Thursday, July 4, 2013

Lit connect: Bhutan ready to brainstorm on emerging South Asia literature







NAT

India-Literature

Lit connect: Bhutan ready to brainstorm on emerging South Asia literature

By Madhusree Chatterjee
New Delhi

The south Asian solidarity over literature is scaling new level with the growing popularity of the Mountain Echoes festival – a literature and cultural fiesta and exchange forum in Bhutan- conducted jointly by the India-Bhutan Foundation in association with Siyahi, a contemporary Indian literature promotion forum.    

The festival, more of a cultural exchange initiative that began three years ago, will open its fourth edition at the Tarayana Foundation, Nehru Wangchuk Centre and Taj Tashi in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan August 9-11 2013. It will be inaugurated by Queen Mother of Bhutan Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the chief royal patron of the festival.

The festival will be supported by the Taj Tashi  and Usha               International Limited.  

Mountain Echoes, as the name indicates points to, represents a cultural distinction of South Asia that has evolved around the Himalayan region for decades. It includes literature, folk tales, myths, legends, cuisines, cultures, environments, spirituality and discussions on development –key issues in the highlands in context of the ethnic stock of people who inhabit the region. 

Festival  coordinator, Mita Kapur, CEO of Siyahi, says Mountain Echoes this year will embrace a plethora of writing on “themes ranging from biographies, memoirs, sports writing, environment, climate change, detective fiction, art, photography, poetry, ghost stories, wild life, travel logs and a strong focus on women’s voices”.   
             
The spotlight is on young vernacular writers and scholars from Bhutan who will be hosting bi-lingual sessions in Dzongkha and English to connect to the south Asian audience and promote South Asian cultural understanding, said Pramode Kumar KG, co-director of the festival along with Namita Gokhale. 

The list of speakers reflects this spirits of exchange. The sessions will host speakers like Aparna Sen, Pavan Varma, Mahesh Dattani, Jerry Pinto, Mrinal Pande, Namita Bhandare, Rahul Bose, Malvika Singh, Amish Tripathi, Amruta Patil, Andrea Caprez, Manju Wakhley, Lam Dorji, Saad Bin Jung, Tarun Tejpal, Lyonpo Paljor Dorji, Sudha Shah and Lopen Karma Phuntsho to cite a few from the list of more than 50. 

“A remarkable book, “The History of Bhutan” about the evolution of the state from an ancient religious monarchy to a modern democracy that has learnt to exist harmoniously with the writ of the ruling family, will be released at the festival. The launch will be followed by a discussion about the history of the Himalayan kingdom with the author, who will shed light on the socio-political growth and changing order of the kingdom,” Pramode Kumar KG said.      

Bhutan, a landlocked Himalayan nation in South Asia located in the eastern fringe of the Himalayas. It is bordered by China in the north, India in the south, east and west. A loose territory of minor warring fiefdoms until the 17th century, it became a unified area where a lama, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a military leader fled persecution in Tibet and created a Bhutanese nationality with a language and culture derived from Tibetan Buddhism and ethnic lifestyles. 

Bhutan established bilateral ties with India in the early 20th century during the British rule which grew over the decades to include trade and political and soft diplomatic engagements. In a survey by Business Week in 2006, Bhutan was declared the eighth happiest country in the world.

The country measures its positive energy on a Gross National Happiness index and claims that the tally has been steadily rising. A Buddhist nation, Bhutan today is opening up to cultures from around the world, especially India.

In 2012, the third edition of Mountain Echoes had brainstormed extensively the country’s umbilical connection between happiness and faith- proclaiming that the “essential simplicity of Buddhism as a faith kept complexities out of the lives of the people”. It was also one of the reasons that contributed to the smooth transition of the monarchy to democracy unlike many South Asian countries like Nepal, India – from British rule to Independence – Pakistan and Myanmar whose road to democracies have been riddled with turbulence and violent upheavals.

“This time, the spotlight may not be on religion and theology. The recent natural disaster at Uttarakhand will expected to dominate the festival with discussions on environment by writers and intellectuals from India and Bhutan’s Himalayan region…What we can do to safeguard ourselves against such natural catastrophes,” Pramode Kumar KG said.

The politics, history, culture and altering demographic profiles of the hills are grounded in environment – its changes and the ongoing debate on development versus ecology. The Himalayan region, both in Bhutan and India, are fragile and has been exposed unchecked construction, river projects and development initiatives that have taken their toll on the fragile green cover and the eco-system of the young Himalayan uplands that geologists believe are folding and morphing even today making its earthquake prone and mercurial.  



 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
 
8 AUGUST, 2013
India House, Thimphu

7:15 pm: LIGHTING OF THE LAMP by HM Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, HE Ambassador V. P. Haran, Festival Directors Namita Gokhale and Pramod Kumar KG
7:20 pm– 7:25 pm: WELCOME ADDRESS by HE Ambassador V.P. Haran
7:20 pm –7:28 pm: INAUGURAL ADDRESS by HM Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck
7:30 pm – 7:45 pm: MangalVani: Chants of Peace – Music Performance by Ani Choying
7:45 pm – 7:50 pm: MOUNTAIN ECHOES: Address by Festival Director Namita Gokhale
7:45 pm – 7:55 pm: Address by Mr. Siddharth Shriram (Usha International Ltd.)

AUGUST 9, 2013
Tarayana Centre, Thimphu
9:50 am – Festival Director, Namita Gokhale to open the festival
10:00 am – 10:40 am   
RAINBOWS AND CLOUDS: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS
HM Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck in conversation with Namita Gokhale

10:45 am – 11:25 am
WHAT’S NOT BEING SAID
Dasho Kinley Dorji, Pavan Varma in conversation with Malvika Singh

11:30 am – 11:45 am
Tea

11:45 am – 12:25 pm
HALF THE SKY: WOMEN AND THE WORLD
Lily Wangchuk, Aparna Sen, Rahul Bose in conversation with Namita Bhandare

12:30 pm – 1:10 pm
THE COLOUR GREEN: ENVIRONMENT, BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Lyonpo Paljor Dorji, Dr. Lam Dorji in conversation with Manju Wakhley

1:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch
Taj Tashi, Thimphu
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
SONGS OF FREEDOM
Ani Choying in conversation with Namita Gokhale

2:35 pm – 3:15 pm
OF GODS AND MEN
Amish Tripathi in conversation with Meru Gokhale

3:20 pm – 3:50 pm
PARVA: CELEBRATING THE EPICS
Amruta Patil

3:55 pm – 4:10 pm
Tea

4:10 pm – 4:50 pm
THE WORD WEAVERS: RHYME AND REASON
Ashi Sonam Choden, Kezang Uden Penjor, Maria Rosa ‘Bing’ N. Carrion moderated by Jerry Pinto

4:55 pm – 5:25 pm
THE ALCHEMIST: IN CONVERSATION WITH TARUN TEJPAL
Tarun Tejpal

6:30 pm - Music Concert at Clock Tower - A Live Performance by Bandish

AUGUST 10, 2013
Tarayana Centre, Thimphu
10:00 am – 10:40 am
STORIES ON THE WALL
Kesang  Choden T. Wangchuk in conversation with Tshering Tashi

10:45 am – 11:25 am
SPEAKING GRAPHICS
Christoph Schuler, Andrea Caprez in conversation with Amruta Patil

11:30 am – 11:45 am
Tea

11:45 am – 12:25 pm
BARKHA DUTT: UNPLUGGED
Barkha Dutt in conversation with Namgay Zam


12:30 pm – 1:10 pm
WHODUNIT?
Jane De Suza, Yongba in conversation with Sathya Saran

1:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch
Taj Tashi, Thimphu

2:00 pm – 2:40 pm
THE CUSP OF CHANGE: EXPLORING THE NEW BHUTAN
Omair Ahmad and Lyonpo Om Pradhan, Pavan Varma  in conversation with Barkha Dutt                

2:45 pm – 3:25 pm
A KING’S LIFE
Sudha Shah in conversation with Pramod Kumar KG

3:30 pm – 4:10 pm
DANCE LIKE A MAN
Mahesh Dattani introduced by  Kalyan Ray

4:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Tea

4:30 pm - 5:10 pm
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
Kunzang Choden, Dolma Roder in conversation

Mojo Park, Thimphu
6:15 pm - 6:30 pm
SONG: Mawongpi Miser (The Future Citizens)
Performed by Yeshey Dorji & Thoepaga Namgyal Dawa

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
OPEN MIC at Mojo Park
Kezang Penjor, Jerry Pinto, Maria Rosa ‘Bing’ N. Carrion, Kunga Tenzin Dorji.

AUGUST 11, 2013
Tarayana Centre, Thimphu

10:00 am – 10:40 am
THE MIRROR OF THE PAST
Dr. Karma Phuntsho in conversation with Meru Gokhale


10:45 am – 11:25 am
THE MANY LIVES OF JERRY PINTO
Jerry Pinto in conversation with Sathya Saran

11:30 am – 11:45 am
Tea

11:45 am – 12:25 pm
FOOTPRINTS OF THE BUDDHA: NIHON, DRUKYEL AND THE TRAVELLER’S MIND
Dr. Imaeda Yoshiro in conversation with Dr Karma Phuntsho

12:35 pm – 1:10 pm
CINEMA CINEMA
Aparna Sen, Rahul Bose in conversation

1:15 pm – 1:55 pm
Lunch

1:55 pm – 2:35 pm
TALES FROM THE WILD
Saad Bin Jung introduced by Lyonpo Paljor Dorji.  

2:40 pm – 3:10 pm
COUNTRY ROADS
Lyonpo Om Pradhan in conversation with Namgay Zam

3:15 pm – 3:55 pm
WHAT'S BEING SAID: MEDIA CROSS CURRENTS
Siok Sian Dorji, Kunga Tenzin Dorji, Amish Tripathi in conversation with Ratnottama Sengupta

4:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Tea

4:15 pm – 4:45 pm
READINGS
Kelly Dorji, Dorji Dhradhul

4:50 pm – 5:30 pm
A LAUGH A MINUTE
Bachi Karkaria, Ulap Leki in conversation with Jane De Suza

5:35 pm – 5:40 pm
CLOSING SPEECH by Festival Director, Pramod Kumar KG



TARAYANA CENTRE, THIMPHU

August 7 - 21, 2013
9:00 am -7:00 pm : Art Exhibition: VAST Summer Show 2013

August 10, 2013
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm : Creative Writing Workshop conducted by Jerry Pinto

NEHRU WANGCHUCK CENTRE, THIMPHU
August 7, 2013
5:30 pm: Photo Exhibition: An Eye to History (Inaugural)

August 8 - 15, 2013
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Photo Exhibition: An Eye to History

August 9, 2013
2:30 pm - 5:30 pm : Film Screening
            A la cart!
            Hello India
            Harmony Fest
            Lords of the Arctic
        
August 10, 2013
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm : Film Screening
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Six Yards of Grace
The Joyful Rhythms of a Kashmiri Wedding

August 11, 2013
11:00 am - 1:00 pm : Theatre Workshop conducted by Mahesh Dattani

August 11, 2013
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm : Film Screening
            Silent Screams - Introduced by Namita Bhandar

           The Great Adventure

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