Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade RGOB
Commemorating the Golden Jubilee of Diplomatic Relations between Bhutan and India (1968 – 2018)
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India. A series of year-long activities are being held in Bhutan and India to celebrate 50 years of friendship and cooperation, and also to chart a new chapter of friendship for another meaningful 50 years and beyond.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs of India, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) will be organizing the Bhutan Week at IGNCA Complex in New Delhi, from 23rd to 30th September 2018. The Bhutan Week is mainly geared for the people of India and will also be open to other visitors.
The main objectives of Bhutan Week are:
i.Celebrate the special friendship between Bhutan and India;
ii.Generate greater appreciation in India for Bhutan as a genuine and friendly neighbour of India;
iii.Promote Bhutan’s rich culture and the Bhutanese way of life; and
iV.Promote greater people-to-people relations and expand business-to-business relations between Bhutan and India.
While cultural, religious and historical ties and people-to-people relations between India and Bhutan existed over many centuries, it is only 50 years since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations. Therefore, the Bhutan Week would be a timely celebration of the special friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and India. It will help to further generate greater awareness and appreciation in India of the culture, traditions and the way of life in Bhutan.
The Bhutan Week will be the largest and most comprehensive event on Bhutan ever held in India. The event will have a cross-section of 300 participants from Bhutan who will showcase Bhutan’s rich culture and the Bhutanese way of life. The Bhutan Week will have 15 themes including Bhutan’s 13 forms of arts and crafts, mask and folk dances, living spiritual heritage, Bhutanese films, cuisine, fashion, trade, contemporary art, tourism, Bhutanese textiles and emerging fashion, Bhutanese highland culture, traditional medicine, photo exhibition and several other interesting activities.
Visitors will have an opportunity to participate in the events to learn, sing, dance, and taste Bhutanese food. These events will also give students, youth, and the friendly people of India insights into Bhutan’s tangible as well as intangible cultural heritage, creating a platform for exchange of ideas and the promotion of friendship. The Bhutan Week will also be an opportunity to introduce and market Bhutan’s authentic arts and crafts, food, textile and other organic and home-grown agricultural produce and enhance business-to-business linkages.
Each day’s program will begin at 10 AM and carry on until 6 PM, but will be extendable if there are night events. The Royal Government of Bhutan is confident that the holding of a well-organized and comprehensive Bhutan Week in India would not only be befitting for the golden jubilee celebrations, but would also contribute significantly to further strengthening the special relations between the peoples and governments of Bhutan and India.