Bhupendra Pandey, who resides in Kadaghari in the Capital, is ready to leave for his home in Dolakha for Dashain. Although both of his houses in Dolakha, one in Babre and the other in Singtati, were destroyed by the earthquakes earlier this year, Pandey maintains optimistic outlook.  Celebrating Dashain with the entire family, despite the broken house, will still make for a joyous occasion. Such positivity in these hard times is admirable. For many others, this festival season will be a somber one.  

To most Nepalis, Dashain means family members spread far and wide congregating in a spirit of conviviality, renewing old ties and swapping the stories lived in the year gone by. This year, for huge swathes of the populace, the stories they will be sharing will probably be tinged with anxiety, fear and a creeping sense of hopelessness. Many are earthquake victims—still homeless, still living in temporary shelters, still worried about their future. Many have lost not only their homes but the wherewithal to make a living. For them, making merry during this festival season—which, among others, is marked by getting new clothes, cooking sumptuous feasts and playing cards—will be an unattainable luxury. To be sure, most of the earthquake victims had already prepared themselves for a less exciting Dashain; but they were at least hopeful that the reconstruction work would have started by now. To their dismay, that rebuilding and reconstruction plan has been put on hold.

The Nepalis who escaped the earthquakes unscathed too are bracing for a grimmer festival. The ongoing political crisis and the trade blockade have cast a pall over the festivities. For Kathmandu’s denizens, fuel crisis has hobbled their life; many do not even know whether they will be able to travel to meet their relatives for Tika. Already, it has become exceedingly difficult to get around, and businesses have been closing up shop much earlier than they used to in the lead-up to the holiday season. Many traders, hoteliers and entrepreneurs have suffered massive losses. It will be nigh impossible for many of them to conjure up the usual seasonal joie de vivre.

Those in government, tasked with pulling the country out of the rut we are in, should thus view the holidays as a time to get the country back on track. They will need to work closely with the disaffected cadres and denizens of the Tarai and hammer out an agreement. They will also need to work closely with Delhi and sort out the mess on the diplomatic front.

The Nepali people are a patient lot, and thus they will perhaps let this one Dashain slide. But even people like Bhupendra Pandey, from Dolkha, who can keep up a sunny disposition despite the odds, can sustain that spirit for only so long. If the country does not find its way back to normalcy before Tihar, we will all be in for a Tihar tinged with despair as well.