The UDEE Team

We grew up together, and we were together known as UDEE boys by then. UDEE is a furniture workshop and is one the premier companies in Bumthang. Like my dad, many used to ply their skills in wood works in the UDEE Company. Though the Udee was to more with our fathers, we, kids were also nothing less than them. There used to be an archery tournament as team Udee against other places. We played football as team UDEE. We were known in school as boys from UDEE.

Phuntsho, he was the boss. The boss, simply The Boss, someone through whom we were known and someone through whom we teamed up to form UDEE. He is the son of the proprietor of UDEE Company.

There are plenty of memories. Our main picnic spot was Taleng, some few kilometers away from Chamkhar Bazaar. We always came up with either archery, or football or picnic. We were always busy. Now I guess the picnic hot spot is being constructed with air port. During hours where there were no special events, we gathered in Phuntsho’s house and used to either watch Video or play war game. The guns made out of sticks did well for many of us than Phuntsho. He probably had those toy guns made in market. He was the boss!

I probably can’t forget that we actually caught so many fishes from the stream that ran below my house and that after taking so much time in catching the fishes and put them in a wooden water tank which was located some few distance away from our houses, we lost those fishes to some little rascals from the neighboring place. They stole every fish of ours.

The marble games were always the safest of all we indulged in. I used to play with the tethered pant and pocket full of marbles but with a younger brother on my back. I finished my primary school with my brother on my back. I always carried one or the other during off school hours so that my mother would indulge in some productive house chores. We cleaned up an apple orchard of Phuntsho’s dad and made it into a football ground. Later on after collecting enough saw dusts, we made a wrestling ring on it. Those were the moments where all innocent rascals used to come up with perfect things to do. It was considered more important than anything else. I had my bashing at the home sometimes when I actually miss looking after my brother due to my indulgences with my team UDEE. Gone days of bliss and ignorance are all over today amongst us. We are grown up and scattered over the world. Miss you team UDEE.

And yeah Team UDEE members included Phuntsho, the boss, and he is in Malaysia doing Journalism under the scholarship of Royal Government of Bhutan. Sonam Delek, I remember him as our goal keeper, is in Chennai doing a LLB under Government of India scholarship. Phuntsho Dendup, known as Phunso Chingula ( Phunso small one), and a cousin to Phuntsho is in Gedu College of Commerce.  Kinley, my own brother is in College of Science and technology in Phunstholing. And of course myself, I am here in Delhi doing architecture. And there are many whom I don’t know where about. Wherever they are, I guess all of us miss those moments where we fought, cried, laughed, played the war, went for fishing, played football, archery (and like so much a believer of superstitions, we actually used to bury eggs underneath the opponent’s target (hahhahahaha)), and of course WHERE WE GREW UP TOGETHER.