When was the last time a Prime Minister engaged in a Socratic dialogue with a 16-year old? It happens only in Bhutan. At the inaugural ceremony of the eighth edition of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay recited a poem, along with a bright young 16-year-old student from Bhutan High School Dorji Gyeltsen. The poem, written by Charmi Chheda, dealt with the age-old tussle between the old and the new world orders, represented by the two generations. After an engaging exchange about the concerns and promises, the two generations come together: “As we stand here, the voice is one, the thoughts are one but no one is old, and no one is young. Here we create a present, and call it a gift. This is that will be, the song that I sing, the anthem of the yellow and orange. As it flutters in the air, hear it now closely. Isn’t this but the mountain echoes? This is not an illusion, this is reality. This is not an illusion, this is reality.”
The festival was formally inaugurated by Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, the royal patron of the festival.
The festival began with the traditional lighting of the lamp ceremony by Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, His Excellency Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay, Ambassador Jaideep Sarkar and Festival Co-Directors Namita Gokhale and Pramod Kumar KG.
Mita Kapur, Festival Producer and CEO, Siyahi, welcomed audiences to the Festival and said that as the world increasingly seeks solace in the wisdom of writers, the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival is a celebration of the power of ideas and the joy of imagination, with a touch of magic. The Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck gave the opening address of the evening and said that India and Bhutan’s shared love of literature and arts brings the two countries together year after year. She also spoke about the positive impact the festival has on young Bhutanese minds and the increasing interest in literature and arts in Bhutan.
In his address, Ambassador Jaideep Sarkar emphasized that both neighbours, Bhutan and India, have a lot to learn from each other and the Festival provides the perfect platform for audiences across the globe to experience the magic and mystique of Bhutan.
This was followed by traditional marchang and zhungdra performances by students of Sersang School. Festival Co-Director Tshering Tashi then regaled audiences with tales of Bhutan and India’s decades-long relationship dating back to 1955, highlighting anecdotes about Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘the architect of Bhutan and India’s friendship’. He also spoke about the increasing number of Bhutanese and international participants at each edition. The 2017 edition of the Festival will see 75 writers from across the world come together for debates, discussions and exchange of ideas. This includes 53 writers from Bhutan, 21 from India and 11 from other countries, including United States of America, Australia, United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia, Bangladesh and Nepal.
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