Archery

Bhutanese Roads | Archery | Phallic Obsession | Tsechus

Archery is not only Bhutan's national sport, it is also an intimate part of their cultural heritage. But lest you entertain rose tinted images about the delicate intricacy of traditional bamboo bows and cat gut strings, be under no illusions. They use the very latest technology in the form of exotic metals, carbon fibre and strings passing over multiple pulley systems to balance the forces as the arrow pings off to its target 140 metres away. Bhutanese archery is not only a sport, it is like all other national sports inherently corrupted as a spectacle and focus of all the very worst, most trivial and tribal elements of such "entertainment", complete with cheer leaders and ribald triumphalism when winning a point and cat calls, jeers and any other distraction possible to deflect the opposition. As each archer prepares his shot, the opposition hurl abuse, shout irrelevant and misleading advice on how to hit the target and the cheer leaders respond with their customary traditional clad seductive dance routines. It is perhaps an epitome of everything Bhutanese that such high tech instruments should be combined with tribal rituals and the lethargy and lack of concern of cows, dogs and people wandering across the piste as arrows capable of piercing the solid two inch thick timber targets fly past. As if they needed any further bread and circuses opiate of the people; as if their religion were not opiate enough. We witnessed the German national team being subjected to a rerun of the previous day's match in which they were soundly thrashed by the Bhutanese national team. This time it was against the local Paro team...and they were again soundly thrashed. Ah, what joy to watch. They scored so few hits that we became bored waiting for, almost willing them to hit the target so we could witness how they would celebrate their point, there being a mandatory requirement to do a song and dance routine each and every time. But, no Horst Wesel song, just a sad verse , out of tune and without feeling...