Paljor Dorji | |
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1st Chief Justice of the High Court of Bhutan | |
In office 1974 – 1987 Acting: 1974 – 1985 | |
Monarch | Jigme Singye Wangchuck |
Preceded by | None,Office established |
Succeeded by | Sangay Penjore |
Personal details | |
Born | Bhutan House,Kalimpong,India | 24 August 1943
Children | 4 |
Parents |
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Relatives | Jigme Singye Wangchuck (cousin) |
Occupation |
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Known for | Founding Bhutan's first non-governmental organization, Conservation of black-neck cranes in Bhutan. |
Dasho Paljor Jigme Dorji, [1] [2] commonly known as Dasho Benji, is a Bhutanese environmentalist, judge and diplomat. [3]
Often referred to as Bhutan's "Godfather of Conservation", [4] he established Bhutan's first non-governmental organization, the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature [3] in 1987 to conserve the country's black-necked crane population and to preserve the country's biodiversity in general. [5]
He was also involved in the drafting of "The Middle Path" the country's first National Environmental Strategy which was published in 1998. [6] He also served as an advisor to numerous conservation and environmental organizations in Bhutan including the National Environment Commission. Dorji was also conferred the Jigme Singye Wangchuck Outstanding Environmental Stewardship Award for Policy Leadership. [5] The Bhutan Ornithological Society as well as the Bhutan Ecological Society was founded by himself with him serving as founding president of the two organizations. [4]
In 2018, he was named as one of the "Nature's Heroes" by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature. [5]
Dorji has served in the government of Bhutan as early as 1969. [4] He served as an advisor to the former king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck [5]
As judge he served as Magistrate of Paro District from 1969 to 1972, as High Court Judge from 1972 to 1974. Jigme Palden Dorji appointed him as the first Chief Justice of Bhutan's High Court [7] serving from 1974 to 1987 (acting capacity from 1974 until 1985). [4] He was succeeded by Lyonpo Sangay Penjore who was appointed by the king in 1987. [7]
He was also Deputy Minister for Social Services from 1988 to 1991, and Deputy Minister to the National Environment Commission 1994 to 1997. [4]
As a diplomat, Paljor Dorji served as Ambassador to the United Nations and European capitals from 1991 to 1994. However, a lot is yet to be known [4]
Paljor Dorji featured in the 2016 film Power of the River: Expedition to the Heart of Water in Bhutan [8] an adventure documentary by American director Greg Hamilton which tackles about the issues on setting up dams in Bhutan's rivers. [9]
Paljor Dorji is the son of Bhutan's first prime minister, Jigme Palden Dorji. Tobgye Dorji is his brother, a former diplomat who became a hotelier in Paro. [3] A member of the royal family, [10] Paljor Dorji is a cousin of Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. [5] His mother was Ashi Tsering Yangzom, daughter of Tibetan aristocrat and official Tsarong. [11]
He is also credited for bringing the sport of basketball in Bhutan having learned the sport in from Canadian Jesuits in a boarding school in Darjeeling, India. He also introduced the sport to the royal family having taught the sport to King Jigme Singye Wangchuck when the monarch was still a teenager. [12]
Jigme Singye Wangchuck is a member of the House of Wangchuck who was the king of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006. During his reign, he advocated the use of a Gross National Happiness index to measure the well-being of citizens rather than Gross domestic product.
Jigme Wangchuck was the 2nd Druk Gyalpo or king of Bhutan from 26 August 1926, until his death. He pursued legal and infrastructural reform during his reign. Bhutan continued to maintain almost complete isolation from the outside world during this period; its only foreign relations were with the British Raj in India, under which Bhutan was a protected state. He was succeeded by his son, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was the 3rd Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan.
DashoLhendup Dorji was a member of the Dorji family of Bhutan. He was also the brother of the Queen of Bhutan, Ashi Kesang choden and uncle to the fourth king of Bhutan, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. He served as acting Lyonchen following the assassination of his brother, Lyonchen Jigme Palden Dorji, on April 5, 1964.
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Tshering Pem is one of the four wives and queens of Bhutanese king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who ruled until his abdication in 2006. She is the Queen Mother of Bhutan.
Dorji Wangmo is the Queen Mother of Bhutan, and first wife of former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who is married to four sisters all of whom were entitled to be called queen.
Sangay Choden is one of the four wives and queens of Bhutanese king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who ruled in Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006. She is the Queen Mother of Bhutan.
Wangchuk or Wangchuck is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
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The Dorji family of Bhutan has been a prominent and powerful political family in the kingdom since the 12th century AD. The family has produced monarchs, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Prime Ministers, Dzong lords and governors. The fourth king of Bhutan Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, as well as his son the current fifth king of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, are also members of the Dorji family and therefore also descendants of the royal family of Sikkim. The Dorji family is also the holder of the Bhutan House estate in Kalimpong, India.
Desi Jigme Namgyal of Bhutan is a forefather of the Wangchuck Dynasty. He served as 51st Druk Desi of Bhutan (1870–1873), and held the hereditary post of 10th Penlop of Trongsa. He was called the Black Ruler.
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Princess AshiDechen Yangzom Wangchuck is the daughter of the fourth King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck and his wife, Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck. She is the sister of the fifth King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
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DashoKeiji Nishioka was a Japanese botanist. He was dispatched to the Kingdom of Bhutan by the Japanese Government to help modernise the Bhutanese agricultural sector. Nishioka worked in Bhutan as an agriculture expert for 28 years, from 1964 till his death in 1992. Nishioka's work helped improve the cultivation of rice and vegetables in Bhutan's Paro and Zhemgang dzongkhags (districts). He also participated in civic infrastructure development efforts in Zhemgang.