Fashion will take centre-stage at the eighth edition of the Mountain Echoes festival with Indian and Bhutanese designers showcasing collections reflecting the textile heritage of both nations.
Celebrated names such as Chandrika Tamang and Chimmi Choden from Bhutan and designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore from India, will curate collections interspersing the two countries' textile heritages with contemporary fashion.
Abraham and Thakore will bring the bright colours of Rajasthan woven in exquisite Khadi garments to the Bhutanese capital of Thimpu.
"We believe khadi which is hand woven from hand spun yarn is an ideal metaphor for the power of handmade goods that are both beautiful and relevant in the industrial and highly technological age we live in," they said.
For the designer duo, traditional textiles whether in India or Bhutan, are "powerful cultural narratives".
"They capture cultural customs, economic conditions and historical developments. Textiles in both the regions are testaments to these common factors, and at their most elemental, a testament to the human individual and the hand of the craftsman," they said.
A fusion of Indian Khadi with Bhutanese textiles woven on a traditional back-strap loom, will be presented by Bhutanese designer Chimmi Choden of CHIMMI House of Design.
"The looks use a very traditional construction in a very contemporary perspective, and the collection will interest the Indian audience," Choden said.
"They will be able to recognize their khadiweaves but may be surprised to see how beautifully it blends with our Bhutanese motifs and designs," she added.
According to her, the countries share an appreciation for rich, vibrant colors, which is celebrated their respective weaving cultures.
Majority of Bhutan's silk, cotton, wool and raw silk yarns comes from India and motifs like the swastika,stripes and check patterns can be seen on textiles made in both the countries.
"You can see the style influences spill over into the streets in Thimphu: Bhutanese women love wearing the Benaras brocade as tego (jacket) and I have also seen women drape a saree as kira (long dress/skirt). Bhutanese men wear the Eri chaddar that comes from India as the ceremonial scarf draped over the traditional Gho," Choden said.
Chandrika Tamang from Bhutan, too feels that even though the culture in her country differs from that in India, "the weaves shall complement each other".
She has introduced block printing and tie dyeing in her collection.
Inspired by five colors (blue, white, red, green, yellow) of prayer flags and the description of its element (sky, wind, fire, water, earth), she says, her collection will give the Indian audience a "new sense of fashion".
The festival, scheduled to be held from August 25 to 27, this year will host 70 literary figures from across the globe 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.
The festival will also showcase one of Bhutan's best kept secrets -- the dramatese Ngacham (dance of the drums).
A sacred dance performed to honour 8th-century Buddhist master, Padmasambhava, it has sixteen masked male dancers and ten musicians representing the revered deities as they perform to a symphony of cymbals, trumpets and drums.
Popular local performers such as singer Sangay Lhaden, pop band The Baby Boomers and dance troupes Druk Jackson and Waki Nation Crew at the Clock Tower will also be a part of the cultural fiesta.
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