The inaugural GHAMMAK India-Bhutan Cultural Music Exchange 2026, founded and curated by Thomson Andrews, concluded successfully after a week-long series of events in Mumbai from June 11 to 19. GHAMMAK, which stands for Global Harmonies Across Music, Media, Arts & Knowledge, is an artist-led platform designed to connect artists, creative industries, and nations through music, media, arts, and cultural exchange.
Background and Delegation
Presented in association with the Department of Media, Creative Industry & Intellectual Property (DOMCIIP) of the Royal Government of Bhutan, the exchange brought together a delegation of Bhutanese artists, cultural representatives, and creative professionals. Led by Sonam Penjor, Director of DOMCIIP, the delegation included artists Pema Deki, Jamyang Choden, Sangay Lhaden, Sonam Wangdi, Deki Tshomo, Karma Phuntsho, Yeshi Jamtsho, Hem Lal Darjee, and Tashi Wangdi, along with DOMCIIP Officer Jamyang Norbu. They collaborated extensively with Indian artists throughout the exchange.
Key Events and Highlights
The exchange kicked off with GHAMMAK LABS, a collaborative songwriting and creative session featuring artists from both countries, including Indian artists “Juno” (Avinash Choudhary), Suhas Sawant, and Rishabh Panchal. The opening evening, GHAMMAK MEHFIL, was inaugurated by legendary playback singer Padma Shri Suresh Wadkar and featured performances by Indian classical singers Chandana Bala Kalyan and Yashraj Gandharv, playback singers Hamsika Iyer, Shweta Pandit, Thomson Andrews, and Anita Bhatt, composer Merlin D’Souza, indie singer Anushka Mahanta, and the visiting Bhutanese artists. The evening celebrated musical storytelling, artistic dialogue, and cultural friendship.
The following day featured GHAMMAK MANCH, a cultural leadership forum moderated by Thomson Andrews, with panelists including Flute Maestro PMK Naveen Kumar, Director of DOMCIIP Sonam Penjor, playback singers Hamsika Iyer, Pema Deki, and Karma Phuntsho, sonic branding expert Merlin D’Souza, and two-time Grammy-winning mix and mastering engineer P.A. Deepak. Discussions focused on music as cultural diplomacy, creative economies, technology, and cross-border collaboration.
Later that evening, GHAMMAK SANGAM brought together artists from India and Bhutan in a large-scale cultural showcase. The event featured special appearances by actor Siddhant Chaturvedi and legendary singer Falguni Pathak, along with performances by Flute Maestro PMK Naveen Kumar, the Sabyasachi Deb Collective, Umesh Joshi, Harnish Dave, Rishabh Panchal, Anushka Mahanta, Sanskar Chaturvedy, and the Bhutanese delegation.
A major highlight was GHAMMAK FREQUENCIES, an immersive masterclass led by internationally acclaimed flautist PMK Naveen Kumar, who shared insights from his extraordinary career spanning over 23,000 recordings, collaborations with legendary composers, and experiences in film music and live performance.
Recording and Industry Engagements
The exchange also included a landmark collaborative recording session at Yash Raj Studios, where Indian and Bhutanese artists recorded original multilingual compositions under GHAMMAK SESSIONS, creating new music that blended diverse cultural influences. Additional industry-focused sessions included GHAMMAK SCORE and GHAMMAK AMPLIFY, featuring award-winning composer Sameer Uddin, who shared insights into sonic branding, advertising music, film scoring, and the evolving music business. Artists also engaged with renowned industry professionals including Ajay-Atul and Vijay Dayal.
Participants experienced Bollywood's professional recording ecosystem through special visits and recording sessions involving a film project associated with leading composer Pritam Chakraborty, alongside a dedicated industry immersion program hosted by Sound & Vision Studios, exploring dubbing, localization, voice casting, and international content adaptation.
Closing Ceremony and Cultural Activities
The music exchange concluded with GHAMMAK HONOURS at the Roland Artist Centre, Mumbai, inaugurated by celebrated playback singer Shahzad Ali. The ceremony recognized participating artists through certificates, honors, and special performances, celebrating a week of creativity, collaboration, and cultural connection. Beyond music, the delegation experienced Mumbai's cultural landscape through curated immersion activities, industry visits, and a special visit to the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) to witness the internationally acclaimed musical CATS.
The inaugural GHAMMAK India-Bhutan Cultural Exchange successfully established a meaningful creative bridge between the two nations and laid the foundation for future international collaborations, artist exchanges, and cultural diplomacy initiatives. GHAMMAK: Where Artists Meet. Where Cultures Connect. Where Music Leads.
