Bhutan's Mountain Echoes Festival Turns Ten

Mountain Echoes, the Bhutan Festival of Art, Literature and Culture is ready with its tenth edition. The annual literary gathering will take place this year in Thimphu from August 23 to August 25. The event is a true example of a global audience with thousands of people from all sections of Indian, International and Bhutanese society. Mountain Echoes is a melting pot of thoughts and ideas, celebrating a wide range of artistic mediums literature, visual arts, photography, theatre, film, music and dance. The festival is an initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation and enjoys the patronage of Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. Festival directors include known literary names such as Namita Gokhale, Pramod Kumar KG, Tshering Tashi and Kelly Dorji.

The theme for this edition is Many lives Many Stories.&nbspThese can be stories of a traveller, a spiritual leader, tales of a celebrated river, a civilization, a venerated mountain each one of them with elements that make this pursuit meaningful. &nbspThe festival will welcome about 80 writers, thinkers, filmmakers, academicians and cultural icons. It is popular for bringing together literary stalwarts from across the world in the lap of the Himalayas.

Confirmed international speakers attending the festival include Xyza Bacani, a Filipina documentary photographer Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum and Australian digital rockstar, Toby Walsh amongst others. The festival will also witness Indian speakers, including Venerable Kabir Saxena and many eminent Bhutanese personalities from different spheres such as Lt Col Kesang Choeden (retd), the founder of Chuniding Food and Khenpo Karchung, a monk and a Sanskrit teacher.

You can also enjoy the ancillary events, which includes film screenings, musical concerts, a dance recital, an open mic night and a performance by psychological illusionist Karan Singh.

Mountain Echoes combines the breath-taking locales of Bhutan with its cultural prowess providing the visitors with ample opportunity to explore the rich Bhutanese culture along with a myriad of fascinating experiences.