In the late 1970s, the king of Bhutan coined the term “gross national happiness”. GNH parameters are used to measure progress, well-being and happiness, placing their importance over economic pursuits alone. This programme has been pivotal in shaping development policies and governance in Bhutan, a landlocked nation in eastern Himalayas that is often ranked as one of the happiest in the world. Happiness surveyor Amber Kumar Gurung of the Happiness Centre is the subject of a new documentary, Agent of Happiness (in competition at the MAMI Mumbai film festival 2024).
The English-Nepali-Dzongkha language film, co-directed by Arun Bhattarai from Bhutan and Dorottya Zurbó from Hungary, opens with picture postcard images of a cow relaxing in a verdant field, cylindrical prayers wheels, and traditional houses sheltered by mountains. We meet Amber as he cares for his aging mother, who urges her 40-year-old son to marry so he has…
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