Mountain echoed in Thimphu

The eighth edition of the three-day Mountain Echoes Literary Festival culminated Sunday in Thimphu which saw literary stalwarts from India, Bhutan and a few other countries participate in debates, discussions and topics of literary interest.
While Bhutanese writers and literary enthusiasts outnumbers this year, it still was dominated by India culture, literature and presentations.

Sunday session saw acclaimed Indian author and Sahitya Akademi award winner Jerry Pinto in conversation with Tess Lewis, writer and translator from French and German, about Jerry Pinto’s diverse body of work, including translations, crime thrillers and his bestselling books, and the relevance of humorous characters and poignant prose in his works.

In other session, the audience heard eminent author Prayaag Akbar in conversation with Australian author Markus Zusak, with the former discussing the darker sides to our homes and relationships as it veers between fantasy and prophesy in his highly acclaimed novel “Leila”.

Participants also discussed the present and future of Bhutan’s culture, economy and business, and the key role the youth will play.

They discussed how festivals of this nature help in fostering friendship between nations, promote love for reading and knowledge, especially amongst the younger Bhutanese population.

The festival also saw several books launch including ‘Facts About Bhutan’ by Lily Wanggchuk, ‘Echoes of Bhutan’ by Barbara and Barry Shaffer, ‘Adolescence Spirit’ by Deebash and Seeksha Bhattarai and ‘India’s Indira’ compiled in Indian National Congress.

The festival also provided platform for Indian leaders like Sashi Tharoor to talk about his country politics and criticise his Prime Minister Narendra Modi.