The Conference on the theme Gross National Happiness and Its Relevance in South Asia was inaugurated by :

·        Mr. V. P. Singh, former Prime Minister of India

·        Dr. Abid Hussain, eminent scholar and diplomat

·        H. E. Mr. Lyonpo Dago Tshering, Ambassador of Bhutan

·        Prof. Mushirul Hasan, Vice Chancellor, Jamia University

·        H.E. Mr. C.R. Jayasinghe, High Commissioner of  Sri Lanka

·        H.E. Mr. Liaquat Ali Chowdhury, High Commissioner of Bangladesh

·        H.E. Lt. Gen. Mr. Anbaree Adam, High Commissioner of Maldives

·        Mr. Sudeep Bannerjee, Advisor to the Minister of Human Resource Development, eminent poet

·        Mr. Lalit Mansingh, former Foreign Secretary of India, eminent scholar 

·        Prof. K. Satchidanandan, eminent writer, poet, scholar  

Ms. Ajeet Cour in her Welcome Address said that in these times of interdependence among nations, as well as mounting tensions which destroy  the social fabric of societies, it is  imperative that the subject of GNH be brought to the attention of the public, especially in our  sub-continent.

She added that Governments should be concerned with me happiness of the teeming millions who have no say which way the national resources should flow. Should the resources keep flowing towards huge defence and administrative expenses, towards helping the affluent amass more wealth, towards selling off agricultural lands to multi-billionaires for setting up their tax-free mega-projects, towards ultra-modern technology and IT, towards aiming at a 8-9-10 per cent GNP. or should they also create more chances of employment, roti – kapada – makaan, education, medical facilities, better living conditions, elimination of malnutrition, preservation of environment and earth-waters-rivers : all basic parameters of a healthy and happy nation.

She experessed gratitude to H.E. Mr. Lyonpo Dago Tshering for kind cooperation.

Mr. Lalit Mansingh, in his Chairperson’s remarks stated that happiness could be achieved and realized only when each individual realized that small actions of compassion and love could create a society where peace and prosperity would prevail. He also added that the Academy had been through its Women’s Empowerment Programme been imparting skills to the young girls and women from the neighbouring slums – “in this way Ajeet jee has been trying to generate happiness among these young children.

An Excerpt from the speech of the Hon’ble Minister

H.E. Lyonpo Dago Tshering, Ambassador of Bhutan stated that it was the good fortune of his country Bhutan that the concept of GNH was being disseminated throughout South Asia through the initiative of FOSWAL. He presented the speech of H.E. Mr. Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley, Hon’ble Minister of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutan. 

GNH is a philosophical contribution to the global discourse on development that functions as a programme of social and economic interventions working to operationalize the notion of good development that promotes collective happiness as its ultimate value. It stresses that the legitimacy of a government must depend on how well its policies and actions support this goal. It is founded on the belief that the realization of happiness lies in the judicious balance between pursuing material and spiritual needs of the body and mind. Thus, while the GDP-based economic model promotes limitless material growth for the excessive comfort of our body, GNH offers a holistic paradigm within which the mind receives equal attention.

It is important to note that GNH does not discard GDP completely. It considers it important to measure the sum total of goods and services produced and consumed in a country. At the same time, it assigns GDP to its rightful place as an indicator whose importance is to be considered alongside several other indicators that comprise an evaluation of collective happiness.

GNH places a strong priority on the collective interest of the people. It is based only on the obvious reality that the duty of the state to its citizens is through the collective but also on the fact that an individual’s interests is best protected and fulfilled through the means of society. This is somewhat antithetical to the norms of western society in which the individual interests are held sacrosanct often above that of the collective.

The responsibility of the state is two fold :

The first is to promote conscious pursuit and internalization of happiness by the people rather than allow the goal to remain in the deep recesses of the subconscious mind.

The second is to create and maintain enabling conditions for the attainment and enjoyment of happiness. To this end, public and programmes must be directed to address the collective happiness of the people.

The Royal Government has adopted a four pronged strategy to fulfill its GNH responsibilities. These are popularly referred to as the four pillars of GNH and comprise the following.

1.                  Sustainable and equitable socio economic development.

2.                  Cultural preservation and promotion.

3.                  Environmental Conservation.

4.                  Good Governance

Shri V.P. Singh in his inaugural address stated that ‘Happiness is different for different people but there can be no happiness without love because love nurtures happiness. He also lamented the fact that in several South Asian countries the societies were hierarchical and the well-being of the marginalized was not given adequate attention. Referring to social and economic monopolies, he added that such institutions struck at the root of democracy and resulted in gross inequity. He underlined the importance of disseminating the philosophy of religion in such a manner that the soul was awakened. Shri V.P. Singh also cited several instances of exploitation of the poor and helpless by the rich and powerful. In conclusion he lauded the Government of Bhutan for its farsighted and visionary approach to development.

Dr. Abid Hussain, while delineating the concept of happiness, stated that happiness can be achieved in a society only when different communities and people live together like a bouquet of flowers or like the music of Mozart, which was comprised of different notes and metre. Happiness in his opinion could only be realized if democratic conditions prevailed with sharing of power with the masses.

H.E. Mr. C.R. Jayasinghe, High Commissioner of  Sri Lanka, while congratulating FOSWAL for its unique initiative, stated that Sri Lanka had its own problems of ethnic violence which had been a major impediment to achieving all round progress. Although Sri Lanka had the highest per capita income in the region, there were unresolved issues of development, he added.

H.E. Mr. Liaquat Ali Chowdhury, High Commissioner of Bangladesh, also congratulated FOSWAL for hosting the GNH Conference and hoped that the countries of South Asia would work together through the SAARC spirit to alleviate the social and economic problems which were common to most countries in the region.

H.E. Lt. Gen. Mr. Anbaree Adam, High Commissioner of Maldives, while expressing his gratitude to FOSWAL for providing an opportunity to Maldives to make a presentation, stated that his country was particularly concerned about the ecological considerations in development. He articulated the need for cooperative efforts in reversing the process of global warming.

Prof. K. Satchidanandan, also underlined the need for an improvement in the quality of life of the common man, which in his opinion, was the essence of the GNH concept. He was of the opinion that freedom of expression could promote happiness in a democratic environment, and where people’s rights were not violated.

SESSION I

The First Thematic Session titled ‘Freedom, Cultural Expression and Happiness’ was chaired by Mr. Rajiv Sikri, an eminent diplomat. In his opening remarks he congratulated Bhutan for defining the indicators of well-being and for carrying out surveys to test the theoretical construction of the indicators. In his opinion there was a need to build on the strengths within the South Asian countries so as to achieve balanced and equitable development. In his words, ‘the inability of the state is always reflected through the unhappiness of the people.

Prof. Lokesh Chandra, Director IBF pointed out that happiness was to be understood through the different levels. He perceived that if India – Pakistan were free and were not circumscribed by global concerns, a very positive relationship could have evolved. Similarly other countries in South Asia could also build on their strengths through better understanding, tolerance and mutual coexistence.

Mr. Joginder Paul, an eminent Urdu writer and critic, stated that for him the concept of happiness was not a gross one, but needed to be perceived at the individual level. Unless each individual was happy, a nation could not be considered a happy one, he continued. He also referred to various instances where individuals could be happy at the cost of the society’s happiness, which could not be accepted for obvious reasons.

Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, speaking in Hindustani stated that there was a need to eliminate fear and greed for happiness to prevail in any society. He underlined the significance of State and National level initiatives for improving the physical, social and cultural well-being of the people.

Dr. Vijay Sharma, from Delhi University stated that happiness needed to be translated into development in real terms in the agricultural sector, in science and technology, in the health of the population, through the transportation system and through Human Resource Development. Thus in his opinion, happiness needed to be considered in a holistic manner.

Ms. Rajni Bakshi, in her presentation raised certain questions. “What is the promise of the GNH vision has for the SAARC nations? At the very least it offers us a template for looking at human well-being across national boundaries, particularly those like India and Pakistan which carry the burden of decades of conflict. This would be merely a starting point.

The end objective would be an economic union of the kind that makes national borders irrelevant and facilitates social and economic policies that are anchored in the sound ecological understanding and a commitment to right livelihood.

“Yes, this does sound terribly utopian and dreamy! But I’m not suggesting that the nation state and nationalism will simply withdraw in favor of the universal quest for right livelihood. However, expanding the reach and spread of the GNH approach in each of our societies could in the long run help to address the geo-political tensions in a more creative and constructive way.”

The session concluded with a vote of thanks to the Chair and the speakers.

SESSION II

The second thematic session titled: Good Governance and Democracy-Promoting Happiness was chaired by Prof. Shahid Mahdi, former Vice – Chancellor, Jamia Milia Islamia and was co-chaired by Prof. I.N. Mukherjee, an eminent economist from JNU.

Prof. Shahid Mahdi, was of the view that given the current pre-occupation with the neo-liberal notion of governance and development in most parts of the world, finding an alternative path to happiness and a higher quality of life remains a formidable challenge for humanity. he added that the concept of Gross National Happiness was a much more comprehensive concept than GNP and thus needed to be understood by all political parties.

Prof. I.N. Mukherjee, comparing GNH to the western conservative, liberal and socialist ideologies, said that GNH is a programme of social and economic change and development. He underlined the importance of alleviating poverty and unemployment as well as improving the health and mortality rates of the people of South Asia for the realization of Gross-National Happiness.

Ms. Sudha Pillai, member Planning Commission spoke about the importance of good governance, she said that in her opinion, the planning commission should concern itself with the provision of basic amenities for the people in rural and urban areas and not over-emphasise on issues of governance at the micro-level. In addition, she pointed out that the nature of economic and social policies was an important factor for promoting happiness and quality of life.

Prof. Kapil Kumar, IGNOU, eminent historian, referring to the disparities which existed in South-Asian societies stated that happiness could only be a dream which seemed impossible to achieve. Expressing a note of pessimism, he added that there were large and glaring problems of persisting hunger, homelessness, poor nutrition and unemployment which were not being given adequate attention.

Prof. S. T. Hettige, an eminent sociologist from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, emphasised that  good governance per se is not a basis for promoting happiness and quality of life. The nature of economic and social policies constitute an equality important factor. Given the current preoccupation with the neo-liberal notions of governance and development in most parts of the world, finding an alternative path to happiness and a higher quality of life remains a formidable challenge for the humanity.

Mr. Dinesh Mishra, Director ‘Vatsalya’ was of the view that happiness is crucially linked to the system of political governance and the emphasis on building a socialist pattern of society.

Session III

The third session on the theme : Religious Diversity, Literacy, Health, Happiness and Cultural Connectivity on December 15, 2006, was chaired by Mr. Sudeep Bannerjee, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Human Resource Development. The session was co-chaired by Ms. Veena Sikri and eminent diplomat with MEA.

Mr. Sudeep Bannerjee brought out the importance of imparting education to all and insuring that the rate of school drop-outs is minimized. It was unfortunate he added that a significant portion of the education facilities in India and the other South-Asian countries was not being fully utilized and illiteracy continued to be a major societal draw-back. He urged for cooperative action by the concerned institutions.

Ms. Veena Sikri, lauded the GNH concept as a means of progress and development because it placed the common man at the centre of the policy framework. She added that India and Bhutan shared a special relationship and the Bhutanese society was a symbol of peace and goodwill.

Prof. Pushpesh Pant, Dean School of International Studies, JNU, said the Bhutanese people are happy because they have kept out

the contamination of alien forces and nurtured their own culture. He questioned whether cultural connectivity could bring about a harmonious confluence or create clashes? He said that there was a need in a present time to handle the myriad questions about marrying modernity with change.

The next speaker, Mr. Phuntsho Rapten, Senior researcher with CBS Bhutan through his Power Point presentation depicted the domains of good governance, which was an important pillar of GNH. These sub-domains were listed as : fair and representative participation, effective government, fair and equal law, freedom and quality of media, transparency, accountability and honesty.

The Bhutanese government, he added, had sought to understand the performance of the government and leaders at the National and Local levels through the questionnaire approach.

Session IV

Session IV focusing on the theme of Measuring Genuine Progress – Indicators from South Asia, was chaired by Ambassador A.N. Ram, an eminent diplomat and political analyst.

Ambassador A.N. Ram in his address stated that GNH reflects the core of Buddhism and the genius of Bhutan; its leadership, particularly the King, has made a unique contribution to  our understanding of the human and social dimensions of development and progress. 

In the words of Ambassador Ram, “Today, few people are aware that Bhutan with a per capita income of about US$ 800 is the richest and perhaps the fastest growing country in South Asia measured in prevailing statistical terms but many more know of Bhutan as home to nearly a million contented people who have not abandoned their traditional Buddhist way of life purely for material progress.   This tiny country nestled in the lap of the Himalayas has a message for all those individuals and  societies who are in a hurry to compromise with their identity and traditional values only for material gains”.

Mr. Karma Galay, in his presentation provided the audience with an overall perspective of the Indicators of GNH.

These indicators were spelt out as:

1.                  Health of the population

2.                  Time use and balance

3.                  Psychological wellbeing

4.                  Living standards – Income, financial standards redistribution issues and housing

5.                  Cultural diversity and resilience

6.                  Community vitality

7.                  Good governance

8.                  Ecological diversity and resilience

9.                  Education

These Nine Indicators with detailed components were being used as the Nine Domains of the GNH Index.

The CBS had the mandate to undertake a Study, both in rural and urban areas of Bhutan to document the responses of the people through a Structured Questionnaire comprising 300 questions. The study, when completed would result in a revision of the Policy Framework and would be reflected in the National Accounts which would be revised by 2010.

Dr. Arun Gupta from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, through his address brought out the Poetics and Politics of Happiness. In his paper, he articulated that despite all the complexities, the idea of happiness is the underlying structure of metaphysical and epistemological realities.  That is why there always are possibilities for locating happiness amidst crisscrossing of crisis.  Consequently a functional grammar of happiness is not impossible, only that it is difficult to experience it in grand narrative and utopian sense.  For me, the idea of G. N. H probably has to take arbitrariness, discursivity, and particularities of truths into consideration while conceptualizing and measuring it in economic or spiritual terms.  

Concluding Session

The Concluding Session of the Conference was chaired and moderated by Prof. Riyaz Punjabi. Prof. Punjabi stated that there was a need for encouraging the greater participation of young creative people in the service of intercultural dialogue and the culture of peace for GNH to become a reality.  Enhancing mutual understanding and knowledge about different cultures and civilization, in his opinion was also imperative for forging friendships and happiness, he added.

The session commenced with a poem by Mr. Kailash Vajpeyi.

One of the stanzas brought out the need for a proactive role of individuals in society and the questioning tone was :

Amongst people plagued by

Sinus, heat, itch, starvation;

Shall I lie like one dead

With my headless pulsating frame?

Mr. Tshering Phuntsho, researcher with CBS Bhutan through his Power Point presentation presented the Indicator for Ecological Diversity and Resilience in Bhutan. He brought out the demand and supply aspects of natural resources including land, forests, water, air, etc. He also spoke about the ecological footprint and stated that the Bhutanese Government was particularly concerned about  the per capita consumption of energy.

Dr. Reena Marwah presented an overview of the two day deliberations, taking the salient views expressed by the eminent participants. She also referred to the dismal conditions of female health and infant mortality in Nepal and other South Asian countries. SAARC needed to resolve complex social issues in a coordinated and collective manner, she concluded.

Ms. Ajeet Cour, while thanking the former Prime Minister of India Mr. V.P. Singh and all other dignitaries, Ambassadors of all the SAARC countries,  all the Participants and Delegates, Writers and Intellectuals, Academicians and Sociologists, Buddhist Philosophers and Political Analysts, profound scholars from Bhutan, Sri Lanka and  Maldives,  also expressed gratitude to all the members of   Indo-Bhutan Foundation who partially supported this Conference.

She concluded by expressing gratitude to the Royal Highness the King of Bhutan who in her opinion, was a great visionary  with compassionate heart and Buddhist consciousness who  introduced the concept of Gross National Happiness to add a very profound direction for the good of mankind.

The Conference concluded with the unanimous decision of the participants to carry forward the vision and concept of GNH to the other countries of South Asia, through Conferences, Workshops and Publications.