Mountain Echoes – A Literary Festival in Bhutan 17 to 20 May 2010
March 16, 2010 | By IPP desk based on a press release
For a unique literary and cultural experience, the India-Bhutan Foundation presents Mountain Echoes – a literary festival, in association with Siyahi, a literary consultancy from Jaipur. Her Majesty the Queen Mother of Bhutan, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, is the Chief Patron of the festival. Mountain Echoes will be held from 17 to 20 May, 2010 in Thimphu, Bhutan. Namita Gokhale is the Programme Consultant for the festival. Bhutan provides a perfect setting for the festival, which will communicate tales of our shared landscape in the Himalayan region, both as places of ecological and inspirational value and the region’s cultural leitmotif redolent with the spirit of the mountains. Surrounded by a sense of serenity and mysticism, come treasure moments of stories being told, poems and songs being sung, signifying a rich exchange of intercultural dialogue between the two countries.
Karma Ura, one of the authors at the festival Photo: Ron Augustin
Program
(Subject to change. Entry to all sessions is free)
17 May 2010
Inaugural at India House Auditorium at 5 pm;
Keynote Address – By Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck;
Gross National Happiness as a Transformational Tool: A vision of common purpose – A talk by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, His Excellency Jigme Yoser Thinley.
18 May 2010
Return to Roots: A discussion on culture and identity – Pavan Varma in conversation with Pema Choden and Namita Gokhale;
Bhutan: The inner self – Karma Ura introduced by Namita Gokhale;
Of Women, by Women – Kunzang Choden and Urvashi Butalia;
In the High Mountains: Encountering the Himalayas – Omair Ahmad in conversation with Mitali Saran;
Stories and Folk Tales from a Grand Mother’s Lap – Kirin Narayan and Bulbul Sharma;
Scripting Cinema: Bhutanese and Indian films – Tshering Penjore, Tshering Wangyel, Rajkumar Hirani;
Poems about Love: Poetry reading – Gulzar and Pavan Varma;
A Bhutanese Village Experience.
19 May 2010
These Hills Called Home – Sampurna Chattarji, Mamang Dai and Temsula Ao;
The Quest for Younghusband – Patrick French in conversation with Sadanand Dhume;
Talking Lozey – Sonam Kinga introduced by Namita Gokhale;
Five Poems: Poetry readings – Mamang Dai, Temsula Ao, Kynpham Sing along with Bhutanese poets;
Of Travellers and Magicians – Khyentse Norbu in conversation with Kinley Dorji;
Winds of Change – Kinley Dorji in conversation with Ravi Singh;
Words as Arrows: Poetry and archery – Kynpham Sing moderated by Sampurna Chattarji;
Soulmate: the band from the North East to perform at the Clock Tower.
20 May 2010
Tales of the Land – Samten Dorji moderated by Choki Shomo;
An Ancient Epic, Modern Times – Namita Gokhale moderated by Urvashi Butalia
The Fourth Cup of Tea – Greg Mortenson in conversation with Patrick French;
Mind Travel: Words, pictures, stories – Sarnath Bannerji;
Young Writers, Young Readers – Chetan Bhagat moderated by Jai Arjun Singh;
On Balance – Leila Seth;
Mapping the Himalayas: From Pandit Nain Singh Rawat to the Askot-Arakot Abhiyan – Shekhar Pathak in conversation with Gopilal Acharya.