along with our children, also joined in the work, and it was deeply moving to see familiar faces, such as Lopen Basokarp, a revered spiritual figure in his 90s, taking part. While outsourcing such work might be convenient, just as nothing compares to the warmth and specialness of a home-cooked meal, nothing compares to the joy and meaning of our own people coming together to physically build our future. Thank you for your spirit, warmth, and unity. Similarly, when the GMC Nation Building Bond was announced earlier this year, an overwhelming number of people came forward to participate, especially Bhutanese living abroad, contributing their hard-earned money out of a genuine desire to support the GMC. I truly appreciate your participation, which reflects your commitment and the confidence you have in this project. Gelephu is a beautiful, green, and fertile land, surrounded by forests. We are in Bumthang a sacred land blessed with ancient spiritual heritage, and for Gelephu, we want to create a similar sense of sacredness. I asked the Je Khenpo, the Dratshang, Lams, Trulkus, and spiritual leaders to help build that sacredness by establishing lhakhangs, dzongs, temples, and spiritual centres. They answered with great enthusiasm, and in just one year, we received 30 applications, of which 14 have been approved so far: Jarong Khasho Chorten, Dordhen Tashi Gomang Chorten, Shambhala Dzong, Guru Nangsi Zilnon Lhakhang, Ugyen Norlha Lhakhang, Kangyur Labyrinth, Kurkulee Centre, Druk Ugyen Samye Ling, Kesang Do-ngag Shedrupling, Maitreya Temple, Vajrakilaya Research Center, Barched Kuensel Chorten, Tara Retreat Center, and Gyenyen Neykhang. We expect the Gelephu International Airport to be completed in 2029. When the first visitors arrive in Gelephu Mindfulness City, it will be a place of spirituality, representing the best of what our blessed Kingdom has to offer. I thank the spiritual leaders and their supporters who have contributed generously to help us realize this vision. The GMC Project is a completely new endeavour for us, and to give it the best chance of success, we have engaged global experts in specialized fields. However, we cannot forever rely on foreign experts. We must actively engage and learn as much as possible, so that we can eventually manage GMC independently. Pelsung was introduced this year to mobilize and empower the youth for this purpose. The very best of our young Bhutanese were selected for Pelsung to shadow experts and learn from them. Their task is to become the people we rely on to run GMC in the future. Our youth came forward in large numbers eager to take on this responsibility, and I am immensely heartened to see such commitment and dedication. There is a great deal of activity at the GMC International Airport, with people working tirelessly to meet the target of completion by 2029. However, this is much more than a building project. Just as our parents’ generation built the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway through sweat and toil, bringing remarkable transformation to Bhutan, our equivalent today is this airport. The work being done now carries the karmic merit of building ten thousand Zangdopelri, because it will pave the way for a stronger, more prosperous nation and enable the flourishing of the Dharma and the legacy of Guru Rinpoche and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel.