It was indeed a fairytale wedding. On Thursday, Bhutan's charming king Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck tied the knot with a commoner Jetsun Pema, making it one of the most talked about royal weddings in south Asia. Neeraj Chowdhury recalls her rendezvous with the monarch last year where he spoke his heart out about his plans after marriage, his beloved Bhutan, his love for India and more.
The US and England-educated King, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, is already being described by the Bhutanese as the "people's king". Impressive by any standard, he has traveled far and wide in his country on foot and on bicycle, and stayed in people's homes, and as he himself put it, cooked for them.
The visitor returns not just with the jewel-like beauty of the country imprinted on the mind, the body rejuvenated by hot stone massages, but also with the captivating stories and myths that are built into every important structure -- whether a tourist magnet or an off-the-beaten track spot.
This is prime minister's second visit to Bhutan and the first since his re-election.
"You can change friends but not neighbours," Atal Bihari Vajpayee famously said this 15 years ago.
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