His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Is a King Who Falls.

 His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Is a King Who Falls.

I am not going lie here, today I watched a horror movie named `The Platform` directed by Galder Gaztelu- Urrutia. This film is a very well crafted, acted, designed and well made, it questions the concept of what kind of society or the country you live in. I myself being a huge film nerd, where I love to understand the meanings in depth of what a director has tried to tell to the world. To see from the makers view, to draw wisdom and knowledge from it, love to compare things and write about it. To express myself from my own views, so what does this horror film have to do with our country Bhutan and it´s monarchy?

´The Platform´or `El Hoyo` In Spanish, was released in the year Twenty Twenty, The story takes place in the future, where people are locked in a vertical high tower having 666 rooms. In the start there is a wording, which says “There are three types of people, those above, those below and those who fall.”Each rooms has a rectangular hole in the middle, where one can see the other levels above and below. The main protagonist is a guy named Goreng, who wakes up at room number 48. He is unaware of how to system works even though did volunteered for this himself. His room mate Tri Magazi says is not a bad room to be in, not sure what it meant Goreng wonders what they are going to eat? Which to Tri Magazi answers “Simple the leftovers of the people above us.”

Just then a rectangular platform descends downwards in the middle of the rectangular hole that was present. On the platform Goreng see nasty leftovers of the people from above them, as they are in number 48 as each room has two people in it that means 97 people have before them and what they are eating right now is the leftovers of 97 people. Tri Magazi explains to Goreng that he has been here for many months and that every month he is taken to different rooms, sometimes he is lucky to get on the top saying the highest he has been is room 11 and the lowest is 171 where he almost starved to death but managed. Meaning those who are below aren´t so lucky.

By now if you are smart enough you might have already gotten it, but if you are a bit like me who takes time in understanding fear not, I here to explain. The vertical tower represents the society one lives in or the country, the people inside it represents different stages of life. Where ones above represent the rich and powerful and below are the ones who are poorer than the ones above. In the film the ones below are mistreated and often given nothing to eat because of the ones above. The change in rooms every month is the symbol of stages in life because life doesn´t let you stay on the same stage forever, sometimes you are more wealthy than others and sometimes below than others. The platform food represents the wealth, success and title you are given in life and how much is left. Instead of sharing it with the people below in the movie most people miss use it but spoiling the food making it bad. Even though each of these people have been to lower levels and knows what kind of situation people have to face below, they don´t care as long as they have what they want.

They just think is their own bad luck that they ended up below them and that they ended up above them. Which is a very wrong way of thinking things, I bet you can relate to it with the world by now.

So we know what the wording from the start meant, “There are three types of people, those above, those below and those who fall.” The ones who are above are the rich and the powerful, whereas the ones below are the underprivileged ones. But what about the ones that fall? In the movie Goreng suffers a lot of times by being transferred to rooms low as 333 by starving but when he reaches one of the highest room, which is on room 6 he realizes that ones below shouldn´t suffer just because of others being above them. He decides to make a small space in middle of the platform and goes down with it, he makes everyone share the food that is on the platform by feeding everyone equally. His mind is finally open and enlightened.

That is why I feel His Majesty The King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wnagchuck is a king who falls, he is englighten and knows that just because someone who has so much power shouldn't make the people below suffer. Even though being one of the most powerful person in the kingdom. He steps down from the title, he is known to talk to people and know their life styles and the people´s needs. His majesty visits all the rural areas and if even one part of the country is suffering His Majesty The King acts immediately not caring if his wealthy is decreasing or he is statues is going down. His Majesty The King does everything to make sure all regions of the nation is happy. Just the day before I read an article where His Majesty commanded to take actions on the human trafficking in Iraq and saved 136 girls from these incidents. There is a picture of His Majesty The King where to talk to people´s needs he sat on the ground even though there was a very comfortable throne prepared. These are just few things I have mentioned but there are lots more His Majesty has done for the country.

All of this is because he believes in equality, discipline and education. His Majesty Believes in the youths as they are our future and courages them to be very well education and literate at the same time. Having everyone in the country living a comfortable life is one for the key to development.

Also in the movie each person can take one item they like in the tower, Goreng the main protagonist chooses a book for his item. A book symbolizes wisdom and knowledge, something similar to why our Majesty The King focuses on education being one of the most important aspect for the growth of a country. In encouraging youths to try best in the fields of education.

This is why to us Bhutan is the happiest country and sometimes people being in Bhutan argue that there is no GNH. Happiness in what you believe in and we all believe in our king, government and ourselves.

Note

I will respectfully take criticism for this article from people and if they happen to correct me. All copyright are used in the fair use of copyright laws. This a tribute to His Majesty The King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck