Biography of Amjee Keyzom Bhutti Phunkyil
Amjee Keyzom Bhutti Phunkyil was born at Tingke in the
renowned family of Tana Phunkyil. Her father, Mr. Tashi Topgyal Tana Phunkyil was a very kind and generous person and became the Ganpo(Head) of the Tingke region. He had earned tremendous love and affection in the hearts of the common people. Her mother Mrs. Norzen Wangmo was born in the renowned family of Shomed Dragpa in the Sakya region and came to Tingke after getting married with her father. She was a very religious minded woman who could understand the true meaning of Karma and applied practically in the day to day life. She always used to talk about the value of understanding the true nature of Karma and impermanence of the worldly activities. With those religiousness in the minds of their parents and mother in particular, their children also matured in the same manner and developed wonderful relationship among themselves and with their parents; and generated the gene of kindness and helping the needy ones. Especially Amjee Keyzom Bhutti felt that the parents were the essence of all gurus in her life who made her to understand the true nature of life. She remembered even today those lavishly spent religious ceremony performed by their parents annually that showed the freedom of religion in an independent time of Tibet.
When the Communist Regime Of China under the leadership of Moa Zadong conquered Tibet in the year 1959
thousands of Tibetan people were forced to cross the frozen high mountains of the Himalayas along with H. H. the Dalai Lama to refuge in India. Her parents were among those Tibetans who came along with H. H. the Dalai Lama to refuge under the kind hospitality of the Government of India. They reached India after crossing countless pass in the border areas of Nepal and Tibet. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti was just eight years old at that time and came along with her parents. Her parents stayed in the Queen valley of India called Darjeeling and started a completely new pathetic life. During that time in India there was no transportation in the remote areas due to which people mainly used horses. Her father had twelve horses. He used to transport woods from one place to another with the help of his horses and this generated income for the family. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti's responsibility to the family at that time was to go to the forest to collect woods and fetch water in the hot and sunny weather of the region. During that time her family was in the most difficult period of their life, their children didn't have a proper shoe to wear and stayed bare foot for more than two years. As a result they were used to getting lots of cracks and crevices on the foot which was very painful and hard to bear. She often used to have sunstroke during hot and sunny weather condition in the regions. However, she was determined to bear those hardships to help their parents in the hour of need. This was considered to be most unforgettable events in her life; especially the lost of their youngest brother while coming to India.
When they were in Darjeeling her father went through numerous unbearable hardship which led to the demise of her father at a young age and left them in the hands of fragile old mother. After the demise of her
father, her mother was completely fainted with life and mourned for more than three months for the lost of her
husband who was the only earning member of the family. Inspite of countless request from their children she
even refused to wash her hair. Thus, Amjee Keyzom Bhutti could not bear the pathetic condition of mother and pleaded her to come to her normal life for the sake of family. Finally, she had accepted the request of Amjee Keyzom Bhutti and shouldered the responsibilities of the family. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti also promised her to render all the helps she need in absence of father for the betterment of family in general and children in particular. Now, they had taken the decision of admitting their elder sister and younger brother to the Tibetan refugee self-help centre school, located in Darjeeling, India and they were admitted. Her mother had requested Amjee Keyzom to stay along with her and to support her in the hour of need. Her mother was very happy and fully satisfied with her daughter's contribution for the family.
After going through this train for more than two years her mother regretted on the matter of advising Amjee la to stay along with her in the home and decided to send her to the Central School For Tibetan, Darjeeling. Amjee la refused to accept her mother's decision with reason that her mother has taken this decision for the sake of Amjee la's future without thinking about her problem in absence of her daughter. Therefore, she refused to accept her decision and was determined to sail in the same boat but her mother forced Amjee la to accept her decision and admitted her to the Central school for Tibetans, Darjeeling in year 1961. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti considered her mother as her first guru in her life. When she was in school her mother used to come on the weekends to meet her with some very precious eatables. Amjee la could understand very well that her mother has taken lots of hardship to bring them for her and used to remember those memorable days at present also. After seeing the pathetic condition of her mother Amjee la requested her mother to get married for a second time. She had accepted Amjee la's request and got married with a thoughtful, affectionate and rich man from the Wo Lung region. This helped lots for the economic condition of the family in general and children's education's in particular. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti was very happy to see her mother and her new father together.
During her school time she was a very obedient and responsible student and was appointed as the Uniform Store in-charge for the school. She also shouldered the responsibilities such as class-monitor, school prefect etc. and was given the responsibility of ringing a bell due to her sincerity. When she was studying in the 10th grade she appeared for the common entrance exam conducted by the Tibetan Medical and Astrological College of H. H. the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala and was selected among the first batch of students under the exile government of Tibet. She joined in year 1969. There were twelve medical students of which six were boys and six were girls. During that time the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute was in the stage of their most difficult periods and was directly administrated by the Private Office of H. H. the Dalai
Lama. His Holiness the Dalai Lama sometimes came to see her classroom while visiting his Senior tutor Ling
Rinpoche who was residing near by the Tibetan Medical Institute. His Holiness the Dalai Lama blessed and advised the medical students on how to tackle those obstacles. They used to get fifty rupees from the Private Office of H. H. the Dalai Lama as a monthly expense, which she considered very valuable.
After the Communist Aggression of Tibet only a few renowned scholars of Tibetan medicine came to India; one of them was Bashe Phuntsok Wangyal. He was a renowned scholar in the field of Tibetan medicine and Astrology. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti was very lucky to have direct medical and astrological teachings from him. She used to get up at 4 o, clock to study under the street light due to high electricity expenses which the Institute could not afford.
They used to have class from 9 A.M.- 12 P.M and lunch at 1 in the afternoon. Afternoon class started from 2-5 P.M. and dinner was served at 5 P.M.; Oral test was held from 6-7 P.M. and was taken by Dr. Tashi la who is currently the Chief-Medical-Officer of the Kalimpong Institute. In that manner, she had burnt numerous nights and days to achieve the degree of a Tibetan Doctor.
Finally, she graduated from the Tibetan Medical and Astrological College of H. H. the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala with Menrampa (first division degree) and became a fullfleged Tibetan Doctor. After graduation she was directed to Darjeeling to open a new institute. She faced numerous problems in the regions due to the lack of awarness among the local people in the field of Tibetan Medicine and financial constraint of the institute.
Inspite of having those problems she had fulfilled the wishes of the institute and created heart for Tibetan medicine in the hearts of the local people; and earned lots of fame in the field of Tibetan medicine by receiving numerous awards as a recognition of her dedicated services in the field of Tibetan medicine.
In the year 1988 Amjee Keyzom Bhutti and Late Dr. Tenzin Choedak, Senior Physician to H. H. the Dalai Lama visited France, Belgium, England, Austria and the United States of America on a medical tour organized by
the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of H. H. the Dalai Lama under the direction from the Department of Health Tibetan Government in Exile. In the year 1990, she was invited to Holland to conduct medical consultations. With these contributions she had served as the Chief-Medical-Officer of the Darjeeling institute for 25 years.
In year 1997 Amjee Keyzom Bhutti joined her husband who had been to the United States under the joint immigration project adopted by the Tibetan Government in Exile and the Government of United State of America. Amjee Keyzom Bhutti was the first officially approved tibetan doctor
to practice in the United States.
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