Shashi Tharoor, Imtiaz Ali At 8th Mountain Echoes Festival

New Delhi: This year's Mountain Echoes a literary festival in Bhutan's capital Thimphu promises to be an interesting affair with the guest list including the likes of Shashi Tharoor, Nadeem Aslam and Imtiaz Ali among others.

The eighth edition of Mountain Echoes, scheduled to be held from August 24 to August 27, will celebrate the "untouched beauty, unexplored ideas and unstoppable voices from the heart of the happiest country in the world".

Announcing the second set of speakers participating in the festival this year, festival producer and CEO of Siyahi, Mita Kapur said, "The aim of the free, open festival is to showcase Bhutan and India's shared historical and traditional narratives and at the same time promote the culture of reading, writing and literature in Bhutan.

"Each year, we strive to curate programming that presents audiences with interesting insights into the literature, art and culture of Bhutan, India and the world around. With the current line-up of speakers and authors from across the globe, the eighth edition promises to turn the worlds happiest nation into a storytelling platform."

The stellar line-up of authors unveiled today includes names from Bhutan, India and around the world, including Bhutanese poet Ashi Sonam Choden Dorji, art restorer and author Ashi Kesang Choden T, politician-writer Shashi Tharoor, writer Nadeem Aslam, senior ecologist Rebecca Pradhan, author and environmentalist Pradip Krishen, biochemist and author Pranay Lal, director and writer Imtiaz Ali, contemporary fiction writer Amrita Tripathi and journalist-author Barkha Dutt, among others.

Presented by the Jaypee Group and powered by Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, the literary, arts and the cultural festival will also host a special inaugural ceremony on August 24 in Thimphu.

An initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation, in association with Siyahi, the festival will embrace and explore globally relevant issues such as environmental conservation, natural history, spirituality, and the global evolution of textiles and design traditions over the three days of the event.