The country has been going through a critical state; people complain about the scarcity of almost every basic need. There’s no gas, there’s shortage of fuels like petrol and kerosene, the price of some food items have skyrocketed due to their low availability. Some evil people have found a new profession: black marketing. Nepal, which used to blend in the festive aura during this time of year, is mourning over the side effects that have resulted from the continuous (some call it unnecessary) strikes held strong by the people of Madhesi community, indirectly or directly supported by India.

Certainly, it is difficult to celebrate the Tihar festival with the same feeling of enthusiasm when we are being overwhelmed by such scarcities, resulted by the acts of our own fellow brothers and sisters of a different region. Furthermore, India has certainly betrayed us; we have now well-understood its version of sharing a good neighborhood. However, with this said, it has also taught Nepal a lesson, a lesson that I hope our nation and political parties shall never forget, a lesson of independency. We need to figure out ways to untangle ourselves from the chains of dependency, especially when our dependency lies on ‘untrustworthy’ people.

Learning from what has happened, fostering the raw materials that our country owns and making the best use of those can be some possible options. It’s high time that we, as individuals and as political forces, brainstorm some really potential solutions and bring those solutions into implementation.

“Good things happen to those who hustle.” – Chuck Noll

That hustling, that activity, that life, that excitement and movement to do better is lacking in our country. We do have some really beautiful materials that have stayed stagnant for a long time now. It’s time to bring them into motion and pull out every ounce that those lively materials can offer us.

Moreover, the saying that King Prithvi Narayan Shah had come up with “Ekata Ma Nai Bal Cha” seems to be fading away.

It is time to give light to it again. Madhesi community should remember the essence of this saying and should make attempts to stay united, and not stay alienated.

Let’s fill ourselves with positive energy. Let’s hope that Goddess Laxmi and the festival of lights, Tihar, shall bless all the Nepalese and shall give them strength to do what is just right.

DWIT News wishes all of its readers HAPPY TIHAR; stay happy, stay blessed, stay safe!