India, June 2026: Founded and curated by Thomson Andrews®️. GHAMMAK™ (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. It was held in Mumbai across various venues from 11–19 June 2026
The inaugural India–Bhutan Cultural Music Exchange was presented in association with the Department of Media, Creative Industry & Intellectual Property (DOMCIIP), Royal Government of Bhutan, bringing together a delegation of Bhutanese artists, cultural representatives and creative professionals for a week of collaboration, learning, performance and industry engagement across Mumbai. The overall program’s experience partner was BLVCKOUT Events and Experiences.
Led by Sonam Penjor, Director, DOMCIIP, the Bhutanese delegation included artists Pema Deki, Jamyang Choden, Sangay Lhaden, Sonam Wangdi, Deki Tshomo, Karma Phuntsho, Yeshi Jamtsho, Hem Lal Darjee and Tashi Wangdi and DOMCIIP Officer Jamyang Norbu, who collaborated extensively with Indian artists throughout the exchange.
The journey began with GHAMMAK™ LABS, a collaborative songwriting and creative exchange session featuring “Juno” aka Avinash Choudhary, Suhas Sawant, Rishabh Panchal and participating artists from both countries.
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, Yashraj Gandharv, Playback singers Hamsika Iyer, Shweta Pandit, Thomson Andrews &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 distinguished 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 2 Time Grammy Winning Mix & 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, alongside performances by Flute Maestro PMK Naveen Kumar, Sabyasachi Deb Collective, Umesh Joshi, Harnish Dave, Rishabh Panchal, Anushka Mahanta, Sanskar Chaturvedy and the Bhutanese delegation.
A major highlight of the exchange 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 his experiences in film music and live performance.
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 further 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.
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, honours and special performances, celebrating a week of creativity, collaboration and cultural connection.
Beyond music, the delegation also 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.
