Cross-national happiness

As a pahari from Kumaon, I strongly endorse the view that the Himalayan ranges exist in a continuum of environment, ecology and cultural tradition. That is what ‘Mountain Echoes’ is all about.” This is how writer Namita Gokhale describes Bhutan’s literary festival.

Over the past four years, the Land of the Thunder Dragon’s very own litfest has been a shining beacon of Indo-Bhutanese relations — a gorgeous, yet intimate Himalayan setting for an eclectic line-up of writers, poets, painters, filmmakers and journalists among others.

The 2013 edition will take place in Thimphu from August 9 to 11.

The speakers range from writer Amish Tripathi and actor Rahul Bose to politician Lily Wangchuck — the first woman president of a registered political party in Bhutan.

The festival was conceived by Bhutan’s Queen Mother, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, who has authored Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan . “The idea came about in the course of a conversation between Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, [then Indian] Ambassador [Pavan K.] Varma, and me in 2009,” recalls Namita Gokhale, who is the festival’s co-director along with Pramod Kumar K.G.

The impact of Mountain Echoes on the kingdom has been huge. “While they didn’t know what literary festivals were about,” says Mita Kapur, founder of literary agency Siyahi, which is the festival producer, “they responded with alacrity. It is now a fixture in their calendar as we receive a lot of interest from the royal family and Cabinet ministers. Now in its fourth year, it has evolved into its own brand.”

The festival commands respect among Bhutan’s premier writers. Says Kunzang Choden, author of The Circle of Karma and the first Bhutanese woman to write a novel in English, “Mountain Echoes has become an important annual event for me. I plan my dates around it… it is an excellent opportunity to meet and interact with writers, thinkers and artists from India and Bhutan.” Also attending is Karma Tenxin ‘Yongba’, the founder and head of the Royal Bhutan Police’s crime branch who has authored the detective novel The Restless Relic . Poet and journalist Kenzang Uden Penjor and author Tshering Tashi are the other famous local names.

There are about eight to nine sessions every day — a mixture of music, readings and debates. So you have Indian journalists Barkha Dutt and Tarun Tejpal, and Swiss cartoonist Andrea Caprez under the same roof with filmmaker Aparna Sen and the Nepalese singer of Buddhist hymns Ani Choying Drolma.

“An interesting line-up of participants, a thoughtful selection of topics… My expectations from the festival are the same as they would be from any other — sharp debate, discussion, disagreement in an (increasingly rare) spirit of pluralism and tolerance,” says Rahul Bose.

For a writer like Jerry Pinto a litfest is about “meeting my readers”; some others see it as an opportunity to spend time with their peers.

Artist and writer Amruta Patil describes it as “one big summer camp” offering interactions with readers, authors and publishing professionals.

Mita Kapur says she invites authors according to the topics that resonate in Bhutan, which she gauges through meetings with authors, visits to bookstores and interactions with a cross-section of people. The sessions address everything from female empowerment, bio-diversity, and political freedom, to cartoons, gods, dance and, of course, Bollywood.

This time round, the highlights of the first day include a conversation between Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck and Namita Gokhale on the Queen Mother’s book Of Rainbows and Clouds: The Life of Yab Ugyen Dorjias Told to His Daughter . The afternoon discussion is on Indian epics and gods by Amish Tripathi and Amruta Patil.

The session on politics will see Omair Ahmad, author of The Kingdom at the Centre of the World: Journeys into Bhutan , Bhutanese former trade minister and author Lyonpo Om Pradhan and Pavan K. Varma exploring the changing face of Bhutan with Barkha Dutt. The evening music ranges from Indian band Bandhish to Sufi and rock.

A creative workshop hosted by Jerry Pinto and a theatre workshop by Mahesh Dattani require prior registration and are limited to 20 seats each.

Besides all the literary and cultural offerings, the dreamy Himalayan kingdom is itself a big crowd-puller. As Amish Tripathi puts it, “Mountain Echoes has consistently attracted the best minds and thinkers. I hope to interact with them and learn from them. Also, I can’t deny that the beautiful location of Bhutan is an attraction!”

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