NAT
India-Literature
Lit connect: Bhutan ready to brainstorm on emerging South Asia literature
By Madhusree Chatterjee
New Delhi
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
No comments:
Post a Comment