Prem Khatry

For the average Nepalis, never before was the Dashain so cruel, tough, maintaining distance from being an event with a merriment and joy for all. It took side with the halves and crushed the rest falling on the other side of the spectrum have-nots, to a great extent. The general notion has been: Whatever the cost, the greatest Hindu festival must be celebrated with enthusiasm, devotion, pleasure and rest.
In Kathmandu, Dashain 2019 for many was not much of a fun this time. The police said there were less accidents compared to the past at a time when number of vehicles plying on the road were not very small till the 7th or the Fulpati Day. 'After 10 million leaving the capital, why isn’t there adequate space to breathe?' The question remained in the mind of the 'left-overs' who had nowhere to go. The last number of exits was 20 million plus. This number was phenomenal this time around.

Little enthusiasm
There were not or very little kites flying in the relatively clean Kathmandu sky. First, the sky was not very receptive for the fragile toy. It was raining off and on till the main events arrived. Like the holi, kids were less enthusiastic to continue their parents' and grandparents' hobby on the roof. Compared to the past when the traditional roofs were risky and only tundikhel was the chosen space for kite competition, a great number of modern flat roofs were seen free from kids with kites struggling with the immediate or a bit far away neighbourhood age-mates. For onlookers the scenario was a bit sad without the familiar term 'chet, chet' (look, I've cut your kite, cut your kite!).
There were few other 'Cuts' visible in the festival – First, cut and holes in the pocket and on the short-lived goats' throat. There are always complaints about the inadequate number of goats in Kathmandu. The news said an increased number of Nepali goats emerged from our own farms and that was a relief. One always wonders why this did not happen in earlier times. Obviously, Nepali farmers are focusing on our own production and giving a small break to the import. This is a lesson for the future. The government must encourage the farmers who have taken initiatives to do so.
Every other shop on the street has bottles standing next to other items like notebooks, noodles, spices, incense and what not. With the recent alcohol case covered by the media, a more serious thought is warranted. We are losing our face in the world community as well. We are also teaching the young generation that after school, a little drink is not so bad after all. This is also a lesson Dashain left this time. Every year there are deaths related to over drinking and resulting into brawl and ultimately death.
The pre-Dashain monitoring of shops was a fiasco, to say the list. This is done as a ritual in Kathmandu and a very few other cities. Right on central areas the shrewd shopkeepers were mustering their muscles as the government team reached the site. They not only rounded up the monitors but nearly manhandled them but for the timely intervention of the security force. This is a matter of shame. In all the possible fronts, the government effort was inadequate. The inbuilt psychology in the business circle – from green vegetables to mutton to other essentials, our clever shopkeepers is - wait for the potential buyers with a trap used in the forest for violent wild animals.
During the festival the general notion is that it is a MEAT season. Thus fruits and vegetables would always line up on the other side of the border for the last minute quarantine check-ups. The already rotting items get further rotten and yet a large quantity of them manages to get in. This is time we promote healthy production in our hills and valleys than depend 100 per cent on the tricky brokers and corrupt officials on both sides of the border.
Mismanagement
Finally, an example of mismanagement and a sheer lack of necessary thought on the condition of special cases could be relevant here. The Saipal Palika of Bajhang presents the picture of a different world of an ignored class of Nepalis in urgent need of attention. A fully disconnected area, Saipal only has problems it faces squarely on its own. Regular food items show a price tag equal to New York or Tokyo. Nobody knows where the solution is. A track, if not a road, could be one risky or even a fatal solution but there is no such plan on the local government's table. People think God has been kind to them for the lovely land but demons are the unkind to prevent them from connectivity with the rest of the country. They need a small Xi Jinping to connect this part of the Nepali world with at least the district headquarters. The news (97.9 FM, Reporters' Diary, S. Bajracharya) indicate people are used to swallow the high price and manage to smile.

(Former Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences, TU and Fulbright scholar from University of California, Khatry writes on cultural issues)