REVIEW

Gross National Happiness and Other Considerations Bhutan: In Pursuit of Gross National Happiness. Produced by the Asian Development Bank. 1997. 10 minutes. Bhutan: Gross National Happiness. Produced by Journeyman Pictures. 2000. 20 minutes. A tiny country poised precariously between its much larger and more powerful neighbors China and India, Bhutan struggles to maintain its sovereign status and raise its standard of living without sacrificing its cultural and moral standards. The King of Bhutan stated once that his goal to improve his country focused not so much on gross national product as on "gross national happiness"-a phrase which seems to have appealed not only to the Bhutanese themselves but also to the few filmmakers who have made it to this isolated Himalayan nation. There are, in fact, very few films that focus entirely on Bhutan. This is no doubt due in part to the high tariff imposed on all visitors to Bhutan (currently $200 per day) and the minimum royalty of $10,000 imposed on filmmakers. The Bhutanese government uses these fees to restrict mass tourism for fear that an uncontrolled influx of visitors will have a deleterious effect on the fragile infrastructure of the nation. Controlled tourism is only one of the many ways in which Bhutan is seeking to develop its economy without adversely affecting its society or its environment. Both of the following two films focus on Bhutan's attempts at economic development. Although they are too short to go into much detail, each provides a fascinating look at a little-known country. Bhutan: In Pursuit of Gross National Happiness was produced in 1997 by the Asia Development Bank. Like most of the ADB's video productions, it puts a very positive spin on development in general and the ADB's activities in particular. It provides a very brief overview of the Bhutan government's economic development policy and shows examples of a few ADB projects. Although only 10 minutes long, the video manages to convey a surprising amount of information. Much of this information is supplied through brief interviews with people such as Yoshihiro Iwasaki of the ADB, Planning Minister Chenkyab Dorji, and several Bhutanese entrepreneurs. Dorji briefly describes Bhutan's development philosophy: "Modernization has to be sustainable in terms of preservation of culture and traditional values andŠof physical environment and ecology." Both the interviews and the narration makes it clear that although the government wants to raise the population's standard of living, it will do so on its own terms. Bhutan: Gross National Happiness was produced in 2000 by Journeyman Pictures. Somewhat longer than the ADB production, it also emphasizes Bhutan's economic development but does so in the context of the king's silver jubilee and the social changes that accompany it. The film is shot entirely in the capital city of Thimphu. The streets are swept, the buildings freshly painted, and the sports field is full of dancers and musicians rehearsing for the big day. A handful of Bhutanese articulate the king's policy of economic advancement, again emphasizing the preservation of social values and the environment. Unfortunately, the interviewees are not identified so it is unclear whether they are speaking as private citizens, business people, or members of the government. The narrator is enthusiastic but slightly condescending; "I've never seen a set of traffic lights enjoying itself as much as this man!" he says, describing a traffic policeman on duty, and is unable to resist the temptation to refer to Bhutan as "the last Shangri-La." Nonetheless, he conveys some interesting information. He tells us, for instance, that Bhutan is the only country in the region in which tree cover has actually increased over the past 25 years and that plastic bags have been banned; both results of the king's environmental policies. We also learn that both the Internet and television are coming to Bhutan as part of the jubilee festivities. Neither film tells us much about the culture itself. Nor does either film touch on Bhutan's ongoing problems with Assamese and Bodo rebels in the south and east, or the tensions with its ethnic Nepali minority, many of whom have fled to Nepal for fear of violence at the hands of the Bhutan military. Life in Bhutan may be less idyllic and more complicated than these films suggest, but the films do offer high-quality visual images of this rarely seen country. More importantly, their enthusiasm for the government's careful efforts to secure economic development without sacrificing either the environment or the culture seems to be well placed. Literacy, life expectancy, and access to health care have all risen dramatically over the past 30 years while the environment remains largely untouched. In a world in which "development" is often synonymous with exploitation, Bhutan's economic policies may point the way toward a sustainable pattern of growth-in both product and happiness. A number of links to the Government of Bhutan's ministries and other organizations can be found at http://www.undp.org.bt/links.htm#Bhutan Links. The Bhutan National Human Development Report 2000 can be downloaded at http://www.undp.org.bt/GENERAL/NHDReport2000.pdf