Coinciding with the 65th birthday of Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes was launched in the capital today.
Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes is the new version of Mountain Echoes, a festival of Literature, Art and Culture held annually in Thimphu under the patronage of Her Majesty.
Members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries were also present at the ceremony.
As part of the launch of the festival, Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck launched the logo and website for the Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes earlier today.
Under the new name, the festival will now be produced and coordinated by a Bhutanese team.
“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 festival was produced by an Indian producer and an Indian team for the past ten years. However, starting this year the festival will be produced by a Bhutanese team but with the same spirit of Bhutan-Indo friendship on which it was founded,” said Ngawang Gyeltshen, the Executive Producer for Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes.
And with the far-sighted vision of supporting readers and authors of Bhutan, Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes has also supported the publication of a book, Lhoyi Cho Jung. Along with the launch of the festival, the book was also launched by Vairochana Rinpoche Ngawang Jigme Jigten Wangchuck at the ceremony today.
“The book was originally written by the tenth Je Khenpo Panchen Tenzin Chogyal. In the book, His Holiness has talked about the various kinds of religions in Bhutan and many matters related to the Bhutanese political affairs in the olden times. The book is called Lhoyi Cho Jung and is in Choe-Kad. However, for the benefit of many Bhutanese enthusiastic readers, I have translated the book into Dzongkha,” said Rinchen Yoezer, the translator of Lhoyi Cho Jung.
The Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes will bring together writers, biographers, historians, environmentalists, scholars, photographers, poets, musicians, artists and film-makers to engage in cultural dialogue, share stories and create memories. Drukyul’s Literature Festival: Bhutan Echoes will be an annual event hereafter.