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Reza Khanal, 24, is celebrating Dashain by going on a trek to the Tilicho base camp. Not long ago, she used to celebrate every Dashain in Kathmandu by visiting her extended maternal family. “But now, I know of so many people who are going on treks. I see this culture of trekking just before or after the day of tika taking root,” she says, perhaps because “it is hard to get a longish leave at other times”.Khanal’s experience is represen­tative of the changing nature of Dashain celebrations. Mohan Khar­el, 65, remembers a time when he used to be excited about visiting rel­atives to get dakshina (‘blessed mon­ey’). “Dashain meant new clothes, swings and good food,” he reminisc­es. “Now the festival is not the same. People have become much more materialistic these days.”

Now people do not necessar­ily wait for Dashain to buy new clothes. Suman Pradhan, owner of UFO (clothing store) Baneshwor, says sales are usually high during Dashain and Tihar, up by around 20 percent during Dashain for UFO Baneshwor. But “most grown-ups these days don’t wait for Dashain to buy new accessories. The sales bump that we now see in Dashain has mostly to do with insistent children pes­tering their parents to get something fan­cy,” says Pradhan.

Likewise, Ganga Laxmi Shrestha, 45, who has been running Baneswor Tailors for the past 27 years, says business is down this Dashain. “Peo­ple these days prefer readymade clothes. Also, many fancy tailors have opened up, increasing com­petition.”

More social, less religious

The changing nature of Dashain celebrations may also have to do with Nepalis’ increasing exposure to the outside world and great­er recognition of oth­er cultures. Chaitanya Mishra, a professor of sociology at Tribhuvan University, argues why Dashain may no longer be seen as the biggest festi­val of Nepal. “Earlier, Kath­manduites did not celebrate Christmas. Also, Lhosar used to be celebrated mainly by the Gurung, Tamang and Sherpa communities. But even people who are not from those commu­nities have started celebrating it. The same applies to other festi­vals like Dashain and Chhat,” he says.

Mishra believes the emphasis these days is less on the reli­gious aspects of Dashain and more on its social aspect. “It is more about social gatherings now,” says Mishra. “People still get tika from their relatives and visit tem­ples. But this might be because people like visiting temples in big groups, and not necessarily because they are religious.”

Bhagwati Dhungel, 76, concurs. “It seems those who put tika on their foreheads now are not doing it to keep our tradition alive but just for formality. And they go to temples to take photos and update their social media accounts.”

Younger generation represen­tatives agree. Paribesh Bidari, 21, believes “people celebrate Dashain more as a vacation.” When he was small, Dashain was all about flying kites, but now the kites have become a rare sight. Mishra, the sociologist, attributes this to the age group of the people who fly kites now being more engaged on social media. “People go out less, not just in Dashain. They are hooked on social media and online games,” he says.

Chicken more than goat

In earlier days, people used to eagerly wait for Dashain to consume meat. “Usually Dashain used to be the only time poor people could eat meat. However, that has changed,” says Mishra of TU.

Shyam Shahi, 42, who has been running Makalu Meat Shop for the past 10 years, says that his meat business suffers during fulpati, ast­ami and nawami before recovering again on the day of tika. “Many fam­ilies have started sacrificing animals in their own homes,” he bemoans.

But Shahi has also noted a curi­ous phenomenon. Earlier, during Dashain, he used to sell goat meat exclusively. Yet in the past few years goat meat has become so expensive that more and more Dashain meat customers have started asking for chicken instead. (This year, a kilo of goat meat could cost you up to Rs 1,500, while a kilo of chicken can be had for under Rs 350.)

Meat or not meat, Dashain is always a big deal for the likes of Sujesh Mathema, 23, and Alish Maharjan, 24, who have arrived in Nepal after a long gap. Mathe­ma returned from India after five years, and says he is eager to receive tika from his relatives. “I missed visiting relatives and friends and definitely, flying kites,” he says. Alish Maharjan, 24, who is back from France, after a five-year absence from Nepal, “can’t wait to get the rato tika on my fore­head and to meet all my friends this Dashain.”

So although people these days cel­ebrate Dashain for different reasons than in earlier times, some common elements have been retained in all these years. It has always been a festival to catch up with your loved ones, in Kathmandu or at Tilicho. To gorge on good food, chicken or goat meat. To buy new things, either for you or your family, any­thing from apparels to appliances. Many people may not be overly reli­gious these days. Yet they will find it hard to resist the unmistakable Dashain vibe.

Of the 600 Newari house­holds in Ward 21 of Khokana, Shahis inhabit just around 25 houses. Bajra­charyas and Shakyas reside in a few. But the vast majority of the houses are occupied by Maharjans and Dangols.Ward chairman Rabin­dra Maharjan informs that these Dangol and Maharjan households of Khokana do not celebrate Dashain. “I do not know the exact rea­son. But legend has it that in ancient times, Khokana was inhabited by Buddhists, who adhered to the principle of non-violence and refrained from slaughtering animals. That’s why they did not cel­ebrate Dashain.” According to the ward chair, there is also an ancient belief that gods and goddesses come to Khokana looking for a peace­ful place during Dashain when animals are slaugh­tered in many temples at other places.

“Throughout Dashain, the people of Khokana cel­ebrate Sikali Jatra instead,” he adds. But although they do not put tika and jamara, they take yoghurt and visit relatives. They also invite guests between the days of Panchami and Saptami. God­dess Durga is not worshipped in Khokana, but on the day of Nawami, traditional musical instruments are.

Buddhi Maharjan, 69, shares a related folklore. “After toiling hard in their farms, Khokana’s farmers used to celebrate a jatra on the day of Janai Purn­ima. But food was not readily available on Janai Purnima in those days. So they started celebrating the jatra during the time of Dashain.” That jatra is known as Sikali Jatra, which the locals celebrate with pomp and splendor. The ward office has earmarked Rs 100,000 for the celebra­tions this year. Earlier, the Finance Ministry used to allo­cate budget for the occasion, but it has not released funds this year.

Q. What is your happiest memory?

A. Every moment in life has been memorable, among which establishing the House of Fashion is the happiest memory that I’d cherish for life.

Q. Which living person do you most admire the most, and why?

A. It’s always been my mother since she’s taught us to become better persons and gives us strength to believe in ourselves.

Q. What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?

A. Going as a fast food item is sure to turn some heads.

Q. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

A. Letting myself daydream. It especially feels like a guilty pleasure if I have a lot of things on my to-do list.

Q. How would you describe yourself in a sentence?

A. An ambitious and driven person.

Q. What has been the greatest challenge for taking House of Fashion forward?

A. Trying and establishing something innovative in country like Nepal, where people have average incomes but high expectations.  

The Midnight Riders Trio, popularly known to its fan and followers as TMR Trio, is a one-of-a-kind blues-rooted band based in Kathmandu. With over 10 years of experience playing covers and originals together as a band, TMR Trio finally launched its debut album ‘Baiguni Lai Blues Le Marnu Parcha’ on 21 September at Club 25 Hours, Tangalwood. Produced by Chicago-based Wild Yak Records, this album contains nine Nepali tracks which explore various sub-genres of blues. TMR Trio is currently one of the most recognized blues bands in the country having played extensively in Kathmandu, as well as Pokhara, Narayanghat and Bhairahawa. The band plays blues covers of international artists and also performs its originals in Nepali. This extended playlist makes it one of the most unique bands of the country loved by audiences of all ages, gen­ders and social standing. TMR Trio’s forte is playing live, as we saw at the album launch last week. The band’s Western-influenced Nepali sounds have a niche, but ardent group of follow­ers. Supported by Newaz, who kicked off the gig with their own unique sound, the launch was attended by these die-hard fans, despite it being a gig-infested Saturday in town!

The original TMR (known as The Midnight Riders) was founded by Deep Shamsher Rana, Sunny Mahat and Jimi Blues in May 2010; playing for the first time at “Let the Good Times Roll I” in June 2010. The band then played with different line-ups and covered a wide range of music genres from 80s pop to rock. Unfor­tunately Rana had to leave the band around 2014 because of professional commitments. The remaining members released The Midnight Riders’ debut album, Yaatra, in 2017. It was somewhere around the 2014 mark that I first heard the band. But I’ve got to admit I enjoyed the cover versions that Sunny Mahat, bass­ist and band manager talks about below!

“The album did not do well, and we think it is because of the “cover music” tag we had at that time. We were more popular for playing AC/DC covers than originals. Everywhere we played, AC/ DC songs were requested,” states Mahat. “It was fine at first. We were getting good gigs. But after a while it got monotonous.”

So how did the band tran­sition from The Midnight Rid­ers, cover band, to TMR Trio we know today?

“Jimi’s love for the blues had always been there. So we formed a Trio and named it TMR Trio, an abbreviation of the larger band’s name. At that time the The Midnight Riders’ singer Jigme Lepcha was tak­ing a break from music, so we rebranded ourselves as TMR Trio,” Mahat.

Going back to the new album, its name is interesting. What does it mean exactly? “It’s a whimsical take on the age-old saying ‘Baiguni Lai Gunn Le Marnu Parcha.’ Roughly translated in English it’s ‘the ingrate should be won over with benevolence’,” explains Mahat. Jimi Blues laughs, “Yes, TMR Trio wants to win everyone over with the blues and spread the mes­sage that music helps you win against all sorts of evils and negativity.”

The album contains music written, performed and recorded by TMR Trio. The lyrics are in Nepali and the band has explored the many sub-genres of rock music, in-keeping with its blues roots, and also keeping in mind com­mercial aspects of music for the younger crowd.

For example, you might have heard the peppy ‘Funky Kathmandu’ which set a trend of #FunkyKathmandu on social media. This was a taster for the completed album! I note that there is one non-original track on the album, a rendition of Mukti and Revival’s ‘Kanchi Nani Blues’—a deliberate tribute to one of the most influen­tial blues-based bands in the country.

According to the band, TMR Trio has followers in Nepal, including expats and locals, as well as Nepalis living abroad. So why not check out their Facebook page for news of their upcoming gigs? And don’t forget to purchase the new album!