User:Buyish/sandbox/Bhutan Echoes-Drukyul's Literature Festival

Bhutan Echoes-Drukyul’s Literature Festival

Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan echoes is the new version of mountain echoes. The Bhutan Echoes-Drukyul Literature Festival is the annual commemoration of works of literature and arts with tales of travelers, a spiritual leaders, a celebrated water, a civilization, venerated mountain and many other inspirational stories by Bhutanese, Indians and international writers, thinkers and influencers. It brings together writers, biographers, historians, environmentalists, scholar, photographers, poets, musicians, artists, and film makers to captivate in culture dialogue, share eloquent stories, create memories and spend the blissful days together.

Coinciding with the 65th birthday of Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes was launched in the capital (Thimphu) on 10th June, 2020. Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck launched the official logo and website for the Bhutan Echoes. Under the new name, the festival will now be produced and coordinated by a Bhutanese team.

Bhutan Echoes

Genre: Literary festival

Location(s): Thimphu, Bhutan

Venue:  Royal University of Bhutan

Year’s Active: 2010-present

Patron: Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck

Festival Directors: Dolma Choden Roder, Kelly Dorji, Tshering Tashi and Sonam Wangmo Drukpa –Jhalani

Producer: Ngawang Gyeltshen

Destination Partner: Tourism Council of Bhutan

Development Partner: Indo-Bhutan Foundation

Website: www.drukyul.org

Vision: Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes’ vision is to cultivate the creation of an enlightened society through books, storytelling, and ideas in pursuit of collective progress and happiness.

Mission: Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes’ mission is an annual celebration of works of literature and arts by Bhutanese, Indian and international writers, thinkers and influencers. DLF aims to enlightened, educate and stimulate by propagating Bhutanese literature, culture and arts to the world, while also bringing the world’s best and brightest minds to the Bhutanese.

History:
Coinciding with the 40th birthday of His Majesty the King, His Majesty granted a new name to the previously known Mountain Echoes festival. The new name is Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes. The festival for the past ten years has been an inclusive space for diverse ideas from Bhutan and outside. The Bhutan Echoes Festival was officially launched at the Folk Heritage Museum coinciding with the 65th Birth Anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen Mother on June 10th 2020. The official launch was graced by Her Majesty The Queen Mother, Her Royal Highness Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, His Eminence Vairocana Rinpoche, His Excellency Lyonchen, His Excellency The Foreign Minister, Her Excellency The Indian Ambassador, Honorable Director General of Tourism Council of Bhutan and friends of the festival.

Lockdown Reads:
Nationwide Social Media Campaign. A social media campaign was launched by the festival to promote reading during the first nation wide lockdown of Bhutan. The social media campaign saw over 400,000 online engagements since its launch. Many thought leaders, writers, artists and celebrities joined the initiative by sharing their book recommendations with the festival’s global community.

The initiative was covered by Kuensel as a ‘social media movement to inspire reading culture’. Scroll.in also featured an article in their website titled ‘More reading, and even more listening: How the pandemic has affected literature in Bhutan’ with a special focus on how we have reinvented Bhutan’s ‘flagship festival’.

Breathing Books:
In line with the value based partnership with Tourism Council of Bhutan to develop creative content to promote Bhutan, the festival launched an animation series called ‘Breathing Books’. The animation series would encourage young Bhutanese to read and promote Bhutan digitally.

The first episode of the animation titled ‘Be not defeated by the rain’ was inspired by a Japanese poem with the message of overcoming crisis with compassion. The episode highlighted the Covid-19 pandemic, its effects around the world and Bhutan’s admirable response led by His Majesty. According to social media analytics, over 18500 people have watched the first episode.

Digital Salon
Digital Salon is a virtual discussion hosted by the festival to encourage public dialogue on key issues. The festival aspires to create a social media space for ideas and stories.

The first episode of Digital Salon was on Literature with special guests Author Kunzang Choden and Sonam Wangmo Jhalani. The first episode of Digital Salon has had a total of 3000 views

Lhoyi Chojung - Panchen Tenzin Chogyal’s Magnum Opus
Bhutan Echoes Festival, in partnership with the Tourism Council of Bhutan, published the book Lhoyi Chojung by Panchen Tenzin Chogyal. Panchen Tenzin Chogyal, the 10th Je Khenpo of Bhutan, was Bhutan’s very own literary giant who made numerous contributions to our literature. Lhoyi Chojung is a mega-literary project that remains a towering contribution to Bhutan’s literature. The book, originally written in Choekyi, remained accessible to only a small group of the population. It was translated into Dzongkha by Lopen Rinchen Yoezer; a task that took him 3 years.

Folk Tales of Haa
The festival launched the book Folk Tales of Haa by Sonam Tenzin at the Folk Heritage Museum.. The book was based on the oral stories from Haa and promoted the regional tourism of the Dzongkhag. The launch was graced by the Honorable Director General of Tourism Council of Bhutan.

Platforms such as these will inspire more Bhutanese to write about the unique oral stories from various regions of Bhutan. This initiative will not only encourage locals to explore Bhutan but also serve as creative content for tourists wishing to visit unexplored parts of Bhutan.

Storytelling-Folk Heritage Museum
Bhutan’s unique tradition of storytelling by elders, especially grandparents, is a valuable cultural identity. In order to encourage these special traditions, the festival launched a storytelling initiative at the Folk Heritage Museum.

The special guests for the first storytelling session were Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck and Aum Louise Dorji. Her Majesty shared oral stories from Nobgang, Punakha and childhood memories to an audience of primary school students. Aum Louise Dorji read from her book The River that ran away with the theme of conserving water.

The special guest for the second storytelling session was Her Excellency Indian Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj. The ambassador read from her favourite book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and shared stories from her childhood to high school students.

Canada Bhutan Friendship
The Bhutan Echoes festival in collaboration with Canada organized the first Canadian Film Festival in Bhutan. This film event was a part of the festival’s commitment to promote Bhutan around the world through cultural initiatives. This one of a kind digital festival was launched by Her Majesty Gyalyum and The Canadian Ambassador to Bhutan.

Four critically acclaimed Canadian films were broadcasted on BBS Channel 2. A series of panel discussions and interviews were held on the themes of the films. Digital quizzes were also organized with exciting prizes.

The festival, with support from the Tourism Council of Bhutan, aspires to create more such international events to promote Bhutan through cultural initiatives.

World Dream Project
The World Dream Project is an ambitious project to document 201 dreams from 201 countries in one book. The organizers invited young leaders from 201 countries to share their dream for the world to promote SDG goals.

Her Majesty Gyalyum, festival patron, granted a special message endorsing this ambitious project. Notable personalities who have also contributed special messages to the book include Mary Robinson, first female President of Ireland and the chair of the Elders, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhaamad Yunus, and Nobel Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, among others. Ngawang Gyeltshen, festival producer, is the young leader representing Bhutan in the book.

The World Dream Project Book is set to be published in April 2021

References:
News & Updates | Bhutan Echoes (drukyul.org)

https://www.drukyul.org/

https://m.facebook.com

www.mountainechoes.org

http://www.bbs.bt/news/?p=133296 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71QbU_M_J2M&t=35s

https://kuenselonline.com/social-media-movement-to-inspire-reading-culture-during-lockdown/

https://scroll.in/article/983944/more-reading-and-even-more-listening-how-the-pandemic-has-affected-literature-in-bhutan

Further Reading:
Official Website