By Jibachh Yadav
Lahan, Feb. 28

The laughter and giggles of people practising the Jogira would brighten up the air before it got dressed up in the bright colours of Holi.

This Jogira that would be practiced after Basanta Panchami to welcome Holi has been long lost. Oldsters express their sadness with dismayed eyebrows as they recall the evolution of Holi to the present day.

The contagious enthusiasm that would be flashed in Holi has now been replaced by excessive intoxications and liquors.

Various Kirtan Mandali would lead the practice right from the day Saraswati Puja ended. “The Jogira practice took place every evening in every village, back in our time. However, it has been lost for decades now,” reminisced a local teacher Ram Prasad Yadav.

The colours in the air have started to get replaced by fights and violence due to the excessive consumption of liquors. So, people prefer to stay inside their homes safely, instead, of getting together, singing Jogira and applying colours. Biltu Gupta, a septuagenarian, had his eyes lighten up as he shared to the TRN, “In our days, Jogira was regarded so highly that we even had Jogira competitions.

The elderly would award whatever they could. It used to be very encouraging. However, the youngsters have now made this festival an occasion to drink liquors without limits and create hullaballoo. Where’s the splendour of Holi in this?”

Rajendra Prasad Chaudhari, a resident of Lahan-13, remarked, “Holi doesn’t take in consideration one’s economic status; people of all classes get together to celebrate this auspicious festival. The colours put on each other strengthen the bond between communities. All of us are responsible for recreating the brilliance of Holi.”

Chairman of Federation of Nepali Journalists, Siraha, Dineshwar Prasad Gupta, shared that the local as well as the provincial government should encourage the kirtan mandalis to lead the Jogira practice and celebrate Holi in each community.

He emphasized on the necessity of budget allocation for the Jogira practice as a part of culture conservation.

According to Ram Rijhan Jha, who is a member of Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal, languages, cultures and traditions make up our identity. “The fact that people who should be promoting these practices are remaining dumb is stressful. The liquor consumption has not only increased anarchy, but also reduced the glam of the festival. We should focus on the preservation of this culture .”

Dr. Anil Kumar Jha, a professor of the English Language at JS Murarka Multiple Campus, informed that Holi which derived its significance from the killing of Holika by Lord Vishnu for the sake of His devotee, son of Hiranyakashyapu, Prahlad, holds great importance in the community as a lesson for brotherhood and goodwill.