Report: Bhutan Innovation Forum
The three-day event, that featured everyone from members of the Himalayan nation’s royal family and Nobel laureates to CEOs, artists and monks, showed that the world has much to learn from Bhutan about harmonizing tradition and modernity
That Bhutan is eager to present itself as a forward-looking country that embraces modernity even as it retains a sense of pride in its unique cultural traditions was evident at the Bhutan Innovation Forum held at Dungkar Dzong in Pangbisa, Paro, in early October.
The three-day event that featured everyone from economists, philosophers, architects, designers, urban planners and entrepreneurs to political leaders, educators, scientists, filmmakers, authors and monks on panels was also an opportunity to share best practices in creating better systems that advance prosperity without compromising on sustainability.
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s welcome address indicated that the forum was intended as “a platform for dialogue and collaboration, aiming for a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future”. He assured attendees that Bhutan’s aspirations for economic growth by venturing into areas like blockchain technology and artificial intelligence would continue to be in line with its mandate to secure Gross National Happiness based on prioritizing wellbeing, cultural values, and environmental sustainability.
The event was also a showcase for the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a special administrative region being set up in Bhutan to serve as an economic hub for South Asia. The project, being led by the country’s reigning monarch, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, is located along the Assam border, and is of strategic importance to India.
One of the event’s most riveting presentations was made by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, who gave attendees a glimpse of what GMC would look and feel like. He spoke about the use of renewable energy, local building materials, and indigenous design elements to ensure that development would take place in keeping with Bhutan’s emphasis on caring for the earth.
Bhutan’s constitution mandates that 60 per cent of the land be kept under forest cover at all times, which enables the nation to maintain its carbon negative status. Ingels revealed that apart from “a family of public spaces, including parks, promenades, and bridges, designed to enhance community life” GMC will also have a mindfulness trail for hiking and pilgrimage, artificial intelligence data centres running on hydropower, wildlife corridors for animals to move freely, a Vajrayana Buddhist centre that “will be a contemporary reinterpretation of a stupa”, and healthcare infrastructure offering the best of both Eastern and Western medicine.
Bhutan recognizes 13 traditional arts and crafts that are practised to relieve the suffering of fellow sentient beings. A fascinating panel on the role of art and design in creating more mindful urban environments featured British sculptor Antony Gormley, who spoke about creating inclusive spaces for contemplation in the city: “How do we allow art to be owned by everybody? How can we allow art to be as it were, an expression of collective values that, in many ways, is absolutely the antithesis of a kind of Western, modern idea of the artist as the prime example, really, of the freedom of the individual to express himself or herself?”
American urban planner Jonathan Rose dealt with a sombre but important topic — his design of a crematorium to acknowledge death and grief in the city, making room for private and public reflection. American sculptor, architect and designer Maya Lin, who uses public art to draw attention to biodiversity loss, said, “We live in a world where so many of us do not have an opportunity to be surrounded by the wondrous beauty of the natural world.”
This sentiment was echoed by Arun Kapur, who started his career at Doon School in Dehradun, served as the founding headmaster of Vasant Valley School in Delhi, and is now a director at the Druk Gyalpo’s Institute in Bhutan and on the Board of Directors of GMC. “Being alive and sensitive to nature and other human beings is deep-rooted in Buddhism, and this is an antidote against the loneliness and alienation that people tend to feel in cities,” he said. GMC’s proposed education system will promote holistic growth in five inter-related areas of development namely cerebral, emotional, physical, social and spiritual.
Gratitude for nature is also a vital component of the work Deki Choden, Founding Principal of ELC High School in Thimphu, does with students. Recognized as a leader in the field of mindfulness in education, she has made mindful walking, wellbeing sessions, emotional check-ins, and silent circles a part of the school curriculum. She believes schools must focus on treasuring rather than measuring children so that they grow to associate happiness with contentment rather than the endless pursuit of money, success and achievement. “We tell [children] that all emotions are welcome but not all behaviours are. We teach them how to create a space between the stimulus and their response. When that space becomes wider, it increases their capacity to respond mindfully, and intelligently instead of simply being reactive,” she said.
The venue had pop-up cafes where attendees could recharge with snacks and beverages and meet new people. There were open areas to go on solitary walks and enjoy the company of nature — the vast open sky, lush green trees, breathtaking views of the hills in the distance, and yaks decked up with colourful accessories. One could watch monks making mandalas, admire paintings at an art gallery, enjoy traditional songs and dances being performed, or visit the cultural exhibition showcasing thangka painting, wood carving, textile weaving and incense making.
“We wanted to highlight various aspects of our culture and traditions especially with participants who are first-time visitors to Bhutan,” said Tshering Uden Penjor, chief of the museum division under the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development in Bhutan’s Ministry of Home Affairs. She pointed out that arts and crafts are also a major source of income in the Himalayan nation. With this in mind, the Department of Culture has already started building a workforce comprising carpenters, masons, painters, stoneworkers and artists to turn the vision for GMC into a reality. “GMC will reflect Bhutanese values and our rich architectural heritage. It will not have multi-storeyed buildings made of steel and glass,” she said.
GMC needs to be attractive not only to foreign investors and tourists but also to the young people of Bhutan who are currently leaving in droves to pursue education and employment opportunities in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, the United States and other countries. “The Western world might want us to be a Shangri-la or a museum but that is not the future we want. Fulfilling the aspirations of the younger generation is vital to their well being,” she added.
Harmonic Blend, a painting by Rada Gyem that was exhibited at the event depicted Buddhist monks using smartphones instead of traditional prayer books. “I wanted to portray the integration of mindfulness with technology. Pages of old books can tear, get mixed up, or fall, so it is more practical to use a phone in this day and age,” said the artist who is an alumnus of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
Those worried about the extinction of age-old wisdom and traditional skills would find comfort in the words of Chimi Pelmo, managing partner at Nado Poizokhang, one of Bhutan’s oldest incense stick manufacturers. Incense is used in Bhutanese temples and households for purification, cleansing and as an offering. “We make incense using herbs and spices, juniper and cypress wood from the Himalayas. The recipes go back several hundred years. My father learnt them from his guru,” she says. Many of these ingredients, including clove, nutmeg, cardamom, and camphor, not only have a unique fragrance but also medicinal properties. Most of the pounding, dyeing, rolling and straightening work is still done by hand. “But we use a dosa machine for mixing the ingredients,” Pelmo chuckles.
Another entrepreneur who made an impression was Chimi Lhakyi Dolma, whose fashion brand, Dakini by Jyenn, uses natural dyes made from onion skin, madder, stick lac and other locally available materials. “Handmade things cannot be perfect but that is the most perfect thing about them. They carry the human touch that is missing in modern life,” she said. Since the weavers she works with are religious, she encourages them to pray while weaving so that “all the good energy goes into the fabric and whoever wears it can feel those blessings”. The fact that there was space for such heartfelt conversations amidst talks by royalty, Nobel laureates and CEOs, is what made the Bhutan Innovation Forum memorable. Clearly, Bhutan has much to teach the world about how to harmonize tradition and modernity in a thoughtful manner.
Chintan Girish Modi is a freelance writer, journalist and book reviewer.
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