विचार

We Nepalese, culturally celebrate many festivities. It sounds bitter when I write, but this is the reality and we just like to taste something sweet. Though we don’t have sufficient knowledge and ways to mark; we celebrate so many festivals of the world. It was really hard to sustain life living in a poor or middle-class in the past in Nepali society, and the condition still exits. Luxurious, expensive and ostentatious lifestyle is the main root of this problem. To make such tradition so, feudal autocratic culture always linked such festivals and customs to traditionalism and religion. Therefore, everyone was compelled or forced to do so. My grandfather used to tell a story. Our ancestors escaped from expensive Newari culture in Bhaktapur with our accessories as we were unable to adapt that situation. When my fore grandfather, the fifth generation in our ancestral hierarchy, it was our turn for Diwali, a religious worshipping in our culture. As he had to feed to all the relatives from Kasaju families organizing a party at Taudi Tole, being afraid with debt, we migrated to Taplejung from Bhaktapur; and later we settled at ‘Dobhan’, the plain area in Panchathar. Therefore, our descendants are called ‘Dobhane’ at Dawa in Bhojpur.
One evening, suddenly I met Narayan Man Bijukchhe, the president of Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party at Korean embassy. I spoke to him in a joking way, “Brother, both of we talk about class struggle and exploitation, but in reality, even in our Newar community, you are exploiter and we are exploited.”  He asked me some questions with surprise, and I proved all with evidences on the spot. After 2 decades, we are still promoting this new hypocrisy, expensive custom and culture in America. Whether the excessive feasts and parties during Dashain-Tihar or impractical transactions during Lhosar; birthdays as fashion or imitation, baby shower or the demonstration of the expensive clothes and heavy ornaments like ‘Tilahari’ during ‘Teej’ are just organized for such fake or passionate celebrations. As we couldn’t manage such fictitious festivals, marriages, and migrated to the USA or other countries, still we are continuously suffering from such expensive social and religious rituals. We never remained changed and updated with changing of time. Moreover, we don’t dare to raise our voice against such expensive culture and custom and give a practical reason rather we just complain ourselves.
These days, I often hear such conversations to each other in highly populated areas of Nepali, “I have no idea whether to go or not. If I go, in which places to go? And it is shame to go without anything. And I have to take a leave to attend that ‘Birthday Party’, and offer not less than a hundred dollar.” Such conversations are the indices of our Nepali behavior. Though we are here in well-developed country, we are still oppressed due to such mandatory hypocrisy and behavior. But we cannot dare to talk for social change. The half-feudalistic and preachy culture taught nothing there side; even we couldn’t change ourselves according to time after residing for decades and being educated in this developed country. We thank happy thanks for thanks giving but cannot be polite and apologize like the Americans saying “I am sorry.”  Therefore, we are accepting poverty psychologically even in this prosperity. We are pushed into poverty due to our own hypocrisy and traditional customs and rituals not because of others. 

Shailesh Shrestha
New York