The tiny country of Bhutan created the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as a Buddhist-inspired alternative to Gross National Product (GNP). While the people of Bhutan have embraced the idea of GNH, the Bhutanese government has oppressed and discriminated against the minority Nepalese population. This once large minority population in which some have lived in Bhutan for generations and consider themselve Bhutanese are discriminated harshly because of their Hindu religion, language and cultural differences. Many of these people are now living as refuges in other countries because of the attempt to force conformity resulting in harsh torture and imprisonment.
Thank you to Bryan Gray for the excellent art direction and the opportunity to illustrate such a powerful story. You can read the entire article online at Liberty magazine.