CITY OF DREAMS

With the development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City along the Indian border, Bhutan proposes an economic gateway for the world to India and southeast Asia, without disturbing its comfortable relationship with China

- NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA

Robin Datgiri, 51, lives in the last house on the border in Assam’s Hatisar village, which lies next to the town of Gelephu in Bhutan. As a child, he would cross the border daily to attend school in Gelephu, where he not only received an education, but also discounted meals (₹3 for Indians)—an opportunity that shaped his childhood. Proximity to Gelephu has been a gateway to a better life for the people of Hatisar, providing access to resources and opportunities that were otherwise scarce in their small village.

“We step into Gelephu for our daily needs even today as it is less than a kilometre away compared with the nearest Indian town, Bongaigaon, which is 60 kilometres away,” said Datgiri, who runs a pharmacy. “There is no general practitioner in Hatisar. Local doctors in Gelephu are our first call for any emergency.”

Gelephu, a town strategically situated on the Assam border, offers convenient access to other districts within Bhutan as well. It has long been a passage between Bhutan and India, serving as an important trading post and transit point for monks and traders moving between the Indian plains and Bhutanese highlands. Its long-standing role as a lifeline and strategic location on the fertile plains, in contrast to the mountainous terrain that dominates much of the Himalayan kingdom, has given shape to a new dream for King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who is developing the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) as the first of its kind special administrative region (SAR) in Bhutan based on a “two systems, one country” policy.

“It is designed for Bhutan. But it is not just for Bhutan. It is going to benefit Assam and all of India,” said Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. “We see it as an economic gateway for the world to India and through India to southeast Asia.”