19/08/2026
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A 21-Year-Old Guardian of Bhutan’s Highland Borderlands
In an age when many young people dream of leaving the mountains for the comfort and opportunities of cities or overseas, 21-year-old Gyanay Ghallay has chosen a very different path.
He has chosen to remain where his ancestors lived, worked and herded sheep for generations—in the highlands and forests of Bhutan’s borderlands.
Gyanay is believed to be one of the youngest sheep herders of his generation. While many young people of his age are pursuing education, jobs and modern lifestyles elsewhere, he continues the traditional life of a Ghallay sheep herder, carrying forward an occupation deeply connected to his family, community and heritage.
His days in the highlands are not easy. There is no fixed working season and no vacation. Winter, summer or monsoon—his responsibilities continue. He collects firewood, milks the sheep, prepares food, looks after the flock and carries out the countless tasks required to survive in the mountains.
For Gyanay,however, this is more than a job.
It is a responsibility inherited from his ancestors.
He says he is happiest when he is able to serve and continue the work that his forefathers passed down to him. His greatest sadness is sometimes not the cold, loneliness or hardship of the mountains, but the lack of reliable mobile network that prevents him from connecting with his family back in the village.
During festivals, when families gather together, he misses home the most.
Like any young person,Gyanay sometimes becomes bored and thinks about leaving the mountains for the city or even going abroad. But whenever those thoughts come, he reminds himself that he is not doing this only for himself.
He believes he is also serving his country.
The highlands where these shepherds live are close to Bhutan’s borderlands. Their continuous presence means that people are living, working and maintaining a human presence in some of the country’s most remote areas. In this sense,Gyanay sees himself not only as a shepherd, but also as someone contributing to the quiet protection and presence of Bhutan’s frontier communities like a security guard of the highlands, guarding through presence, livelihood and tradition.
Yet this way of life is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
If young people like Gyanay leave, who will continue this centuries-old tradition? Who will take the sheep into the highlands? Who will maintain the traditional knowledge of herding, wool, sheep products and mountain living? And perhaps most importantly, who will maintain a permanent human presence in these remote borderlands?
Gyanay does not ask for luxury.
He hopes that the government will understand the hardships faced by highland sheep herders and consider a basic salary or livelihood-support system similar to other forms of highland and border security service. Such support could provide dignity and stability to those who continue this difficult work and, more importantly, encourage other young Bhutanese to consider taking up sheep herding rather than abandoning it.
His dream is simple: if the country recognizes the value of their work, more young people may be willing to stay.
Gyanay’s story is therefore not simply the story of a 21-year-old shepherd.
It is the story of a generation standing at a crossroads—between ancestral tradition and modern opportunity, between the mountains and the cities, between preserving a way of life and watching it disappear.
At just 21,Gyanay has made his choice.
He chose the mountains.
He chose his sheep.
He chose his ancestors’ work.
And, in his own quiet way, he chose to remain where his presence matters—not only to his family and community, but to the living heritage and human presence of Bhutan’s highland borderlands.
Perhaps the question now is not whether young people like Gyanay are willing to serve.
The question is whether we, as a country, are willing to recognize and support their service.
