The hills resounded with words -- and footsteps -- as the Mountain Echoes literary festival wound up in the Bhutanese capital, recording a 200 per cent increase in people's participation in eight years.
While the number of people attending the festival increased significantly, there were also more writers and spectators from Bhutan in the eighth edition of the festival.
A total of 77 writers from 11 countries, including 42 from the host country, took part in the three-day festival. Last year, it was attended by 33 writers from Bhutan.
There were 23 authors from India and 12 from countries such as the USA, Australia, United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia, Bangladesh and Nepal.
This year's edition also saw a 20 per cent rise in audience numbers from last year, with over 5500 visitors, the organisers said.
The festival, which ended on Sunday, saw sessions on a series of globally relevant issues such as environmental conservation, natural history, spirituality and Buddhism, and the global evolution of textiles and design traditions.
"Because of the festival, we have noticed a remarkable increase in the number of books being sold, bookstores being opened, book clubs being hosted and even in the number of research scholars at our universities," said festival co- director Tshering Tashi.
The eighth edition of the festival, he said, had left an "indelible mark" on young Bhutanese minds.
"We hope that it continues to be a platform for social and cultural exchanges," he added.
The literary festival was attended by writers such as Ruskin Bond and Ashwin Sanghi from India, Markus Zusak of Australia and London-based Francesca Beard.
Zusak's 'The Book Thief', Khakey, written by Yeshi Tsheyang Zam and illustrated by Chand Bhattarai, and Ruskin Bond's autobiography Lone Fox Dancing, were the three books with the highest sales recorded this year.
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