A cult art that needs no promotion, honestly

Culture creates an identity that is unique to a place, a country and therefore it receives a level of importance and a prominence quite strongly in the respective region. Elements of culture however tend to clash with intricacies of social and civic norms, and in an equally prominent level.

The culture of Doma is been part of this country since ages back as it figured into societal practices among people to offer doma in brief and casual encounters. Thus, it’s a customary act to offer and accept to open a conversation among friends or in a gathering of different sorts.

During significant events held at national levels, at celebrations such as weddings, promotion parties etc. the doma is included as part of the ceremonial zhugdrel Phuensum Tshogpa.

Doma is the betel nut, which is wrapped in a betel leaf (paney) that has lime (tsuney) smeared on it. Together the packaged item makes for a chewing product that involves the residue of red saliva.

Over ages hence since its entry and evolution, the practice has come to become quite the substantially paying business for people and therefore, its visibility is increased manifold from just being an item in a country’s traditional practices.

Picking on its ‘visibility’ and ‘prominence’ the vital aspect of civic sense unavoidably comes into focus.

There are very few structures and landmarks in towns that have not been visited by the red and white combo shooting off mouths and fingers of those chewing doma. 

If one should take a stroll through the main Thimphu town specifically on a mission to locate walls, windows, doors of buildings, gates to residential, shopping or office areas; park benches, trash bins, electric poles and boxes among other standing structures, none has been spared from being transformed into a canvas of white lime smears and red doma spits. Litter generated by the paper thrown carelessly is an additional sight that is an eyesore.

The betel nut (areca nut) or doma contains arecholic acid which is not entirely good for the stomach, although the consuming of it has been known to ease digestion. The long time consumption of doma in the long run is known to cause damage to the linings of the lips and eventually cause mouth cancer.

The aspect of health hazards from doma remaining at individual discretionary levels, likes and dislikes, the practice could surely use a little forethought and a lot of afterthought from everyone.

As a veritably designated tourist destination, sights and sceneries make up for pretty much the ‘only attraction’ for the different visitors from different countries with different cultural values.

Surely, we don’t want to paint the town red (literally) to scream, this is all there is to show.

Published as Editorial for Business Bhutan on September 13, 2014