Understanding GNH principles of Bhutan

WE start the year 2026 by focusing on the concept of authentic happiness and how it is directly linked to transforming a direly harmed planet.

- BY SURYA VISHWA

We feature Prof. Saamdu Chetri, recognised as one of Bhutan's 100 prominent figures, known for spearheading the establishment of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) policies in Bhutan and serving as the Executive Director of the Bhutan GNH Centre.

He has worked for five decades to instil the principles of equality through GNH, and has a PhD in Economics. He has been referred to as the “Happiness Guru” by the BBC, and was honoured with the Buddha Peace Prize in 2016 by the Samata Sahitya Academy in India.

He is currently the Director of the Yogananda School of Spirituality and Happiness, which is part of the Shoolini University in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Below are excerpts of the interview with Prof. Saamdu Chetri.

Q: You were instrumental in establishing and leading Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Centre as its founder and Executive Director. Could you explain how the GNH evaluation has progressed in Bhutan?

• GNH was not measured when it began in 1972. Progress reports to the parliament and other technical reports started to appear, based on the four pillars socioeconomic development, preservation of the environment, cultural promotion, and good governance, which were later recognised as the four pillars of GNH. They appeared in parliamentary reports and in all technical reports. It was rather a progress-type report with some comparative statistics.

It all started when the King, as a young person, travelled from village to village in Bhutan and asked people what they needed to be happy. The villagers would leave the decision-making to the king. The King, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, although then reigning at 17 years of age, was determined to develop the nation with the concept of happiness. He decentralised power to the grassroots with authority for development and finances. He asked the Government to develop a mechanism of more for less and less for more to bring equity within the nation.