Only Bhutan can pull off with a vision such as GMC

Only Bhutan can pull off with a vision such as GMC

Participants at the Bhutan Innovation Forum confide in the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King

If there is any country out there, or a nation that could built an entire city based on ‘mindfulness’, it is Bhutan. Participants at the three-day inaugural Bhutan Innovation Forum (BIF) could not help but resonate in unison about the transformative vision laid out by an enlightened leadership for the benefit of entire mankind, not just Bhutan.

“Not just 10 or 20, but to be able to congregate more than 500 international think tanks including five Nobel Laureates under one roof and forum to discuss on a common agenda is not an easy feat. This forum is a testimony to His Majesty’s wisdom, intellect and leadership.”

One of the popular and key takeaways that respondents shared was that if anyone can pull this off, it is Bhutan and the Bhutanese people because of the social cohesion which is so much in sync with each other. “Community vitality and political stability makes it all the more realistic as the days passes by,” said a participant.

“What I have been seeing here since the day I landed was mindfulness in action in the everyday life of people out here,” says Seema Habi, an international participant. “I really could not believe that there’s an entire country out here that is focused so much on mindfulness.”

Just by attending the three-day forum, Seema says she has learned that mindfulness is not just about meditating for five minutes, an hour, or a day or two. “The way of life itself here in Bhutan is mindfulness where every soul is at peace with themselves and at peace with others. I am going to continue living my way of life with mindfulness after I go back.”

For Dechen Zam Tshering, the forum has been a flurry of events which has impacted her life in more ways than one. “Other than meeting a lot of important people, I am really excited about the startup International Arbitration Centre at the Gelephu Mindfulness City,” the law student at Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSWSL) says. “The forum gave me a lot of hope and aspirations for the future.”

Working with the BIF’s international team, Kiya Gupta says that she has come to understand through GMC that economic prosperity and happiness can actually coexist, and the fact that an entire vision can be built on a transformative idea. “There are so many people around the world who believe in the idea of sustainability and what’s just waiting for us is to put it into action.”

“One thing I am hoping to be taking away from this forum is to be mindful of where I am heading in life,” she added.

An independent consultant and a participant at the forum, Susan Shulman defines the BIF and GMC as an exciting and an ambitious project. “The road ahead is long, over whelming and challenging. However, His Majesty has set the tone and the goal which is not only noble but an enlightened one,” she says. “I can see the project getting through,” adds Susan, who also worked for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Bhutan a couple of years ago.

For some, being a part of something big that has never been done before is in itself an accomplishment. Jon Mallon, an Urban Innovator and a Financial Services Professional from San Francisco who is also a participant at the BIF says that it’s a unique opportunity to be a part of shaping Bhutan’s future. “It is the power of His Majesty’s vision that so many great minds have gathered here. The GMC could be the blueprint of what Bhutan could teach the rest of the world in building a sustainable and urban city,” he asserted his confidence.

The three-day BIF which ended on October 3 saw around 630 international and 700 local participants.

By Tashi Namgyal, Paro