The picturesque Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has been grabbing headlines for the last few weeks. This weekend, however, search engines are likely to witness a surge in Bhutan-related queries. No, there is no disaster waiting to happen and this is no forewarning. As the old adage goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. The 8th edition of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival will be held from Friday, 25 August to Sunday, 27 August in Thimphu, the picturesque capital of Bhutan.
Each year, some of the best literary minds across the world descend upon Thuimpu to attend the festival. As in its earlier editions, this year’s edition of the festival too will see a strong presence of Indian writers, artists, designers, journalists and politicians.
The three-day festival, themed 'Untouched Beauty, Unexplored Ideas and Unstoppable Voices,’ will see speakers and artists from different parts of the world discuss environmental conservation, natural history, spirituality, and the global evolution of textiles and design traditions, among other things.
Headline names set to appear at this year’s edition are Markus Zusak, His Eminence Kyabje Khedrup Rinpoche Ugyen Tenzin Thinley Lhendup, Shashi Tharoor, Padma Lakshmi, Pranay Lal, Devdutt Pattanaik, Francesca Beard, Phuntsho Namgyel, Lopen Sonam Bumdhen, Imtiaz Ali, Prayaag Akbar, Rebecca Pradhan, Palden Tshering and Neel Madhav.
Festival co-director and celebrated author Namita Gokhale said:
Over the last eight years, Mountain Echoes has established itself as one of the most thoughtful, moving and evocative celebrations of literature anywhere on our planet. The shared narratives of Bhutan and India, and of mountain regions everywhere, expand the space for insights across cultures and geographies.
Elaborating on the sessions in the pipeline for this year’s edition, Festival Producer and CEO, Siyahi, Mita Kapur said, “After seven highly successful editions of the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, we are gearing up for an exhilarating eighth edition”.
The aim of the free, open festival is to showcase Bhutan and India’s shared historical and traditional narratives and at the same time promote the culture of reading, writing and literature in Bhutan.Mita Kapur, Festival Producer
“Each year, we strive to curate programming that presents audiences with interesting insights into the literature, art and culture of Bhutan, India and the world around. With the current line-up of speakers and authors from across the globe, the eighth edition promises to turn the world’s happiest nation into a storytelling platform,” Kapur said.
This unique literary festival surely can offer a lesson or two on shared culture and heritage.
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