Dharan Festival kicks off, celebrating 124 years of human settlement

By Our Correspondent,Dharan, Jan. 5: The five-day Dharan Festival has begun, marking the 124th anniversary of human settlement in Dharan from Saturday. 

Under the slogan ‘Education, health, tourism, and commercial infrastructure, a multicultural residential prosperous city,’ the festival began with a cultural parade.

Various ethnic and institutional groups, schools, and organisations participated in the parade, which culminated in an opening ceremony at the southern open ground of the stadium in Dharan-16.

The chief guest, 77-year-old senior labourer Kajiman Gurung, inaugurated the festival by lighting a traditional oil lamp.

 He also honoured the Mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, Harka Raj Rai, and Deputy Mayor Aindra Bikram Begha.

Dharan was officially declared a municipality in 1960.

Mayor Rai highlighted Dharan’s significant contributions to tradition, culture, and art, emphasising that the labour culture developed in Dharan in recent times is something everyone can learn from. 

Similarly, Deputy Mayor Begha said that Dharan, a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual city, symbolises unity in diversity. 

He emphasised that the cultural parade showcasing various ethnic traditions represents the cultural richness and unity of Dharan, which respects all religions and communities.

Deputy Mayor Begha also said that Dharan was first established as a settlement in 1900 (1957BS) by  Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher. 

The Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City has been organising the Dharan Festival annually on Poush 20 (January 4) to commemorate the city’s founding. 

During the opening ceremony, various organisations, schools, and institutions from all 20 wards of Dharan participated in a parade carrying banners of the festival and circled the city.

The festival features traditional Ferris wheels, recreational rides, and boats for children. Every evening, there are musical programmes featuring local and national artists. 

The festival is free to attend, with a focus on exhibiting and promoting local and domestic products for sale.

During the opening ceremony, five individuals who excelled in tax payment and organisations contributing to social welfare were honoured.

Prominent figures such as Members of the House of Representatives from Province -1, Ramesh Kumar Basnet and Bijay Kumar Rai, former mayor Tilak Rai, and ward chairpersons addressed the ceremony.