G P Dukpa, 72, former dungpa of Phuentsholing, prides in his collection of Kuensel issue archives of 17 years. He has every copy of Kuensel from 1987, five months after Kuensel started as a 12-page weekly paper, to 2004.

According to Dukpa, he started filing Kuensel in 1987 when the cost was just Nu 1 and the issue was 12 pages. “During those days, Kuensel was the only paper in the country and the only source of information on happenings,” he said. Whenever, he missed any issue, he made sure he got it from one of his friends, who worked in Kuensel those days.

Due to old age, he stopped his hobby in 2004. The Kuensel issues have been painstakingly bound and stored in a steel cupboard in his storeroom. He takes out his collection for airing from time to time and to dry during humid weather.

Asked about his views on the print media scene today, he said that it was good to see changes but all the stories in three papers were dominated by politics. “It’s boring to read the same topic again and again,” he said.

Source: Kuenselonline