New Year Renews Hopes

Dixya Poudel

Few days from today, Nepalis all over the world will be celebrating New Year. According to Nepali calendar, year 2081 will commence from 1st Baishak which is Nepali New Year’s Day. It will be a public holiday in Nepal as citizens rejoice the start of a year that they hope will be their best year yet. 

New beginnings are always full of excitement. They beckon a light for a better future and come with eustress. 

While most stresses are filled with anxieties, eustress is a good kind of stress wherein people are excited for the future instead of dreading it. For many, New Year is all about eustress, a new chapter in life amid a sense of eagerness. 

It is about being optimistic for the future while also acknowledging lessons of the past. There is a saying that the past is a foreign country. 

Just as one can’t step into the same river twice, past too is irreversible. Meanwhile, future is unknowable. As such, it could help to live in the present moment with a sense of deep gratitude and acceptance. And when it comes to celebrating New Year, people could glance back in hindsight, take adequate lessons from the previous year and look forward to the coming days.  

However, retrospection isn’t only on a personal level where individuals assess past events and derive lessons from them. It can also be collective where a society, community or a nation takes a moment of introspection as the clock strikes midnight at the advent of New Year. 

Nepalis too can recall the significant moments of 2080 as 2081 sees the light of the day. 2080 had both positive and negative moments. 

Like each year, in 2080, Nepalis celebrated important religious, cultural and traditional festivals, promoting the national arts and culture. 

As both national and international travel revived, the slowing tourism sector of the nation that has festered since the pandemic saw a boost. Further, Nepali cricket team made records which enhanced the sports sector of Nepal.

However, the political scenario of Nepal was rather dismal due to the collisions of the political parties in assuming governmental positions. 

The nation also saw religious disharmony as Hindu nationalists took to the streets in a bid to conserve Hindu values. So did pro-monarchists who called for the reestablishment of monarchy in the nation. 

Another dismaying fact was the continuing mass exodus of the Nepali youths to foreign nations for study or employment. Particularly brain drain greatly limited national human resources. 

Underprivileged Nepali youths continued to leave the nation for employment in Middle Eastern nations which boosted remittance but deprived Nepal of able manpower. 

Such facts could be in the collective minds of Nepalis as they embrace the New Year. On a personal level, Nepalis could be taking a breather from day-to-day activities to celebrate New Year with family and friends amid feelings of renewed spirit.

 Like each year, events are going to be held throughout the nation to commemorate New Year’s Day. Starting from the New Year’s Eve until the following day, people are going to be jubilant in their celebrations. 

Enthused with gratitude for an entire year of new opportunities, Nepalis across the world are looking forward to a year that hopefully is going to be an exceptional one.