Are We Forgetting Our Heroes? A Wake-Up Call to Honor the Legacy of Our Late Leaders
By Ram Karki
On 5 May 2024, we bid farewell to our cherished Dr. Govinda Rizal, a truly unique individual. His diverse roles as a scholar, leader, researcher, scientist, educationist, author, editor, and refugee advocate made him irreplaceable. His sudden departure in a tragic accident in Kathmandu left a void in our community’s leadership. Last week, Sunday, 5 May 2025, marked his first death anniversary. The Bhutan Watch remembered and paid its respect by launching its 6th edition of The Bhutan Journal (to which the late Rizal was one of its editors), dedicated to his memory of his topic of concern, Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC). His profound and far-reaching contributions, which have significantly impacted various fields and the lives of many, continue to inspire us and deserve our utmost reverence.
The publication was published on www.bhutanwatch.org and www.bhutannewsservice.com and was widely shared on social media platforms. On the first anniversary of his passing, beside this publication it was disheartening to see that only a few of our community members took the time to remember him by writing comments and statuses, let alone writing any articles recognising and highlighting his contributions to the community. His contribution to the community was already on the verge of being forgotten.
The next day, when I spoke to Dr Santa Karki, Dr Rizal’s wife, I hoped to hear that our community members had reached out to her to express their support and solidarity rather than just showing their respect on social media. However, to my further disappointment, only a few had done so. This lack of collective support was a disappointment and a missed opportunity to demonstrate our unity and care for one of our own. It’s time for us to change this behaviour.
A committed social leader like the late Dr. Rizal deserves more respect, appreciation, solidarity and remembrance. It’s not just an individual’s duty but our collective responsibility to come together to honour his memory as a community. Let’s not just talk about it but organise a significant event in his honour, a tangible expression of our unity and care for one of our own. Each of us has a role in this collective effort, and it’s time we all step up and do our part.
Why are we so hesitant to show our solidarity or remembrance for our dear leaders who died working for our cause? I understand it can be challenging to confront the loss of a respected figure, but we must remember and honour their legacies. Do we not even have a single minute to write a comment about his memory or show respect by calling his wife, Dr. Karki? Where is our community heading? I fear we will also keep quiet and ignore our other brave leaders whose death anniversary is forthcoming in the coming days if we do not correct this behaviour. It’s not just a suggestion; we must change this pattern of neglect. We must honour Dr Rizal’s and other leaders’ memories and contributions, and it’s time we all step up and do our part.
During my conversation with Dr Karki, I learnt she is working singlehandedly to establish a foundation in the late Dr Govinda Rizal’s name, named the Dr Govinda Rizal Foundation. This foundation aims to continue Dr. Rizal’s work and support causes he was passionate about, such as refugee advocacy, education, and scientific research. She said she is soon registering it and launch in public. I urge all the Bhutanese diasporic community members to show their respect and appreciation for the late Rizal’s contribution to our community by extending your support to the late Rizal’s wife, Dr Shanta Karki, to establish and run this foundation. You can support by volunteering your time for foundation activities, contributing financially to the foundation, or providing expertise in education, research, and advocacy. Please reach out to her in large numbers and ask how you all can contribute to the foundation to show your support and solidarity to her as she expressed to me that she has no energy to live and still expects him to return home in the evening because he left early in the morning, saying he would return soon.