Behind the Scenes

Edited by: Aditi Jain

Celebrating festivals is not just about the excitement in your town, the decorations, the variety of shopping offers or performing the right rituals, but also about a mystic element which is associated with it. Clouds of happiness envelope the city and everybody just seems more lively and aroused. This midterm break, like the other passengers at the airport, I was excited to get back home to celebrate the most auspicious festival of Nepal, Dashain. All of us were patiently waiting at the Delhi airport as the flight to Kathmandu had been delayed. With the beginning of a new day, the puja would begin so all of us hoped to reach home in time. 

Even though I reached home past midnight, I was thankful I could make it before the rituals began. On my ride home, I saw the city was decorated with flowers and lights. There were men putting up bunting for daytime celebrations, and stages and music boxes were being set up. Excitement and enthusiasm had already replaced the feeling of exhaustion. Adorned with lights, my house was spick and span. The day after the puja, my relatives and I had a scrumptious Thakali lunch; all of us relished the unforgettable Dashain special traditional Nepali snack, Sel roti. 

Stories of every festival I celebrate are actually extremely similar to this one: decorations, delicacies, joyful gatherings, and excitement. I have finally come to realize something that I have overlooked all these years- celebrating festivals is a privilege. From the airport staff, the street workers, and the driver to the guard, the cook and the cleaners, all were merely present during the preparations. Like shadows they were always around, yet I never acknowledged their presence. They worked tirelessly so that I could have the privilege to celebrate Dashain the perfect way. The family photo that hung in the guard’s cell and the tika on the cab driver’s forehead were actually stories of struggle. The family gatherings and the puja were equally important to them as they were to me. They must’ve wanted to get back home and enjoy the festive season, just the way I did. People from around the world try their best to come home during festivals, but there are some who are at home and do not have the luxury of enjoying the celebrations.Let us look around and acknowledge the pleasures we don’t even recognize as privileges. 

I was present at one of the ceremonies organized in my colony where the statue of goddess Durga was placed on a stage. People were coming with their families to worship and pray for their wellbeing. While Nepali music being played in the background and people were dancing and rejoicing themselves, a cotton candy selling peddler crossed by. He stopped for a moment, kneeled and prayed to goddess Durga, and continued selling his cotton candies. A turmoil of thoughts rushed through my mind and it occurred to me that festivals truly have a magical effect on everybody. Although the downside is that some people do not have the liberty to live the magic and momentarily thrive in it. There are so many that get trampled with the burdens of life that they cannot afford to spend time with their families and are left with no option but to work. 

• ASHOKA UNIVERSITY
• festival
• Nepal
• travel