DPT candidate from my village

Here comes the Good Samaritan!

By Pema Denkar: The Journalist 

A typical walk through Norzin Lam for anybody is 10 minutes. Not so for Rinzin Jamtsho. For him, the walk turns into a series of greetings, catching up with almost everybody on the street. If he is not talking to someone, he is practically on one of his three phones, taking down and passing on messages. 

A slight man, rinzin Jamtsho, 34, loves to surround himself with both young and old people. His home is a rest house for most youth, who are looking for job opportunities and senior citizens as well. his home is always houseful. “I am always grateful to be privy to their stories which have somehow attributed to who I am,” said he with a smile.One wonders what drives Rinzin Jamtsho who with a never ending schedule of meetings and appointments remains and appears very composed. A zealot at social causes, his entire life has been a series of finding ways to help people. At college in St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling, from where he has a BA (hons) in English, he has championed for clueless students seeking admissions. According to the rector of St. Joseph’s College, Father Walleghem, rinzin Jamtsho “made it his business to look after the admission of every Bhutanese student seeking admission in any of the colleges in Darjeeling, even after the admissions were over.”This trait of his was further honed while working for the Department of employment, where he personally offered his home and helped to better the lives of more than 200 youth. One such fellow is Kado from Dagana who came to Thimphu looking to find employment after disqualifying in Class X. With no relatives in Thimphu and unsure of his future, he met Rinzin Jamtsho at the employment office, who took him home. Another grateful person is Sonam Wangdi who lived at his home for three years. “his home was like a hotel and at any given time, there would be six to seven boys in the house,” says Sonam Wangdi, who added that Rinzin Jamtsho never differentiated between his own relatives and them. Both Kado and Sonam Wangdi are now gainfully employed.The causes Rinzin Jamtsho espouses vary in degree and nature. he has been advisor to many youth initiatives like happy Valley Cooperatives, Greener Way, Druk Clean Unit and Bhutan Youth Force Construction. To cite an example, on his own initiative, he has over the years facilitated the placement of more than 400 Bhutanese students in colleges and institutes. There are that many who have found jobs through his help. He initiated the Kengkhar Choedhe Zhabtog Tshogpa that brings the Kengkhar community together to conduct religious events, collect fund for sick members who travel to Thimphu, and make donations to Lhakhangs. Rinzin Jamtsho is the new Druk Phuensum Tshonga candidate for Kengkhar-Weringla. He will be taking over from MP Sonam Penjor who said that KengkharWeringla constituency had two people working for them for the last five years with rinzin Jamtsho’s active involvement.