August 8, 2013
An initiative of the India Bhutan Foundation and presented by USHA, the fourth edition of Mountain Echoes, The Bhutan Festival of Literature, Arts and Culture kicked off on 8th August, 2013 in the presence of HM Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Hon’able Prime Minister Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay, HE Ambassador V. P. Haran, Festival Directors Namita Gokhale and Pramod Kumar KG and a host of eminent authors, artists and performers at the India House, Thimphu.
Siyahi CEO, Mita Kapur, opened the inaugural function by welcoming all the authors, actors, artists, story tellers, travel writers, folklorists, environmentalists and myth makers from Bhutan, India and other parts of the world who have come together to share their thoughts and ideas.
She spoke of how the festival is a platform for great minds to come together and inspire the next generation.
This was followed by the lighting of the lamp by HM Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Hon’able Prime Minister Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay, HE Ambassador V. P. Haran, Namita Gokhale and Pramod Kumar KG.
Ambassador Haran then gave his welcome address, where he spoke of how the festival has become a beautiful melding of minds. He thanked the guests who came together for the festival in spite of the rains. The festival started with his blessings.
HM Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, the royal patron of the festival spoke about how the festival has become a time when Thimphu comes alive with prose, music, poetry and art. She extended a warm welcome to all the guests, Barkha Dutt, Aparna Sen, Rahul Bose, Amish Tripathi and thanked Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay for his support towards the festival. She spoke of how the festival is a way to motivate more writing among the Bhutanese and to promote reading. She appreciated the efforts of the India Bhutan Foundation that have made this festival possible. She acknowledged the efforts put in by Namita Gokhale, Pramod Kumar KG along with Mita Kapur and the Siyahi team. She also thanked Mr. Siddharth Shriiram and USHA for the support that they have extended to the festival.
Festival director Namita Gokhale, in her welcome address spoke of the growing representation of writers from all parts of the world. She thanked HM Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay who has always supported the festival and expressed her gratitude for the enduring connect with the Bhutanese writers. Her words, “The limits of the mind are only the limits that we place upon ourselves,” in a single sentence brought out the true heart of the festival.
Ani Choying graced the evening by her performance. Her voice enthralled the entire audience, leaving them mesmerized. Her Buddhist chants and songs brought out the ethereal beauty of music for all.
Mr. Siddharth Shriram, Co-Chairman USHA International gave the concluding speech of the ceremony. He spoke of USHA’s belief in the good that graces this world and how the company aims to do their fair share for the society and people, with women empowerment being a priority. Mr. Siddharth Shriram was grateful to Malvika Singh for introducing him to Mountain Echoes. He admitted that even though he has only been here for just twenty eight hours, he has already fallen in love with the Kingdom of Bhutan. The culture of the country is exquisite and he truly appreciated the way Bhutanese culture has been preserved.