For Nepali women, cultural and religious rituals are expected to be part of our daily lives. Major festivals like Teej, Chhath, Swasthani Brata, Gaura Parva among others, punctuate the year. This year, the recitation of Swasthani Brata Katha, which is dedicated to Goddess Swasthani, started on Poush Shukla Purnima ( Jan 21, a full moon day) and ended on Magh Shukla Purnima (Feb 19, 2019, another full moon day). The month-long Swasthani celebrations were marked by daily fasts and recitation of mythological stories.

These festivals, including Swasthani, require women to perform all sorts of rituals, including strict fasting in the name of god, our families, our husbands, and our children. I have always questioned these practices in my own life. Why don’t the men fast in the name of their wives and children? On these festivals, I choose to go out and take photographs. I talk to women and ask them questions about why they are doing what they are doing.