PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday invited Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to visit Bihar along with queen after his soon-to-be-solemnised wedding.
“Your visit will give a boost to the tourism and provide you an opportunity to learn about the socio-cultural traditions of Bihar, the land of Buddha,” Kumar told the world’s youngest reigning monarch when he called on him at his palace in Thimphu.
Kumar was accompanied by Indian ambassador Pavan K Varma and the delegation comprised principal secretary (tourism) Deepak Kumar, principal secretary (energy) Ajay V Nayak and information and public relations department secretary Rajesh Bhushan, among others.
The Oxford-educated king hailed CM Kumar for helming development in Bihar. He talked about close Indo-Bhutan relations since the period of his grandfather. He also told him about the concept of GNH (gross national happiness) and explained it involves overall development of body, speech and mind; that is development of health services, democratic values and educational resources respectively.
The 30-year-old monarch told the visiting CM that Bhutan measures national progress on the basis of GNH. GNH is a term invented and proudly embraced by Bhutanese since 1972.
Kumar also met Bhutan’s economic affairs minister Khandu Wangchuck who was all praise for Bihari workers and said they played a major role in the development of Bhutan. Several Bihari traders run business establishments in Thimphu and Phuentsholing cities. “Many salons in Bhutan are also run by barbers from Bihar. The royal barber is also from your state,” the minister told Kumar.
Kumar discussed with Khandu issues of mutual interest, specially sharing of energy with Bihar from Bhutan’s hydel power plants and enhanced cooperation between Bihar Tourism Development Corporation and Royal Bhutan Tourism Council to explore possibilities of joint marketing in tourism sector.
Later, Bihar’s principal secretary (tourism) and director general of Bhtuan Tourism held discussions.
Bihar public relations department also organized a cultural programme at which the department’s artistes depicted various dance forms. Several ministers and officials of Bhutan attended the Bihari cuisine fest at hotel Taj Tashi and liked the taste of ‘litti-chokha’ as well as ‘jalebi’.
On Wednesday, the CM had a meeting with Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Yoser Thinley besides home and cultural affairs minister Nangsi Lyonpo Minjur Dorji. Bhutan has expressed its desire to build a ‘stupa’ in the Buddha Memorial Park at Patna. Kumar said the Bihar government will allot land to Bhutan to construct monasteries in Bodh Gaya and Rajgir. He invited Thinley to lay the stones of the monasteries.
Kumar along with Dorji went to see the 169-ft statue of Lord Buddha being sculptured on the Kuensel Phodrang hills.