Report on the Bhutan Seminar Series 2024 (June. & July.2024)

2024年8月5日更新

Beginning in FY2021, the Global Collaboration Center is hosting regional research-based seminars to (1) learn about the Kingdom of Bhutan, which is located in South Asia, and (2) examine development policies and the situation of the country and region in light of these issues. Each seminar includes a film screening, a brief commentary by the presenter, and a question-and-answer session. A total of 15 sessions are scheduled for FY2024.

3rd Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2024 (2024.6.14)

The 3rd seminain FY2024 was held on Friday, June 14th. In this seminar participants watched a French TV program (dubbed in Japanese) that crossed the Indian state of West Bengal (Darjeeling, Kalimpong), Sikkim (Gangtok) and Bhutan by land, and got a glimpse into the current state of each region. After watching the video, Mr. Hirayama commented on the deep historical connection between the various regions featured in the video and Bhutan, and participants asked a wide range of questions, including the widening regional disparity, urban lifestyles, architectural styles of buildings and recent social changes.

About 55 people attended this seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “I was able to understand Bhutan’s geopolitical position well”, “The secret road from Darjeeling, India to Bhutan left a lasting impression”, “The talk about the challenges Bhutan faces, such as declining birthrate, widening regional disparity, and human resource outflow, was very helpful”.

Locations featured inb the video (Kalimpong)
Locations featured in the video (Gangtok)

4th Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2024 (2023.7.5)

The 4th seminar in FY2024 was held on Friday, July 5th. In this seminar, the story of "Gasa Lamei Singye" was featured, also known as the“Bhutanese version of Romeo and Juliet.” The first half of the 80-minute feature film, which is Bhutan’s first domestically produced feature film was shown. The film is entirely in Dzongkha and has no subtitles, so before watching it, Mr. Hirayama gave a detailed introduction about the film’s production background, director, the remake version released in 2016, and the overall story. In addition to this introduction, he gave a free translation and comments throughout the film. People from various backgrounds participated in this seminar, including high school students, university students, graduate students, university staffs, members of the Japan Bhutan Friendship Association, Shimane Bhutan Friendship Association, Japan Society for GNH Studies, JICA officials, Bhutanese people, etc.

About 45 people attended this seminar. Here are some of the participants’comments: “I was able to learn a part of the life and culture of the Kingdom of Bhutan”, “I learned a lot about Bhutanese customs (how to greet people, how to eat, etc.) through this film. I believe Bhutan is included in the academic community of the Association for South Asian Studies, but I am a complete outsider, so I discover something new every time and really look forward to participating”, “Lecturer Mr. Hirayama’s simultaneous interpretation and his detailed comments while watching the film were fun and made the film twice as enjoyable.”

About the filming locations
Introducing the remark of the movie

5th Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2024 (2023.7.19)

This 5th seminar in FY2024 was held on Friday, Julay 19th. In this seminar, the story of "Gasa Lamei Singye" was featured, also known as the“Bhutanese version of Romeo and Juliet.” The second half of the 80-minute feature film, which is Bhutan’s first domestically produced feature film was shown. As the entire film is in Dzongkha and has no subtitles, before watching, Mr. Hirayama gave an overview of the film, reviewed the first half, and introduced the history of Bhutanese cinema. In addition, he provided translations of the dialogue and commentary throughout the film. After watching, participants asked questions about whether there are funeral halls (crematoriums) in Bhutan today, the differences between the film and the remake version released in 2016, how the film is distributed, and information was shared and opinions exchanged.

About 65 people attended this seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “I enjoyed the first half of the seminar, which introduced the history of Bhutanese cinema and the latest film, as well as the discussion of the differences between Bhutan’s first film ‘Gasa Lamei Singye’ which was featured in the seminar and the latest film”, “I realized that cremation is the same as in Nepal. In particular, the fact that the crematorium is built near the river made me think that the remaining bones are to be flushed down as a memorial service”, “I knew nothing about the film scene in Bhutan, so it was interesting.”

About the filming locations
Introducing the latest Bhutanese movies