Father's Day marked with fervour, reverence

Kathmandu, Aug. 28: Saturday was Father’s Day in Nepal and people across the country marked it with love and devotion.

As a sign of respect towards their fathers, children gave them sweets and food items and dedicated posts of adoration and gratitude on social media. Those whose fathers have passed away visited Gokarna in Kathmandu, Betravati in Rasuwa and Bishnupaduka in Sunsari and prayed for the eternal peace of their deceased pater’s soul.

Father’s Day, or Buba ko Mukh Herne Din (The day to see father’s face), is an important occasion in the Nepali calendar, one that holds additional significance for people who do not get to share this day with their dads in person; people like 23-year-old Pushpika Nakarmi. Her father is currently in Austria to visit her brother and sister-in-law.

“This is the first time we have been apart on Father’s Day and I miss him greatly,” she said with a slight frown on her face. “But thank god for social media,” the frown turned upside down into a smile.

While nothing can replace the physical presence of one’s father, Nakarmi said she was able to wish her father virtually and express her love through Facebook Messenger. “Because I was able to video call him, he did not seem very far away.”

While many consider Father’s Day an occasion solely dedicated to fathers, some have also been using it to honour the father figures in their lives, those who have provided them support and guidance and nurtured their growth. 

Prasamsa Sunuwar celebrated Father’s Day on Saturday by worshipping her mother. She got up early in the morning, prepared a Puja plate with flowers and vermillion and worshipped her mother like she would a deity. 

“My mom is my father, my mother, my grandparents, my everything!” the 32-year-old civil engineer expressed. Her father left her and her mother when she was three years old. He migrated to India and remarried while her mother raised her alone. “She gave me the best life she could, she fed me, clothed me, educated me and ensured I never knew scarcity.”

Sunuwar’s family members do not approve of her choices and her mother has also asked her to stop celebrating her on a day culturally reserved for dads. But she does not plan to end this personal custom she started when she was eight years old. 

  See Page 6

“To pay for my engineering education, my mother took three jobs and worked 18 hours a day for five years.”

“She fulfilled both the responsibilities of a mother and a father in my life so I respect her on both the Mother’s and Father’s days,” she stressed.

Sirish Pandey, 46, ‘saw the face of his grandfather’ Saturday for the same reason too. His parents died when he was 11 and was raised by his paternal grandparents. “My grandpa has played the role of the father in my life and my grandma has played the role of the mother. So, it’s only natural I respect them on the respective days.”

The overall persona of a ‘father’ has evolved in our society and Father’s Day reflects that. Psychologist Kusum Baral, who counsels families on developing relationships and understanding each other, said more and more men were choosing to be a friend to their children rather than strict disciplinarians like their own fathers.

“Fathers of this generation have a more open and casual relationship and this is visible on Father’s Day,” she said. “Children hug their dads, take them out for coffee or drinks and have them cut cakes and wear celebratory apparel.”

She remarked, “Such frankness would have been impossible a few decades ago.”