9th Mountain Echoes lit fest will mark 50 years of India-Bhutan diplomatic ties

bhutan-india-lit-fest The ninth edition of the annual Mountain Echoes literary festival

Bhutan and India have always shared a close relationship, going back to an 1865 friendship treaty between the rulers of Bhutan and colonial India. But formal diplomatic relations were established only in 1968, when a resident representative from India was appointed in Thimphu, Bhutan's capital.

Hence, the ninth iteration of Mountain Echoes, a festival of literature, art and culture, curated by India-Bhutan Foundation and Jaipur-based literary agency Siyahi is all the more special as it marks 50 years of India-Bhutan diplomatic relations. To be held from August 23-25 in the land of the Thunder Dragon, the annual gathering in picturesque Thimphu will bring together cultural connoisseurs from around the world for some thoughtful, evocative discussions and discourse on subjects as diverse as spirituality, philosophy, performing arts, environmental conservation, food, film and theatre.

Mountain Echoes was established under the patronage of Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, the Royal Queen Mother, and the inaugural session will see an important talk on 50 years of friendship between India and Bhutan by General V. Namgyel, Bhutan’s ambassador to India, and Jaideep Sarkar, India’s ambassador to Bhutan, along with with Dasho Chewang Rinzin, who is deputy chamberlain to the king of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Some of the Indian names headlining the literary soiree include K. Nilanjana Roy, author of The Wildings,  L. Somi Roy, the author of Binodini: A Photographic Memoir, tiger conservationist Valmik Thapar, theatre personality Sanjana Kapoor, celebrated dancer Sonal Mansingh and celebrity chef and author Ritu Dalmia, apart from actors and theatre veterans Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah. 

Andrew Quintman, a scholar of Buddhism in Tibet, authors and environmentalists Daniel C. Taylor and Dave Goulson, and celebrated spoken word poet Sarah Kay are some of the international names who will arrive for the festival.

Bhutan will be represented by the likes of Chador Wangmo, author of several children’s books, Kezang Dorji, Bhutan's most popular rapper, Dechen Roder, director of the film Honeygiver Among the Dogs, a thriller on a missing monk and "a demoness", apart from Tandin Bidha, a young actress, and Kunzang Choden, who is the first Bhutanese woman to write a novel in English, published by Zubaan/Penguin in 2005. 

Mountain Echoes is presented by the Jaypee Group and powered by the department of tourism, government of Rajasthan. Bhutan's homegrown literary retreat displays some serious cultural cred amidst breathtaking natural beauty in a pleasantly nippy atmosphere. Head to Bhutan this August for a truly mesmerising literary festival.

TAGS