SYANGJA, Sept 25: In a matter of days, Hindus across the country will be celebrating their greatest festival, Dashain. With not much time left for the auspicious festival, people are busy preparing for the celebration. As Dashain is the festival for flaunting new clothes, eating delicacies, putting Tika and receiving blessings, money plays a significant role.
People from all backgrounds rejoice in this festival with great excitement and joy. Although this festival brings happiness to many, it adds burden to some people. Especially those having weak financial condition are found wandering from place to place seeking loans while some are found putting their days and nights together to earn more money. Managing money has been a great challenge, especially for lower class people.
These days, Laxmi Bishwokarma, 45, of Waling-1 has been washing clothes of the locals of her community so that she can earn some extra money for Dashain.
"I am the sole breadwinner of my family. If I won't work, my children will not be able to enjoy the festival," she said. With the money earned from her hard work, she is planning to purchase new clothes for her children and daily essentials.
Samjhana Sarki, 18, of Baglung also been washing clothes for earning money. Besides that, she also washes dishes in restaurants. Even after doing so much work, she earns only Rs 4,500 a month. She has been paying the school fees of her siblings with that money. She and her mother, who is a laborer, are finding it hard to earn enough money for Dashain.
Similarly, Guns Kumari Rana, who is originally from Palpa, is assisting her husband in his business as she wants her family to celebrate the festival in the best possible way. She has been selling bags made up of clothes to earn extra money.
"The little amount of money earned by my husband won't be enough for Dashain. So, I decided to do the job too," said Rana. With Dashain just around the corner, the prices of goods and clothes have been soaring. This has added to the woes of the poor people. Nevertheless, that has not dampened the spirit of the locals.
Locals working hard to manage budget for Dashain
