Bhutan Observer, December 25, 2009
During his five-day state visit to India, His Majesty inaugurated a photo exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Titled Bhutan: An eye to History, the exhibition featured 86 photographs of Bhutan, out of which 36 had been taken by His Majesty himself.
Photographs of Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck’s visit to Calcutta in 1906 and to Delhi for Delhi Durbar in 1911 are among the ones exhibited for the first time.
Pavan K Varma, ambassador of India to Bhutan, said the exhibition was unique and profiled the remarkable journey of friendship between India and Bhu
tan. “It displays for the first time pictures taken by His Majesty himself,” he said.
The first photographer to take pictures of Bhutan was Dr Benjamin Simpson, who accompanied Ashley Eden’s mission to Bhutan as the medical in-charge in 1864.
The exhibition also gave an insight into early photography in Bhutan. Late Sangay Wangchhuk was the first Bhutanese photographer to have set up a studio in Bhutan in the 1950s.
Dr Karan Singh, president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, said he was impressed with the exhibition, particularly with the picture of a warrior with his shield and that of blue sheep taken in Lingzhi by His Majesty. “These are world class photographs,” he said.
Lily Wangchhuk, a curator, said they planned to take the exhibition to other major cities of India as well. They would also exhibit the photographs in Bhutan sometime next year.
She said the exhibition was aimed at projecting Bhutan through the eyes of the King. His Majesty’s photographs are both an objective record and personal testimony of his empathy and engagement with Bhutan, she said.
The exhibition is supported by Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, government of India. The exhibition would be open till January 31, 2010, in New Delhi.