Proud Dragon song

By Kinley Wangchuk and Ugyen Panday from Bhutan.

Made in Bhutan - a new documentary film

A new documentary film entitled 'Made in Bhutan' has been made on emerging entrepreneurs in Bhutan by Hirondelle Chatelard for the Loden Foundation. 

Made In Bhutan Teaser No. 1 from jules tardy on Vimeo.

Training at the Thimphu TechPark

During my recent stay in Bhutan I conducted a one-day training session on communication and presentation techniques at the Thimphu TechPark. I tend to provide such workshops whenever I can and I always enjoy the interaction with my Bhutanese friends and it is great to see their eagerness to learn. Not to mention the subtle cultural differences which make all of us laugh time to time. 

Thank you for the TechPark's staff, thank you for the participants. It was a great day!

GNH Facilitator Training Program

Her Royal Highness Princess Kezang Choden Wangchuck launched the GNH Centre’s “GNH Facilitator Training Program” at Terma Linca resort in Thimphu.

GNH Centre’s executive director Dr Saamdu Chetri said the week-long training program, would bring together Bhutanese and international participants to envision how they might apply GNH related principles and lead similar programs in their own contexts.

I was fortunate to have been invited to attend the opening day of this interesting training program which helps spread the GNH values across the globe.

I'm back to Bhutan...

Back to Bhutan. Stunning landing, enjoying the aftershock of Thimphu Tsechu, eating tear-making ema datshi and meeting friends not seen for a year...

What is Happiness?

What is Happiness?

"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions."
- Dalai Lama

"So don't wait another moment. Open an ice cold Coca-Cola and choose happiness!" - Coca-Cola marketing slogan


I'm confused. 

A nice video from the Tourism Council of Bhutan

The Blue Orchid Sessions

'The Blue Orchid Sessions’ is a series of music videos from MEDIAMAX- supporting and exploring original Bhutanese composers and singers from diverse genres. It’s unplugged and audio recording is straight from the shoot location. For the fans, this is their chance to listen to music in its purest form without any digital adulteration. 

Young democracy with young MPs

Being a constitutional monarchy since 2008, Bhutan is probably the world's youngest democracy. Yesterday, the country’s second parliamentary elections saw a voter turnout of 66% and the people of Bhutan elected the former opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to form the new government. PDP was the world's smallest opposition with only two seats in the National Assembly between 2008 and 2013, but this time they won 32 seats out of 47. 


Among their newly elected representatives, there is a young film actress Kezang D Wangmo who has played in several popular feature films in Bhutan, recently in director Karma Tshering's new movie Karma.

Tshering Tobgay, PDP party leader with his family

Kezang D Wangmo

See detailed results of the elections HERE

Pogo in Bhutan

Nick Bertke alias Pogo created this beautiful video in Bhutan. I love it !
 

First Bhutanese Film Festival

With my friends in Hungary, we decided to organise the world's first Bhutanese film festival with 20 feature, short and documentary films made in or on the Kingdom of Bhutan. To see details, just click on the picture below.

First International Day of Happiness: 20th March

On 20th March, the UN-declared International Day of Happiness was celebrated for the first time in Bhutan with a national public holiday and all over the world with various events. I attended one of the interesting event that was organised by the Embassy of Bhutan in Brussels. 

In my photo, the man with the  telescope is Leo Bormans who edited the "World Book of Happiness". Next to him there are Sonam Tshong, Bhutan Ambassador, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Behavioral Science, Peter Van Rompuy, Belgian politician, son of the President of Council of Europe, and Koen VanMechelen, artist who spoke about his "Cosmopolitan Chicken Project" which was a bit out of context....

We also had the opportunity to watch one part of a great documentary film "7 Billion Others" that was asking people around the world about how they define Happiness. 

Thanks to Bhutan's successful efforts at the UN, this day will now remind us every year about the importance of striving towards a happier world for all. 

We need to redefine prosperity

"Spending money we don't have
on things we don't need
to create impressions that won't last
on people we don't care about."
Tim Jackson, British ecological economist, describing our current economic model


Today, I watched again this great talk of Tim Jackson and thought it should be posted it here given how much it resonates with what Bhutan's enlightened leaders and citizens think themselves. 

Of course, even with all lessons learned and good intention, Bhutan alone is not going to change the world's current economic system. I dare to say that Bhutan will not be able to create a lasting alternative economic and social system based on Gross National Happiness even within its own borders unless big brothers follow similar path and it becomes mainstream. If China, India, USA, Europe, Russia, Brazil, etc. don't listen and follow, Bhutan will be betrayed and left alone in its struggle between tradition and modernity, egoism and solidarity, countryside and the city, trees and concrete buildings. 

When I'm writing this post, in Thimphu a group of international experts are discussing what they call a New Development Paradigm to be presented to the United Nations. Basically, they are exploring how to define happiness and well-being so that the countries' national accounts and measurement systems can be adjusted to consider what really matters to people and the planet - beyond GDP.

The task is big and urgent. I remember the long silence at the event of our Bhutan Society in Hungary after the documentary film '86 centimetres' was showcased. In this movie, we could see the incredible struggle of ordinary Bhutanese to prevent glacial lake outburst floods which happen in Bhutan due to climate change caused by other nations. 

However, Bhutan is not alone with the task. Bhutan has friends all around the world who share the same values about prosperity. We don't give up. We keep going. 

Bhutan among the 5 fastest growing economies

Read full article in The Economist.