With Bhai Tika, the festival of lights concludes

Perina Pathak

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 –With the finish of Bhai Tika (Brother’s Day) , the last day of the Tihar festival, the entire festive season has come to an end.

This year’s two main festivals Vijaya Dashami and Dipawali occurred in the month of Kartik (from mid October to mid November) and all Hindus throughout the world observed the festivals with joy and fun.

Bhai Tika is the last day of the five-day festival Tihar, which was observed by brothers and sisters yesterday.

The day of brothers and sisters - Bhai Tika is also known as Yamapanchak and Kija Puja. On this day sisters offer their brothers clean and sacred place to sit down and encircle the place with pure water and mustard oil so as not to allow evil things in.

Sisters put on colourful tika on the forehead of their brothers and garland them with makhamali flowers praying the Almighty to protect their brothers from all sorts of evils.

During the worship, sisters also offer their brothers delicious food items and sweets like sel roti, fruit, dry fruit and many more.

Sisters break the hard walnut with one hit to avoid all sorts of problems that may fall on their brothers in future. With this the Bhai puja ends.

For Bhai puja, which literally means the worship of brothers, sisters invite their brothers to their homes or vice versa some days ahead - within four-days from the beginning of Yama Panchak till Govardhan puja.

According to Arjun Prasad Rimal, a priest, the legend has it that in ancient times, a girl’s brother was very ill and Yamaraj (God of Death) came to take his soul. The girl pleaded Yamaraj not to take her brother until she finished her puja to her brother.

After finishing the puja (worship),Yamaraj returned to take her brother. She again pleaded not to take him until the oil dried, the makhamali flower withered and the walnuts decayed ,which she used during her puja.

Yamaraj promised that he would fulfil her wish. However, the oil did not dry up in the whole year, makhamali flower did not wither at all and the walnut did not show any signs of decay. On seeing this Yamaraj became very happy with her for her love towards her brother and blessed her with her brother’s long life and prosperity.

Since that day sisters have come on praying for their brother’s longevity and prosperity offering them with makhamali flower’s garland and brothers also made it the tradition to offer their sisters with special gifts.

Those without brothers or sisters, yesterday, offered puja at Bal Gopal temple situated in the centre of Ranipokhari.

On the same occasion, Anjali Devi Maskey offered holy tika to 250 brothers, without any sisters, collectively at the temple of Lord Gorakhnath in Kasthamandap.

Govt asked to resolve British Gurkhas' problem

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KATHMANDU, Nov 17 – Various experts in the final hearing of a pension-related case at the Supreme Court last Tuesday pointed out the need on the part of the government to take appropriate initiatives for the British Gurkha soldiers to get them the same level of benefits as their British counterparts.

"As it is a national issue, the government should take diplomatic and legal initiatives in this regard to remove the discrepancy between the British Gurkha soldiers and their British counterparts," said Advocate Balram KC.

Former British Gurkha soldier Gyanraj Rai had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court demanding the court to issue mandamus. Refuting the government attorneys’ argument that there was no provision for the court to issue any order against any other nations, advocate KC said that the court could ask the government to take appropriate measures to that effect.

Advocates Yubraj Sangraula, Purnaman Shakya and Ramji Bista had also pleaded from the side of the petitioners on Tuesday.

Young Asian TV bags UNICEF prize

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KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - The Young Asian Television Nepal (YATN) last Wednesday won the UNICEF Prize at the 28th Japan Prize International Education Programme Contest in Tokyo for producing a documentary film.

According to a press release isseued here, YATN won the prize for producing a film Four Years in Hell. The film was produced by Anil Rizal which tells the experience of four years in hell by a young girl experienced through her own monologue description and some additional image visuals, states the release.

The story of the documentary film is that the girl after she comes to know that she has been infected with HIV, she works hard to contribute to the promotion of AIDS education in remote villages.

The prize was received in the presence of Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, Nepali Ambassador to Japan Kedar Bhakta Mathema and many others in Tokyo at NHK hall.

Armed policeman opens fire at Inspector

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JUMLA, Nov 17 - A police inspector belonging to the Four Number Armed Police Battalion stationed in Jumla sustained serious injuries when his sub-ordinate sentry fired a shotgun Thursday. Constable Yuddha BC fired a shotgun at his boss Inspector Ishwori Datta Pandey when the latter was in inspection of Yuddha’s duty. Inspector Pandey is undergoing treatment in the Birendra Army Hospital in Kathmandu, according to Govinda Prasad Poudel, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Jumla.

Police said they are searching Yuddha who fled away after the firing. He is reported to be away with the shotgun and 14 rounds of bullets, according to the police office.

While Inspector Pandey went on inspection, he found Yuddha on plainclothes dress and drunk. He fell on the ground immediately after he received the bullet.

Yuddha, in a previous attempt sometime ago, fired at an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in Dang district. But, the ASI managed to escape unhurt.

Minor’s whereabouts still unknown

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BHADRAPUR, Nov 17 - The whereabouts of four-year-old boy who was abducted a week ago from a local Everest Hotel of Kakarvitta is still not known, despite the intense search.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Padam Shrestha, the father of the abducted child, Prashanta Shrestha, said that the kidnappers on the telephone conversation demanded a ransom of Rs 3.5 million and said that they will let him talk to his son over the phone once they learn he has been making necessary arrangements of the demanded amount.

They also said the child will be released soon after receiving the cash. Prashanta was abducted by 28-year-old Uttam Thapa of Morang Salakpur on November 11 and taken to nearby border town Siliguri where he handed over the boy to an organised gang.

According to Narayan Koirala, Police Sub-Inspector of Area Police Office Kakarvitta, the police so far have received no clue about the condition of the boy and have asked for the help of the Indian Police.

The parents of the child latter sought the police help as they failed to locate the child on their own efforts and kidnappers demanded the ransom of 10 million.

However, according to the sources, the Indian Police is silently carrying out an operation to locate the boy considering his safety reasons.

Two years ago, a child was killed and thrown at Pani Tyanki of India after his parents failed to give the demanded amount.