The King and Eye

For an exhibition on Bhutan, the current king himself gives us an insider’s view of his kingdom.

Bhutan, where the Gross National Happiness is considered far more significant than the Gross National Product, is a land steeped in rich history and culture. Now, a beautiful amalgamation of photographs tells the history of a stunning landlocked nation. In an exhibition titled Bhutan: An Eye to History, photographs are used to create a flowing narrative of national history. Curated by Pramod Kumar KG with support from Lily Wangchhuk and Namita Gokhale, it is currently on display at Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art.

The highlights are the photographic works of His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, the King of Bhutan. “There are 36 photographs by His Majesty. The exhibition then moves on to the history of photography in Bhutan, starting from 1864,” says Pramod. The earliest images are those of the failed British Mission headed by Ashley Eden who arrived in this mountainous kingdom in 1864 in order to establish trade links. “The people of Bhutan realised that if they allowed the British to establish trade in Bhutan, they would soon want to take over the governance as well. These photographs tell of this tiny nation’s resistance to the British,” adds Pramod.

On display for the first time are also photographs of the first king, His Majesty Ugyen Wangchuk’s visit to Calcutta in 1906 and then of his attendance at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. The exhibition also documents close ties of friendship between India and Bhutan since the treaty of 1949. Intensive research from several private collections and official archives has resulted in some surprising finds: for example, images of Jawaharlal Nehru arriving in Bhutan on horseback after six days of hard travel by foot and on mule. “There are also images of Bhutan’s peaceful transformation from a monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. In no other nation has it happened so smoothly,” says Pramod.

Bhutan: An Eye to History will run at NGMA, New Delhi from 24 Dec to 31 Jan.

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Avantika Bhuyan