CJI Gavai Talks At Length About Nawazuddin-Starrer ‘Lunchbox’ In Bhutan. Here's Why

Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, presently on a 4-day official visit to Bhutan, during a speech on Thursday, recalled the 2013 Bollywood movie “The Lunchbox” to drive home his point how peaceful, serene,

and truly happy country Bhutan is...its people so unique and how the country is associated with contentment, balance, and a deep sense of well-being.Delivering the Fifth Wisdom for Future Talk Series (hosted by the JSW School of Law) at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM) on “Courts and Constitutional Governance”, CJI Gavai said, “On a lighter note, I would like to say that today, I am reminded of the acclaimed Indian film “The Lunchbox” released in 2013, in which Ila, a young homemaker in Mumbai repeatedly expresses her desire to leave behind the noise, chaos, and monotony of city life and move to Bhutan, a land she imagines as peaceful, serene, and truly happy. She tells Saajan Fernandes, the widowed accountant she corresponds with, that Bhutan is the happiest country and that she hopes to find happiness there.”“Watching this film prompted me to reflect on what makes Bhutan so unique, why its people, and indeed those who dream of it, associate it with contentment, balance, and a deep sense of well-being," he added.“This sense of harmony, between the material and the moral, between the individual and the collective, lies at the heart of the shared philosophical inheritance that binds India and Bhutan," said the CJI.

He said the relation between India and Bhutan is beyond borders and centuries. “Our relationship is nurtured by a common civilizational spirit, one that finds its most eloquent expression in the teachings of the Lord Buddha”.“The light of Lord Buddha’s wisdom continues to shine as the torchbearer of moral, spiritual, and cultural peace in both our lands, often reminding us that compassion is strength, balance is wisdom, and global peace is the highest form of progress that our world can achieve,” he said.

Our two nations continue to draw strength from this thoughtful spiritual foundation. The relations between India and Bhutan extend beyond the geographical and spiritual domain. They are founded on mutual trust, goodwill, and a shared vision of progress,” said the Chief Justice of India.The CJI said both countries have nurtured a partnership that spans trade, economic cooperation, energy, education, culture, and technology. Beyond economic ties, the India–Bhutan partnership thrives in education, technology, and cultural exchange.The relationship is further strengthened by robust people-to-people connections, with over 50,000 Indian citizens contributing their expertise in Bhutan, reflecting the deep interdependence, trust, and friendship that define our enduring partnership across every domain of national life, added the CJI.