Bhutan has learnt from failures of its neighbours: Book

Bhutan came up with its famous index of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as a strategy for peaceful resolution of conflicts after learning from the failures of its two dominating neighbours China and India, says a new book.
"The idea of GNH functioned as a way to direct economic development, not as an alternative to it. Moreover,for a small landlocked country, the happiness of its people is a strategic concern," says the book 'The Kingdom at The Centre of The World' by writer Omair Ahmad.
Published by Aleph Book Company it describes how the small Himalayan kingdom has learnt from its neighbours that unhappiness of local people can result in deeper troubles.

"It is this unhappiness that has toppled the Chogyal in Sikkim, and the King in Nepal. It is this unhappiness - displayed most tragically by the dozens of ordinary people who have immolated themselves in Tibet - that remains a great stumbling block to China's claim to superpower status. It is this unhappiness that led Bangladesh to break away from West Pakistan," writes Ahmad.
In every direction around the kingdom, the Bhutanese can see what happens to nations that do not value the happiness of their citizens.
Ahmad writes that by choosing GNH over GNP (Gross National Product) the fourth king of Bhutan His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck few years ago was aiming at a larger contentment with the way that the country was developing.

"Discontentment, conflict, these were things that had to be avoided. If they were deep, they would rip the country apart. In a less stable, less peaceful nation, anything like Bhutan's Tibetan issue and the southern problem, for instance, would have led to violent unrest and fissures in society that might never have healed," he says.