Confluence of Bollywood, art and travel at Bhutan lit fest

Bollywood actress Waheeda Rehman discussing her life on the silver screen, a masterchef sharing his culinary journey, travel anthologies and an art appreciation lecture - the fifth edition of literary festival Mountain Echoes in Bhutanese capital Thimpu next month will feature all this, the organisers said Saturday.

Apart from literary sessions that will dominate the the three-day festival beginning May 21, the festival will open a window for exchanges in the field of art, travel, food and of course, Bollywood.

This festival is the brainchild of programme directors Namita Gokhale - also a key person in the organisation of the Jaipur Literary Festival; Pramod Kumar K.G, managing director of a museum consulting company; Kunzang Choden, the first Bhutanese woman to write a novel in English and Siok Sian Dorji, a print and broadcast journalist. It is an initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation run by the two governments, in association with NGO Siyahi.

The "Guide" actress, whose engaging conversations with Nasreen Munni Kabir have been penned into a book "Conversations With Waheeda Rehman" that was released recently, will take these conversations further and engage in a tete-e-tete with the audience.

Gokhale, who is also an author, will lead a conversation with authors Advaita Kala, Navtej Sarna and Namgay Zam on her latest anthology, "Travelling In, Travelling Out".

Giving a demonstration on aphrodisiac food will be cookbook author Prabeen Singh where as psychologist Rashna Imhasly Gandhy will take the audience on a guided tour of the mind.

Masterchef Kunal Kapur will also share his culinary journey.

Giving a class on art appreciation will be art historian Alka Pande, artist Sonia Khurrana and art collector Pramod Kumar KG who will share tidbits on appreciating, buying and collecting art.

The festival ends May 24.