Your Royal Highness, Dasho Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, Crown Prince of Bhutan and Patron - President of the Bhutan - India Friendship Association,

Hon' ble Ministers of the Royal Government present here,

Members of the Bhutan-India Friendship Association Working Group,

Principals and Teachers from Schools, Students, Young Friends,
Members of the Business Community, Commandant IMTRAT, Chief Engineer, Project Dantak, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

His Majesty, in the footsteps of his late father, has been a staunch supporter and a driving force behind mutually beneficial ties between India and Bhutan. It is, therefore, befitting that we meet here today, on his birth anniversary, to launch the Website and a logo of Bhutan-India Friendship Association - BIFA. It is also heartening that His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince has assumed the reigns of the Association. His youth and dynamism, coupled with the wise leadership of His Majesty, will, no doubt, provide the perfect mix for furthering the noble objectives of the Association. And indeed, in the larger context, reinforce the strong bonds of our fraternal ties.

Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen,

Indo-Bhutan friendship has stood the test of time and is in fine fettle. From the historic visit of Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru to Bhutan in 1958, at the invitation of the late King, to this day, our friendship has been exemplary, with few parallels. It has been a long journey, but a pleasant and fulfilling one. Ours is not a relationship fomented by the need for material gains, or the one engendered for furthering narrow economic or political goals. From 747 AD when the most venerable Indian Saint Guru Padmasambhava came to Bhutan, to 1914 when 46 Bhutanese boys were admitted to Kalimpong's Scottish Mission School - Dr. Graham's Homes, during the reign of the first King Ugyen Wangchuck, to the September 2003 State visit of His Majesty to New Delhi, ours has been a relationship founded on eternal values and mutually beneficial cooperation. It is truly a bond fortified by shared history, geography, economics, religion and culture.

Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen,

India and Bhutan do not measure their friendship in terms of Ngultrums or Rupees. Nor do we gauge our cooperation in statistical terms or, by counting the number of assisted projects. Here, if I may recall what our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said during his visit to Bhutan in September 1985, and I was here in the country in my earlier incarnation. He said, "It is a privilege for India to be involved in Bhutan's development process. We do not regard this as assistance or aid. Rather, we consider it a sharing of resources for common benefit". India and Bhutan view their friendship in its totality, in its whole. Another yardstick of our relations, to my mind, is the extent and degree of good feelings that our two peoples nurture in their hearts and minds for each other. Though seemingly unquantifiable, these are highly palpable and perceptible.

As years have gone by, both countries have made great strides in diverse fields of nation building. These have only reinforced our relationship. As His Majesty often says, "A strong India means a strong friend of Bhutan". I would say: a strong Bhutan is a strong friend of India. The well being of the people of Bhutan, the gross national happiness of the Bhutanese masses, the ability of Bhutan to play a useful role in the comity of nations and, its increasing capacity to make informed choices, are but some of the performance indicators, which makes us all truly happy.

The fact that the leaders of the two nations enjoy un-paralleled trust, confidence and understanding cannot be gainsaid. The fund of goodwill that India has for Bhutan, and vice-versa, manifested itself, in substantial measure, during His Majesty's visit to India in September 2003. At the government-to-government level, there is, of course, a good understanding and shared perception on the entire gamut of issues concerning Indo-Bhutan relations. The Hon'ble President of India, Abdul Kalam, during his banquet speech on the occasion of His Majesty's visit further reaffirmed India's total commitment to an everlasting friendship and cooperation with Bhutan.

Be that as it may, it is imperative for any long-term relationship to be strongly backed and nurtured by 'people to people' contact. Otherwise, it stagnates and weakens. The people of India must relate more intimately with their Bhutanese friends, as the Bhutanese people reciprocate these sentiments and feelings. The youth of the two countries must be brought closer and sensitised to the uniqueness of Indo-Bhutan relationship. I have no doubt that the Association would endeavor in this direction, as the destinies of the two countries are inextricably intertwined. That is how we see it.

In so saying, I am, of course, only echoing what His Royal Highness said in his Talk at the India International Centre , New Delhi, on August 2003 , and I quote - I am convinced that the future of India-Bhutan relations lies in the hands of the people. That while, in the past, the constant and harmonious interaction of our Governments has been the core of our relationship. Henceforth, the personal ties and affection between our two peoples will be the bond that holds our destinies together for ever- Unquote.

Associations like the Bhutan India Friendship Association can also play an important role, in what has come to be known as "Track-II" diplomacy. BIFA, I am sure, would be a catalyst in giving a fresh orientation to amity between our two peoples. It can play the role of an opinion maker and reach out to the masses to bridge the gap between 'what is' and 'what ought to be'.

I am confident that BIFA will address these and other related issues contributing to an up swell of popular feeling amongst the cross section of our society. I have no doubt that a galvanized BIFA, under the vibrant leadership of His Royal Highness, will be an engine of popular contact between the two peoples. What we all would like to see is 'goodwill spiraling upwards from the grassroots', even as, 'friendship percolates downwards', from the highest echelons of government.

Indeed, the exhibition on Living Religious and Cultural Tradition of Bhutan in India in 2001, the on-going Festival of India here in Bhutan, the establishment of 'The India - Bhutan Foundation' during His Royal Highness' recent visit to India in August 2003, are but a few manifestations of our quest for 'people-to-people contact' working towards the goal of eternal friendship and cooperation.

BIFA, which was founded in 1969, would be reborn as, as an NGO, established under a Memorandum of Association. The Association, as we all know, has done commendable work over the years. Those, who would guide the destiny of BIFA in its new incarnation, have our good wishes as they have a challenging task ahead. As the baton passes on to the younger generation, BIFA will, no doubt, flourish enthused by the stewardship of His Royal Highness.

It is for this, I believe, BIFA has identified six themes namely Education; Culture & Sports; Economic & Business; Science & Technology; Media & Information; and, Legislation & Judiciary, for furthering its noble objectives. I am particularly encouraged to note that the focus is on the youth and students. And the emphasis is on both traditional values and modernisation. Every year BIFA will sponsor and organise a number of social and cultural events inviting participation from its members to promote peace and friendship between our two peoples. Gradually, we hope, it will also spread its network through affiliation and collaboration with like- minded institutions in India. Can there be a better, faster and more effective way of achieving our common goals?

Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen,

In a short while from now, we would be witnessing the launch of BIFA logo and website. The logo has been selected by His Royal Highness himself and encompasses all essential elements of Indo-Bhutan relations. The thoughtful colour scheme and the ingenious concept epitomizes the nature and depth of our fraternal ties. My congratulations go to Mr. Kunzang Dorji of the National Environment Commission, who has designed the logo. It is an excellent effort executed with imagination and understanding of the essence of India-Bhutan relations! I understand that over 70 entries were in the reckoning. Only one among them could be selected, of course. I believe, each should make an interesting study as it would constitute 70 different forms of expressing Indo-Bhutan friendship. BIFA may like to consider displaying them at some appropriate forum in the future.

With the launch of the website, thousands across the world would just be a click away from the saga of our 'one- of- a- kind' relationship. I have no doubt that the website will bring into focus over thirteen centuries of friendship, which today, has flowered into diverse areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. It is expected that the website would also expound on immense depth and profundity of our friendship, which has, and will continue to provide resilience and strength to our multi-faceted interaction.

The personal involvement and commitment of His Royal Highness to BIFA and its activities is writ large. Of particular significance is His Royal Highness's personal contribution to the corpus of BIFA. With His Royal Highness showing the way, I have no doubt that there would be many individuals and groups who would come forward to contribute their mite to this noble cause.

Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have always believed that the language of friendship, as Thoreau said, is not words but meanings. I am sure that BIFA would draw the new generation into a better understanding of the past, which is a prologue to the future.

I would like to conclude by quoting a verse from the Bhagwat Gita:

Yatra Yogeshwara Krishno Yatra, Partho Dhanur Dharaha
Tatra Streer Vijayo Bhutir, Dhruvo Neetir Matir Mamaha.

A rough translation of the shloka would be - when the vision of Yogeshwar Krishna and the competence of Arjuna are combined, there is Vijay-success, Streer -wealth and Nitir - justice.

What we need is this combination of vision and action from Bhutan-India Friendship Association. His Royal Highness' vision, I am sure, would be translate it into reality by the band of dedicated workers who form the working group of BIFA. We, in India House, would always be there to give a helping hand.

Long live Indo-Bhutan friendship !

Thank you and Tashi Delek!