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Gulmi: Locals are flocking to play ‘Charkhe Ping’, which has started to disappear. Malika Rural Municipality-6, Khadak Chhatra Temple has seen the attraction of locals in the ‘Charkhe Ping’ installed in the Mahanawami fare. Lately the ‘pings’ made of wood have started disappearing. Iron ‘pings’ are often used in fairs and festivals. Tika Khatri, a local youth of Malika, said that wooden ‘Charke Ping’ has been kept at this place continuously for 6 years. Khatri said that 50 rupees per person will be charged for ‘ping’.

In the presence of President Bidya Devi Bhandari, a special event of Phulpati was held by the Nepal Army on Sunday at Tudikhel. During the ceremony, the army presented the helicopter show, parade, rifle wave and the gun and cannon salute.  Along with the president, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Acting Chief Justice Harikrishna Karki, Speaker of House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota, Speaker of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, ministers and other high-ranking government officials participated in the ceremony.

The rush of Nepalis returning home for Dasain has started from the four main points of Far West, Gauriphanta in Kailali, Gaddachauki in Kanchanpur, Jhulaghat in Baitadi and Pulghat in Darchula. Since Ghatasthapana, almost five thousand Nepalis have entered Nepal from Gauriphanta border alone. In the border areas, the local governments have arranged for the vaccine and antigen test for covid. Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have also set up help desks.

Dashain is here. You can feel it. Mornings are pleasantly warm and everything suddenly looks sharply focused. More tellingly, shopping areas are crowded, there are more vehicles on the roads and kites in the sky. Bus ticket counters are packed with people trying to get hold of tickets so that they could travel home in time for the big festival, while in the outskirts of Kathmandu Valley, traditional swings are being erected. This week, I turned my lens to all things that represent the greatest festival of Nepali Hindus. The 10-day festival kicked off with Ghatasthapana (Sept 26). The day is observed by planting of barley seeds, whose sprouts are used as a blessing of goddess Durga on the day of Bijaya Dashami. Dashain is a festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. According to the Hindu mythology, goddess Durga had slayed demon Mahishasura in a battle that lasted for 10 days. The first nine days symbolizes the battle which took place between the different manifestations of Durga and Mahishasura. The tenth day is the demon was killed. But for most Nepalis, Dashain is more than just its religious symbolism. It is also about family reunion. People living in city areas for job or study head to their hometowns to be with their loved ones.