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Resigned as Kerala Governor, Says Sheila Dikshit

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<b><b>New Delhi:</b>  Sheila Dikshit has quit as Governor of Kerala, barely seven months after she took office.</b></div>
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"The news flashing on TV channels is correct. I have resigned," said Ms Dikshit, 76, at a press conference. She said she will not discuss her plans till her resignation is formally accepted by President Pranab Mukherjee.</div>
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Ms Dikshit, whose political career was pivoted on three consecutive terms as Chief Minister of Delhi, said she had sent her resignation letter yesterday. She had met  with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the President.</div>
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Ms Dikshit has, after some  push-back, given the government what it has been looking for. Since the BJP came to power in May, it has made it clear that it wants to replace nearly a dozen governors who were appointed by the previous government with its own nominees.</div>
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Ms Dikshit will head back to Delhi as parties in the capital prep for a possible election. President's Rule was declared in the capital six months ago after Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party quit as chief minister after a 49-day term. His minority government had been formed after the Congress, fronted by Ms Dikshit, was badly bruised in the December election, placing third after 15 years of running the capital.</div>
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The Congress and other opposition parties say that the government's mass ejection of governors is a blatant violation of a Supreme Court order from 2010 that says governors cannot be removed if the government at the Centre changes.</div>
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Last month, the government sacked Kamla Beniwal as Governor of Mizoram just a month after transferring her there from Gujarat, where she had shared a fractious relationship with Narendra Modi while he was Chief Minister.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999;">Courtsy by NDTV</span></div>

Resigned as Kerala Governor, Says Sheila Dikshit

New Delhi: Sheila Dikshit has quit as Governor of Kerala, barely seven months after she took office. "The news flashing on TV ...

August 27, 2014

Worst cross-border firing by Pakistan since 1971 war: BSF

<img alt="LoC" src="http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories//2014August/border-650_082714015831.jpg" /><b>Jammu:</b> The Border Security Force (BSF) said Tuesday that it was for the first time after the 1971 war that Pakistani troops were firing at Indian posts on such a massive scale.

BSF Director General D.K. Pathak said: "It is for the first time after the 1971 war that Pakistani troops have been violating the ceasefire on the international border on such a large scale, targeting even civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir."
Pathak was speaking to the media at the Miran Sahib headquarters of the BSF in Jammu district.
He said the BSF had been effectively retaliating against the Pakistani military on the international border.
"We are giving them a befitting reply as we ensure that no civilian areas on their side are affected by our response."
Pathak said there were 25-30 launching pads where heavily armed militants were waiting on the Pakistan side to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.
"These launching pads are located in schools, community halls and forest areas on the other side," he said.
Pathak is also visiting a government medical college hospital in Jammu to meet those injured by Pakistan firing.
The BSF guards the 210 km long international border in the three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua in Jammu region.

<span style="color: #999999;">Source yahoo News</span>

Worst cross-border firing by Pakistan since 1971 war: BSF

Jammu: The Border Security Force (BSF) said Tuesday that it was for the first time after the 1971 war that Pakistani troops were firing at ...

August 27, 2014

No LK Advani, MM Joshi in BJP's parliamentary board

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FILE photo of senior BJP leaders MM Joshi (left) and LK Advani (AFP)</div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.464000701904297px;"><b>New Delhi: </b>The BJP Tuesday named its central parliamentary board with party president Amit Shah as its chairperson, a statement from the party office said.</span>
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.464000701904297px;">The 12-member board has Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as its members.</span>
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The other members are Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Ananth Kumar, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Ramlal.</div>
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Party veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi have not been included in the board.</div>
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<strong>BJP names 'margdarshak' committee</strong></div>
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Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah Tuesday announced a "margdarshak" committee with veteran leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani in it, a statement from the party office said.</div>
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"Shah has constituted a 'margdarshak' committee with veteran party leaders as its members for guiding party activities," it said.</div>
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Senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are the other three members of the committee.</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Courtsy by <span style="line-height: 26.597999572753906px;">By </span><span class="fn" style="line-height: 26.597999572753906px;">Indo Asian News Service</span></span></div>

No LK Advani, MM Joshi in BJP's parliamentary board

FILE photo of senior BJP leaders MM Joshi (left) and LK Advani (AFP) New Delhi: The BJP Tuesday named its central parliamentary board wi...

August 27, 2014

U.S. commander Joe Dunford Said that Military did not support fixing Afghan exit date.

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUF2QKDpjpMCTaqjzyYyu3gVjudU4AcjX4F-FYXQzCIfvoMPsSwkuN0Hx7Kbj9zpVIqkOcTMv1bmyk_qDKakJckfGT_IAbgbA_ARXkXJfLKz6Zy-629e3bsui-Lnke-sixFSJcNQDLTdH/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUF2QKDpjpMCTaqjzyYyu3gVjudU4AcjX4F-FYXQzCIfvoMPsSwkuN0Hx7Kbj9zpVIqkOcTMv1bmyk_qDKakJckfGT_IAbgbA_ARXkXJfLKz6Zy-629e3bsui-Lnke-sixFSJcNQDLTdH/s1600/download+(1).jpg" width="640" /><span style="color: black;">U.S. soldiers arrive at the site of burning NATO supply trucks after an attack by militants in the Torkham area near the Pakistani-Afghan in Nangarhar Province June 19, 2014.</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUF2QKDpjpMCTaqjzyYyu3gVjudU4AcjX4F-FYXQzCIfvoMPsSwkuN0Hx7Kbj9zpVIqkOcTMv1bmyk_qDKakJckfGT_IAbgbA_ARXkXJfLKz6Zy-629e3bsui-Lnke-sixFSJcNQDLTdH/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUF2QKDpjpMCTaqjzyYyu3gVjudU4AcjX4F-FYXQzCIfvoMPsSwkuN0Hx7Kbj9zpVIqkOcTMv1bmyk_qDKakJckfGT_IAbgbA_ARXkXJfLKz6Zy-629e3bsui-Lnke-sixFSJcNQDLTdH/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #999999;">CREDIT: REUTERS/ PARWIZ/FILES</span></a></div>
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(Reuters) - U.S. military officials would have preferred the United States not announce a date for ending its troop presence in Afghanistan, as the White House did in May, the outgoing commander of U.S. forces there said on Thursday.</div>
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General Joe Dunford, commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, was asked at a Senate committee hearing whether President Barack Obama's announcement that almost all U.S. troops would be gone by 2017 had damaged morale among Afghan soldiers.</div>
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"I think all of us in uniform, to include the Afghans, would have preferred that that be a bit more ambiguous," Dunford said.</div>
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He was responding to a question by Republican Senator John McCain Of Arizona, a persistent critic of Obama's Afghanistan policy, during a hearing on Dunford's nomination to become the next head of the U.S. Marine Corps.</div>
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The White House announced in May that if a bilateral troop deal is signed in time, it plans to keep a residual force of 9,800 soldiers in Afghanistan after the current international military mission ends in December.</div>
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That force would gradually be reduced and by the end of 2016 there would be only a small number of soldiers left at the U.S. embassy under the authority of the U.S. ambassador, as the United States had in Baghdad after its 2011 withdrawal from Iraq.</div>
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McCain asked whether any senior military leaders had recommended setting a fixed date for a full pullout of the U.S. military force, and whether Dunford would have preferred that future troops levels be based on evolving security conditions.</div>
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"None that I know of, senator. And - and I think we still plan to have, as you know, some presence after 2017. But no one recommended zero," he said.</div>
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"Every military leader would want to have the conditions on the ground and the assumptions be revalidated as a transition takes place," he said.</div>
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As foreign troops leave, Afghanistan's military is taking charge of the fight against Taliban and other militants, even as the country grapples with uncertainty resulting from a disputed second round of presidential voting last month.</div>
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Early on Thursday, militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked Kabul airport.</div>
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Dunford said Afghan security forces, while greatly improved, may be unable to conduct effective operations against militants when the United States departs.</div>
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"There's no doubt that the Afghan forces today would not be capable of conducting the kind of operations we're conducting to pressure on the network" of militants in Afghanistan, Dunford said. He said he expected that Afghan forces would not have that capability by 2017 if the current militant threat persisted.</div>
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(Reporting by Missy Ryan; Editing by David Storey)</div>
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<span style="color: #999999;">Courtsy by <span style="background-color: transparent;">Reuters</span></span></div>
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U.S. commander Joe Dunford Said that Military did not support fixing Afghan exit date.

U.S. soldiers arrive at the site of burning NATO supply trucks after an attack by militants in the Torkham area near the Pakistani-Afg...

June 18, 2014

India committed to good neighbourly relations: Narendra Modi

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<img alt="India committed to good neighbourly relations: Narendra Modi " src="http://www.livemint.com/rf/Image-621x414/LiveMint/Period1/2014/06/17/Photos/Modi--621x414.jpg" /><span style="background-color: #efeee4; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "sans serif"; font-size: 12px;">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) shakes hands with Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk in Thimphu on Sunday. Photo: AFP</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span>himphu:</b> (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India is committed to good neighbourly relations and assured Bhutan that change in government will not alter the dynamics of Indo-Bhutan ties. “India is committed to good relations with its neighbours,” Modi said in his address to joint session of Bhutan’s Parliament here. On second day of his two-day visit to the Himalayan country, Modi said if India progresses, it will directly impact the development of its neighbours. “Stability and development in India will help neighbours like Bhutan,” he said in his speech in Hindi.</div>
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He also lauded Bhutan for the smooth transition from monarchy to democracy in a span of seven years which showed maturity in governance in that country. 63-year-old Modi arrived here on Sunday on his first foreign trip after assuming office last month. Recalling India’s historic ties with Bhutan, Modi said his government would work towards further strengthening the relations between the two neighbours. Noting that terrorism divides and tourism unites, he said Bhutan has immense potential in the tourism sector. Modi said development of tourism does not require large investment but can yield substantial profit and even the poor can benefit from it. Describing the Himalayas as a shared legacy of the two countries, he stressed on the need to develop the region and said India is planning to open a university for Himalayan studies. </div>
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He also thanked Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay for attending his swearing in ceremony in Delhi last month. Modi had on Sunday vowed to nurture bilateral relations which he described as “B4B Bharat for Bhutan and Bhutan for Bharat” as he held wide-ranging talks with Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and Tobgay. He had also inaugurated the Supreme Court complex built by India as part of the developmental cooperation. During his talks, Modi had assured Bhutan’s leadership that India is committed to its happiness and progress even though the government in Delhi has changed. Speaking at a banquet hosted by Bhutanese Prime Minister Tobgay here last night, he had said India and Bhutan are “made for each other” considering the “glorious” traditional linkages between the two countries. Modi is accompanied by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, national security adviser Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Sujatha Singh.</div>
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On Monday he will lay the foundation for a 600 megawatt hydroelectric power station, part of an energy cooperation plan to feed demand in Bhutan, and also India. "PM underlined that he would not only nurture strong bonds but would also strengthen them," a government official said after Modi's talks with Bhutan's King Jigme Kesar Wangchuk and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Bhutan, wedged in the Himalayas between India and China is the closest India has to an ally in South Asia, a region home to over 1.5 billion people but held back by bristling rivalries. Modi's Bhutan visit shows an astute sense of the region's critical importance to India's economic dynamism and strategic strength, said Alyssa Ayres, a South Asia expert at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. "Of course, India is also closely watching China's border talks with Bhutan and China’s recent efforts to establish stronger ties with Thimphu," she said. On Sunday, hundreds of school children dressed in traditional red and green tunics lined the route from the airport to wave the Indian flag as Modi's motorcade arrived in the kingdom which for centuries was closed to outsiders.</div>

India committed to good neighbourly relations: Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) shakes hands with Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk in Thimphu on Sunday. Photo: AFP ...

June 16, 2014

Modi visits Bhutan on first step of bid to assert regional sway

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmXivulMj_mTtXv8COBYo6IVJDyvW5aozwXcHBOy4Vt0vVYdIZVsFwwJe5NNjhD7l6bElslmDpWjhefrn5G8cDhyhcE3mG_9jrxfoEqtIPXL8pW04ILahvM7jnlBS9FmE1Aq3scJr-RS8/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmXivulMj_mTtXv8COBYo6IVJDyvW5aozwXcHBOy4Vt0vVYdIZVsFwwJe5NNjhD7l6bElslmDpWjhefrn5G8cDhyhcE3mG_9jrxfoEqtIPXL8pW04ILahvM7jnlBS9FmE1Aq3scJr-RS8/s1600/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmXivulMj_mTtXv8COBYo6IVJDyvW5aozwXcHBOy4Vt0vVYdIZVsFwwJe5NNjhD7l6bElslmDpWjhefrn5G8cDhyhcE3mG_9jrxfoEqtIPXL8pW04ILahvM7jnlBS9FmE1Aq3scJr-RS8/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;">1 OF 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) unveils the plaque to inaugurate the Supreme Court of Bhutan as his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay watches at Thimphu in Bhutan June 15, 2014.</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span>himphu: </b>Narendra Modi held talks in Bhutan on Sunday during his first foreign visit as prime minister, as he steps up a charm offensive with neighbours to try to check China’s regional influence. The Indian prime minister was greeted at the airport by Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay at the start of a two-day visit to the tiny Buddhist kingdom, a month after his landslide election victory. Tobgay later wrote on Twitter that he had “very good discussions” with Prime Minister Modi, who shared his “passion for education, development and environment”.</div>
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His decision to make tiny Bhutan his first destination was the latest in a series of unconventional policy choices by the new prime minister who came to power last month on the promise of making his country an economic and military power.</div>
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He previously invited South Asian leaders to his inauguration and has exchanged friendly letters with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bid to re-establish India as the dominant power in the region.</div>
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“He declared B4B: that Bharat (India) is there for Bhutan, ready to support in all our endeavours,” Tobgay said. Modi received a grand welcome with a ceremonial guard of honour, while schoolchildren in national dress lined the mountainous road between the airport in Paro and capital Thimphu and waved the two countries’ flags. Ahead of his visit, Modi had said that relations with Bhutan would be “a key foreign policy priority” of his government. “India and Bhutan enjoy a unique and special relationship...forged by ties of geography, history and culture,”

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmXivulMj_mTtXv8COBYo6IVJDyvW5aozwXcHBOy4Vt0vVYdIZVsFwwJe5NNjhD7l6bElslmDpWjhefrn5G8cDhyhcE3mG_9jrxfoEqtIPXL8pW04ILahvM7jnlBS9FmE1Aq3scJr-RS8/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">Source REUTERS</span></a></div>

Modi visits Bhutan on first step of bid to assert regional sway

1 OF 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) unveils the plaque to inaugurate the Supreme Court of Bhutan as his Bhutanese counterpart Tsher...

June 15, 2014

Mountain Echoes held in Thimpu

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiLam1QDwy-ZvQPTdT8sPv_MVUY0M607gAkqjuvnziOhGlo8ePhx6OEQb67otbuncuYux_umAEWc_cYStm6gkU6PWXgBiQKuFt43rDo8z5pwFPZ7CFX1uH2H0sMYB3tFRvNefmcRkk6A4jHI9qX6H83Xe6ANdiMQ460dIKc5fU4UP9-SD1_7qGwXpqWbURPilkOYM7wyc7VyYqsvS50bkzT_FYBGAkrOh69553fKv38XViBR5tDcYA88LkQf-WrF4Tyxzo=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Indian and Bhutanese writers, including Amish Tripathi (centre) at last year...
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.003999710083008px; text-align: center;"><b>By Shahnaz Siganporia</b></span>
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</b></span> <span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><b>M</b></span><span style="text-align: justify;">ountain Echoes is an annual literary festival held in Thimpu, the capital of the happiest of nations -- Bhutan. A celebration of Himalayan culture that began in 2010, this intimate literary festival explores a cross-cultural dialogue between India and Bhutan. So imagine long literary discussions, book launches, film screenings, music concerts, workshops and schmoozing with the South Asian literati.</span>
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<a href="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mountain Echoes is a mix of traditional and avant garde Bhutanese life.
" border="0" height="213" src="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/18.jpg" width="320" /></a>This year, the fest will be held from May 21-24 at three venues in Thimphu: The Taj Tashi Hotel, the Tarayana Centre and the Nehru-Wangchuk Cultural Centre. If you're a jaded culture vulture that needs more persuading, here's five reasons to talk books in this breathtaking Himalayan kingdom.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's in the happiest country in the world</b></span></div>
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Move over Pharrell, 'cause we're feeling a new happy! Wedged between India and China, the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan is famous for its gorgeous Himalayan landscape, distinct culture and Gross Happiness Index. It's the only country that goes beyond economic indices and factors happiness into the quality of life by markers that take into account sustainable development, environmental protection, cultural preservation, and good governance.</div>
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Picture discussing literature in a land where traffic jams make it to the headlines, plastic bags are banned, and smoking and the sale of cigarettes prohibited. (Although international visitors may carry upto 200 cigarettes for their personal use but have to pay a 200% duty and carry a smoking permit at all times.)</div>
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<a href="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/4%20Facebook%20Mountain%20Echoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Past fests have been attended by filmmaker Aparna Sen and actor Rahul Bose.
" border="0" height="213" src="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/4%20Facebook%20Mountain%20Echoes.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Queen Mother takes part</b></span></div>
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Yes, a tonne of literary and cultural fests boast royal patronage, including this one, but her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck is also an accomplished author. Her first book, Of Rainbows and Clouds is a riveting family saga capturing the life and times of her father Yab Ugen Dorji. Her second, Treasures of The Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan is a mix of memoir, history and folklore. Her participation extends way beyond the officious inaugural ceremony and she will be found in conversation with diplomat and author Navtej Sarna.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The dialogue between two very different democracies</b></span></div>
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From discussions on animism in the Himalayas and the art of folklore, to a deliberation on aphrodisiacs and food to suit your mood, and workshops on how to write a crime novel, the festival calendar is packed with a miscellany of subjects and speakers.</div>
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<a href="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mountain Echoes is a great way to explore Bhutanese culture and subcultures.
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But the most anticipated discussion of the festival is a session titled 'Democracy: The Will of the People', between Lily Wangchuk, the first woman president of a registered political party in Bhutan, and author-diplomat Pavan K Varma. Dago Tshering, the former Bhutanese ambassador to India will also interact with journalist Mihir Sharma. The democratic systems of India and Bhutan, both emerging from landmark elections, will be juxtaposed in light of the outcomes of the change in government.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's not just about Bhutanese authors</b></span>
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Apart from the massive Indo-Bhutanese contingent of writers, commentators and speakers, Mountain Echoes brings together a host of artists who are all part of the new Himalayan narrative. Sample these other attendees: Award-winning Scottish travel writer Gavin Francis, who is working on a book on the region; Danish photo-journalist Marie Venø Thesbjerg, who will be showcasing her most recent book My Way Of Life -- Stories by Children of Bhutan, which tells the story of Bhutanese culture in transition; and Yoko Ishigami, a Japanese artist who has been learning traditional Bhutanese painting and will be exhibiting at the festival.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Experience Bhutanese subculture</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/3%20Facebook%20Mountain%20Echoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="2013's fest saw Barkha Dutt interviewed by Bhutanese journalist Namgay Zam.
" border="0" height="213" src="http://www.vogue.in/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleriffic_slide/article/slideshow/21931/3%20Facebook%20Mountain%20Echoes.jpg" width="320" /></a>Cultural expression in Bhutan is steeped in tradition and a need to preserve and protect is intricate to the nation's mandate. While things are usually done the traditional way, which is the window most visitors get into Bhutanese life, the festival exposes fissures of the new wave. Films like Tashi Gyeltshen's The Red Door or Kesang Chuki Dorjee's documentary Bhutan Women Forward will introduce audiences to Bhutan's bold voices.</div>
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Open mic and jam sessions with Bhutanese bands like Zhaw and The Ngorigaps, The Baby Boomers, Poisoned Apple and Daydream Farmers will reveal how the sounds of rock 'n' roll give voice to another side of Bhutanese culture.</div>

Mountain Echoes held in Thimpu

By Shahnaz Siganporia M ountain Echoes is an annual literary festival held in Thimpu, the capital of the happiest of nations -- Bhuta...

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Mountain Echoes held in Thimpu

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