Deepawali in Nepal

In Nepal, Deepawali is celebrated as Tihar. It is a five-day-long festival celebrated during Yama-Panchak which starts from Dhan-Teras and lasts up to Bhai-Dooj. The five-day festival is considered to be of great importance as it shows reverence to not just the humans and the Gods, but also to the animals like crows, cows and dogs who maintain an intense relationship with humans.

AT GIRLS HOSTEL IN CHITWAN DISTRICT

Girls staying in the Hostel in Bharatpur, Chitwan,  merrily celebrated the beautiful festival 'Deepawali'. This hostel is funded by Bay Area, CA coalition of Livermore Temple, Indian Association of San Joaquin County (IASJC), Indian Association of Sacrameto through Sewa International, USA. In addition, IASJC is sponsoring 4 children annually under the Sewa’s Sponsor a Child program for their upkeep.

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Seen in this picture where Dr. Sree Sreenath is addressing the audience are, among others, Bhim Dhungana, the newly elected mayor of Dhading, who has promised a newly paved road to the hostel -- as the current road offers very poor access; Shiv Mishra, Sewa Columbus (Ohio, USA) Coordinator who is originally from Nepal; Shyam Parande, Chief Coordinator, Sewa International, India; Llama Jugdol of the International Buddhist Federation, Nepal Representative, and Chief Guest on the occasion; and Mr. Goel, the Nepal Chatravas Committee Member.

Fifty boys, orphaned in the twin earthquakes that shook Nepal in 2015, now find refuge in a newly constructed dorm in Dhading, Nepal, courtesy of Sewa International, USA. The chief supporter and donor for constructing the hostel (dorm) is the Hindu Society of North Carolina.

In his speech on June 3, 2017, at the inauguration of the hostel, Dr. Sree Sreenath, Director, Complex Systems Biology Center and Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and president of Sewa International, USA, said that it indeed takes a village to raise a child, and that the name of the Dhading Hostel -- "Amako Mayo Chatrawas" should live up to its promise as the "Abode of Mother's Love". He said that local children and youth should interact with students at the hostel and become their brothers and sisters. He urged local village mothers to provide "vatsalya" (love and care) to the orphaned children and treat them as their own children. He said that hostel facilities would be utilized for community development activities such as vocational and skill training (tailoring, health and hygiene, etc.)

At present, one of the challenges is that the road to the dorm winds through very difficult terrain in the mountains, and the last mile approaching the dorm is extremely difficult to traverse. The construction of the dorm was challenging because all construction material had to be carried by workers over the 'last mile', and since labor in the mountainous terrain is hard to find the construction of the building was time consuming. Mayor Bhim Dhungana has promised a newly paved road to the dorm.

Nearly five hundred people attended the inauguration, and the local youth had organized a program of events showcasing the talent of youngsters in the village.

Seen in this picture is the young audience watching the cultural program organized for the occasion. Nearly 500 local people and dignitaries were present on the occasion.