Wedged between Asian giants China and India, Bhutan is a peaceful paradise characterized by landscapes that vary from the Himalaya’s snow-capped summits to lush jungles and sprawling savannahs. While this area features plenty of unspoilt scope for a nomadic lifestyle, the breezes of globalization have been sweeping through this landlocked nation in recent years, creating a faster pace of life in cities such as Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital. With a population of some 100,000 people, this urban metropolis is where you might spot new makes of car, Western fashion, the latest cell phones and everything in between, including lively nightspots.
Even though its citizens have access to modern-day conveniences, the country has managed to preserve its old-world charm. These days, customs and tradition intertwine with increasingly advanced amenities.
“In the past 15-20 years, the development of Bhutan accelerated to a great extent,” says Zoltán Valcsicsák, President of the Hungarian Bhutan Friendship Society, a foundation set up to develop and build cultural relationships between the two countries. “At the moment, Bhutan has about 700,000 residents and more than 600,000 mobile-phone contracts are registered in the country,” adds this fervent fan of the South Asian country. “Even yak herders living in the mountains own cell phones. During a visit to the country, I saw a family having their newly bought furniture delivered to their hillside by helicopter… people are more comfortable now and don’t want to walk for days any more.”
To present these changing scenes of Bhutan, the organization led by Valcsicsák teamed up with Budapest’s little-known Flag Museum (Budapest 1085, József körút 68) for an exhibition featuring many photographs capturing life in Bhutan, alongside showcasing other artifacts. Inside this subterranean viewing space, a stunning series of images provides glimpses of Bhutan, a country that prevents incoming floods of tourists by imposing a $250 daily fee to each traveler who sets foot there. Many of the photos and items for this exhibition were provided by Valcsicsák, who is now planning his tenth trip to the country since he first visited this Buddhist haven seven years ago.
Pictures mounted around the walls show modern-day settings blending with archaic vistas: one image presents bustling Thimphu, where traditionally garbed locals mingle with Bhutanese in chic, contemporary clothing. Other photos reveal an old marketplace, varieties of the country’s spicy staple food, Bhutan’s international airport, and a close-up of a takin, a native goat-antelope. One highlight is a portrait of the royal family of Bhutan, a picture surrounded by landscape shots and fascinating facts of the country, though descriptions are available in Hungarian only.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is Bhutan’s vivid national symbol, the country’s bright flag dominated by a large dragon that protects the nation. The mythical monster, referred to as the druk in the local Dzongkha language, is holding a jewel in each claw to represent the wealth of the country. Relics on displays also include a local numberplate, traditional folkwear, a bamboo bow used in Bhutan’s traditional archery, a Buddhist drum, an intricately carved wooden mask for religious rituals, colorful prayer flags, and the shirt of the nation’s football team. The exhibition runs through the end of February – the museum is open Tuesdays to Fridays, 11am-5pm.
Meanwhile, at the Budapest International Documentary Festival, a newly produced movie is being launched on Tuesday, January 23rd. “The Next Guardian is the first-ever co-production between the two countries,” says Valcsicsák whose organization has been active in raising funds for the film. Created by Hungarian filmmaker Dorottya Zurbó and Arun Bhattarai, honorary member of the Hungarian Bhutan Friendship Society, the film presents bittersweet scenes from a remote village of Bhutan, where the future of a family-run monastery suddenly becomes uncertain. The family’s son Gyembo is now motivated by other aims, making him reluctant to follow in his father’s footsteps. Like his transgender sister, it causes conflict between the two generations.
This thought-provoking film has been entered as part of the We’re changing category at the festival. The Next Guardian screens in original Dzongkha, with Hungarian and English subtitles, at Cinema City Aréna on January 23rd at 7pm, January 24th at 1:30pm and on January 25th at 2:30pm
Bhutan will again come under the spotlight at the Historical Archery World Championship in late August in the Hungarian city of Gyula. This gathering of the world’s greatest archers will include bowmen from Bhutan, accompanied by noble residents of the kingdom. Throughout the year, Valcsicsák’s institution tours Hungary organizing Bhutan-related activities presented in Hungarian or English. “We would like to show The Next Guardian to as many people as we can,“ explains Valcsicsák, who is currently working on an English-language book of interviews with Bhutan-based people from all walks of life.
“Bhutanese culture rests on extremely firm foundations. They think in terms of the community, instead of focusing on individual happiness. Locals know that they have to keep up with modernization, but they don't want to rush. Every five years, assessors visit thousands of Bhutan’s households on a quest to gather data for measuring the Gross National Happiness. In Bhutan, spiritual development is more important than financial growth. When we measure GDP, then everything is just about money.”
