I did not celebrate Dashain this year. I didn’t celebrate because I had lost my father earlier in the year. Yet even though the reasons for my abstinence were personal, I joined millions others across the nation in observing a low-key adaptation of this otherwise joyous fortnight. This Dashain, whatever the reasons might have been, was truly a Dashain to forget. There are multiple arguments as to why Dashain is the most-awaited festival in Nepal. In it the main festivities last for just over a week, while the rituals continue for a fortnight. For students and academics, it marks the year’s primary vacation (slightly over a month), from Ghatasthapana to Chhath—a time for people to go back to their villages for family reunions. Civil servants get nearly a week of holidays, like most of the other work force. Dashain also marks the transition between summer and winter, which for farmers is the time to reap the fruits of their labour. This is common for everyone, even in a country as geographically diverse as Nepal; right from the mountain highlands, down to the Tarai lowlands, the food basket of the nation. Needless to say, life in Nepal is known more for its hardship than the joy. Here common tales are not of achievement and celebration, but rather of desperation. As a demographic made up predominantly of the poor, things don’t come easy to Nepalis. If the citizens do save, it’s for celebrations like Dashain, when their children toiling in Indian cities come home; when the hundreds of thousands of youth sweating it out in the Arab deserts return to their families; when those starting careers in foreign armies descend back to their ancestral villages and towns. Even for the most desperate, Dashain is a time to feast. For children, it is an occasion for gifts and goodies such as new clothes, shoes, bags, or even mobile phones through relatives coming home from foreign jobs. Yet sadly, this Dashain did not live up to its billing due to the widespread crisis of daily supplies, including fuel. While the year should have been one to remember due to the promulgation of the new constitution, it was instead one where the nation struggled through a crippling deficiency of essentials—everything from salt to medical supplies—because of India’s unofficial blockade of vital imports from it or a third country. This dealt a severe blow to a nation still reeling from the devastating earthquakes earlier this year. The chaos robbed the people of the chance of breaking from the perpetual cycle of cynical politics. With everybody rushing to get back home, air tickets sold out quickly. People had no option but to jostle for a foothold on buses, whether on the aisle or the roofs. Without the comfort of advance booking, they had to queue up for hours before departure, with hordes trying to leave at the same time. And yet, staying back in their rented rooms in the cities would not have provided a better alternative for many. They had run out of cooking gas; and there was no chance of refilling it. Even simple heaters, usually sold for Rs 250, were hard to come by even at four-folds the price. Many had already taken to briquette stoves and firewood. In normal times, even after depressing incidents, Dashain gave people new hope and determination. A promise of better days in the midst of unfortunate ones. A welcome solace from the seemingly unending cycle of the daily grind. A nation’s social life, perhaps, is as important as its economic and political facets. This is a crucial bond that strengthens the social fabric. Being home with near ones, even for just a week, reenergises people for the rest of the year. The invaluable importance of festivals should not be underestimated—particularly in harsh and testing times like these. In less than two weeks, another big festival—Tihar—arrives. Without remarkable improvements, the festival of lights is unlikely to brighten the faces of the troubled citizens. Nor will the families of victims of the recent quakes and the recent political turmoil find an escape from their sorrow. The way things are right now, much like Dashain, this Tihar too looks destined to be off-key and forgettable.
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