Bodhi Sambad, or Enlightened Dialogue, has deep roots in Nepal’s heritage. It seeks to reclaim Kathmandu Valley’s identity as an intellectual crossroads, which, for centuries, served as a neutral ground for the meeting place and flow of ideas. Similarly, South Asia has practiced an age-old tradition of vada. It puts the shared search for truth and evidence above the need to win or lose. Buddha himself has propounded the “Middle Path,” which, in the modern times, teaches us to reject extreme positions, balance conflicting interests, respect multiple voices, and seek strategic agency.
The 2026 iteration of the Bodhi Sambad focuses on two key pillars: decoding geopolitical shifts, and driving economic reforms. The first pillar, focuses on China in South Asia, particularly the ways in which China has reshaped the regional landscape, how South Asian states are trying to maintain strategic agency, and how geographies of connectivity are unfolding. The second pillar focuses on Nepal’s historic political moment as it seeks to escape decades of low-growth, high-migration trap and unleash economic growth. It explores multiple challenges including institutionalization of governance, creating jobs, promoting investments, unleashing the private sector and ending corruption.
Both Nepal and South Asia stand at a historical juncture. On the one hand, youthful aspirations are driving political change, for example in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. On the other hand, geopolitical pressures are increasing. The success or failure of South Asian states depend on the ability of the political dispensation to address the aspiration of the youth while adopting strategic autonomy in the face of growing geopolitical pressures.