Welcome to Bhutan’s first podcast: Hello from Bhutan! This podcast was originally a virtual retreat organized by Bhutan Global Mindfulness & MICE Holdings (https://bhutanmindfulness.com) - a joint venture company between Druk Holding & investments Singapore, and G Nine Investment, also a Singapore-based company. The virtual retreat was called “Finding Calm in the Chaos.”
H.E Kalu Rinpoche, recognized by H.H. the Dalai Lama, is a renowned yogi and meditation master, celebrated for his profound knowledge of Tibetan yoga and mindful living. Rinpoche's teachings harmonize body, mind, and spirit through a unique blend of ancient practices and modern insights.
In this candid interview, Chencho Gyeltshen, talks about playing internationally – the struggles and the highlights. He shares tips on finding work outside Bhutan and little known details about his life before professional football.
Language: English and Dzongkha
In this podcast, Arun Bhattarai, talks about the "Mountain Man," the first Bhutanese documentary to qualify for the Oscars (2025). The film features Bhutan's first qualified glaciologist Phuntsho Tshering.
He also talks about his latest film "Agent of Happiness" that is the first Bhutanese documentary to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Arun shares what it takes to make documentaries, the process, his journey, and more.
00:00-Intro
1:15-On qualifying for the Oscars 2025
3:12-Filming the Oscars entry Mountain Man
6:42-Climate Change in Mountain Man
11:15-Journey of filming documentaries
11:42-The film Agent of Happiness at Sundance
13:45-Looking for love
17:35-Studying filmmaking in Europe
19:14-Funding for independent filmmakers
20:18-On the film The Next Guardian
25:06-Where to watch the films
28:31-Queer characters in the films
In this episode, communications scholar, Dorji Wangchuk, talks about his award-winning research: “On Identity, Spirituality, Community and the Sacred Chronotope in Bhutan", the biggest announcement from Bhutan – GeSAR (Gelephu Mindfulness City) - a city like no other, and the unique Bhutanese identity.
00:00-Introduction
01:18-Background to Research
03:03-Types of Bhutanese Communities
04:08-The Bhutanese Identity
05:35-Meaning of Chronotope
07:26-The Sacred Chronotope
10:12-National Day 2023 as a Sacred Chronotope
11:56-What Unites us as Bhutanese
15:39-GeSAR or Gelephu Mindfulness City
23:42-Bhutan as a Collectivist Society
27:25-What should be the Bhutanese story?
29:34-Various interpretations of Dec 17 2023
This conversation takes us through Pawo's journey from being a photographer and writer to a film-maker. Pawo was nominated for an Academy Award for his very first film – Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. Pawo's second film: The Monk and The Gun, is Bhutan's submission to the 2023 Academy Awards.
Episode 2 of Hello from Bhutan, Season 3, brings you an inside look at IMTRAT's famous Jalebi shop in Thimphu. If anyone should take credit for cultivating a sweet tooth among Bhutanese in the capital, it's the Jalebi shop! Did you know that they never reuse their oil and give the utmost importance to hygiene? All this and more on this podcast.
The first podcast of Hello from Bhutan's third season features Project DANTAK. Here, I find out the incredible history and wonderful connection formed over six decades between Bhutan and India through people, infrastructure, and food! It all began with the inspiring leadership and friendship between His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Fmr. US Ambassador Curtis S. Chin, talks about his two decades long relationship with Bhutan and why the country "defies stereotypes.' This is a candid insight into Bhutan from someone who is in a unique position to talk about the country as both an outsider and insider. This podcast highlights fashion and food as well! Curtis is also the chair of Milken Institute Asia, and on the advisory council of the Bhutan Foundation.
This episode is brought to you by the Department of Tourism (https://bhutan.travel).
This episode features running legend and race director of the Snowman Race, Luis Escobar, and the Snowman Secretariat's Damcho Rinzin. The first Snowman Race took place in October, this year. 29 international and Bhutanese ultra athletes took part. All participants underwent a selection process. The world's highest race has been conceptualised to raise awareness on Bhutan's melting glaciers and the impact of climate change. The Snowman Race had about a 100 people involved in its execution. Luis says the race is "a gift to international athletes."
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by the Department of Tourism. Find more information on: https://bhutan.travel/.
The Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies has been organizing the international conference on Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutan since 2016. Bhutan is the only Vajrayana nation in the world. The 4th conference which takes place from 1-4 October 2022, is seeing unprecedented participation. There are speakers from 41 countries presenting original papers on everything from ritualistic traditions to Artificial Intelligence. Find the fascinating agenda and list of speakers on www.bhutanstudies.org.bt.
The tourism sector has undergone massive changes (also called "transformation" by the government) over the last couple of months in preparation for Bhutan officially welcoming tourists for the first time since the pandemic. In a major update, potential tourists may directly pay USD 200 as the revised sustainable development fee (SDF) along with a one time visa fee of USD 40 and enter the country without a tour operator being involved. The itinerary may be planned after arrival. Guides continue to be mandatory. Damcho Rinzin, from the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) talks about these changes and more in this podcast.
This episode is brought to you by the Department of Tourism (https://bhutan.travel/).
The Trans Bhutan Trail is an ancient trail used by Bhutanese in the past to get from one end of the country to another. It was the only route in existence then. The trail that will officially open this September, is now listed by Time as one of the "World's Greatest Places" to visit in 2022. The newly renovated trail has not been covered in its entirety by anyone yet. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested to be the the first one to traverse the full length of one of the world's most difficult trails! There's more fascinating information from Tsering Dolkar ( Trans Bhutan Trail Social Enterprise) on this podcast. Give it a listen. This episode is brought to you by the Department of Tourism (https://bhutan.travel/).
Bhutan is opening to tourists by fall this year, after being closed for two years due to the pandemic. In this podcast recorded in April 2022, Namgay Zam talks to the Director General of the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), Dorji Dhradhul, about Bhutan's unique "High Value, Low Volume" tourism policy and post-Covid tourism. This podcast is brought to you by the Department of Tourism (https://bhutan.travel/).
Hello from Bhutan is highlighting queer stories from Bhutan this new season. This episode was originally filmed for Queer Talks Bhutan. It features Pema Dorji, founder of Queer Voices of Bhutan. Queer Voices of Bhutan are the producers of Queer Talks Bhutan.