World Sight Day
Global Campaign Against Blindness

By Dr K. P. Adhikari

EVERY year 11th of October is celebrated as World Sight Day all over the world. This indeed is a global campaign to raise awareness among peoples to inform that majority of blinding eye diseases either is curable or preventable if we are aware of the situation and if we could take action in time. This is also true that with the limited resources available we can stop a person from going blind. By observing World Sight Day we also want people to get proper information on existing eye care facilities and should be encouraged for maximum utilisation of such available services. We must try to find out different barriers and reasons why people are not properly using these facilities. We must try to find out different barriers and reasons why people are not properly using these facilities. The public awareness campaign in countries like ours is of great importance for prevention and timely treatment of blinding eye diseases.

The burden of blindness is tremendously high in the South Asian region. It is estimated that there are 45 million blind in the world at present and 12 million out of this, live in South East Asian reason. And out of ten blind people nine live in developing countries like ours. This shows the magnitude of the problem and indicates that blindness indeed is a serious public health problem in the region.

In Nepal the number of blind people is estimated to be 185,000. More than 80 per cent of blindness is avoidable, that is it can be either cured or prevented. Similarly, more than 80 per cent of the blinds live in rural areas of the country. Right now there are 17 eye hospitals and 32-district eye care centres in Nepal. The number of eye doctors is 85, thus the ratio being one eye doctor for the population of 250,000. Eye care services are available in 40 districts of the country whereas in 35 districts no services are available at all expect in the forms of mobile eye camps which are organised only occasionally. Every year 80,000 blind people get sight restoration surgeries in Nepal.

The increasing number of blinding population in developing countries is due mainly to two reasons: increased life expectancy and population growth. As the burden of blindness is constantly increasing, to reduce the number of blinds to a minimum by the year 2020, a Global Initiative Vision 2020: The
Right to Sight has been launched jointly by WHO and other non-governmental and private organisations with a view to develop a common agenda for global action against avoidable blindness. Nepal joined this campaign in November 1999.

The global initiative programme consists of four five-years phase commencing from the year 2000 to 2020. In it’s first phase the programme has defined its priorities in terms of disease control, human resources development, infrastructure development, use of appropriate and affordable technology, and mobilisation of resources.

Under disease control five conditions have been identified as immediate priorities. These are cataract, trachoma, onchocerciasis, childhood blindness, refractive errors and low vision.

Cataract is the single most dominant cause of curable blindness in Nepal. This is an age-related problem. Every year we get more than 16,000 new cases of cataract blindness. Under the campaign Vision 2020 emphasis is given towards achieving high volume cataract operation with better quality of life outcomes. To achieve this our services should be affordable for rural and undeserved population.

Trachoma is endemic in 49 countries of the world including Nepal. Nearly six million people are blind in the world due to this disease. In endemic areas a SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental hygiene) Strategy has been designed and applied for prevention and treatment of trachoma. According to national survey trachoma is the second major cause of blindness in Nepal.

Onchocerciasis (river blindness) a blinding eye disease is endemic in Africa and Latin America. This disease is not found in Nepal.

Childhood blindness is now considered as a priority area under the campaign Vision 2020. Another area where we should direct our attention is refractive errors and their spectacles corrections. Regular vision screening in schools has to be intensified for early detection and management of this ailment.

In Nepal, we have a good infrastructure of eye care delivery system and also human resources development activities are highly praiseworthy. Under the campaign Vision 2020 the doctor population ratio is projected to one eye doctor to 50,000 population by the year 2020. Thus we need more eye doctors, and many more other different categories of ophthalmic manpower. We need to provide some kind of eye services to the remaining 35 districts of the country where so far no services are available. Thus we have a huge task ahead in our fight against blindness.

The main aim of our campaign is elimination of avoidable blindness from our country by the year 2020. For this we need to further strengthen our services in all districts by integrating primary eye care into the mainstream of primary health services. We need to produce more manpower and raise awareness among the people and for all this to achieve we need more resources, proper planning, equality in facilities and dedication from all those who are involved in this global campaign Vision 2020: The Right to Sight and we stress this point in this special occasion of World Sight Day.

Marriage: One Man’s Bride Is Another Man’s...

By Gyan Rai

THERE were two interesting pieces of news carried by this daily the other day concerning marriages in Nepal. One news was about a father and a son who got married on the very same day. While the father was a widower, the son was a bachelor. Not only that, both the father-son duo bridegrooms, along with their new brides, were received very warmly by the father of the father-turned-new bridegroom—and the grandfather of the son-turn-bridegroom. (Whew! what a mouthful!).

The second piece of news was about a man who, after marrying a daughter of a woman, went on to sire a baby girl from the same woman. In other words, his mother-in-law. Now, the daughter-turned-wife is said to be in a dilemma as to how to address the newly born baby girl!

These two marriages sure do give credence to the oft-repeated Nepali saying concerning a marriage "Who marries whom is written in the stars". If not, how often do fathers and sons get married on the same day? Or, for that matter, what sane man would ever think of keeping his mother-in-law as his second wife? That too when he knows that it is not only against the prevailing societal norms but also against one’s own conscience?

But then, such marriages did take place. While the former marriage (father and son marrying on the same day), though indeed unusual, is acceptable to society, the latter—a man keeping his mother-in-law as his wife—is completely unacceptable to society.

Concerning the father-son duo marriages on the same day, it would be interesting to know how the two newly married brides are getting along in their new home which, obviously houses a joint family. For, in our society, each member of the joint family has his/her own status—and in keeping with that status, his/her duties and responsibilities. Of course, ruling the joint family roost is the grandfather. Or, in some family, even the great-grandfather.

Such joint families are usually found in the rural areas where most of the people are farmers. Normally such extended families own large tracts of arable land and it is to their advantage to keep the arable lands intact as long as possible.

Yet, sooner or later even such families have to branch off due to, among others, sons bringing in more brides—who, being daughters-in-law, may have their own ideas as to how to run a household. This means that sooner or later the sons start to ask for their inheritance so that their wives, instead of their wives’ mothers-in-law, would be the queen bees of the newly created households.

Be that as it may, marriages in Nepal still have their unique roles in society. Not only is a marriage viewed as a socio-cultural and religious practice to ensure that a family’s "blood-line" is carried into the future but also to cement familial and clan bonds. For, when two families are united through a marriage, almost all the clan members from both the families turn up for the marriage. And there, they get to know each other—and the newly struck relationships could come in good use in the future. It could be due to this latter reason that most of the marriages in Nepal are still arranged ones.

In this regard, families with marriageable sons and daughters usually send out feelers through go-betweens who could be their relatives or close friends. Then an intricate and lengthy process to find the best matches for their sons or daughters gets rolling. Until, of course, their sons bring home daughters-in-law or their daughters move on to new homes.

However, in a nation that is home to various races, tribes, communities still adhering to their unique socio-cultural practices and religious outlooks, marriages are easier said than done. And as if this is not enough, complicating the marriage matter is the different ways that marriages are solemnised in the country due to, among others, caste and kinship barriers.

In some communities, marriages are invariably exo-gamous while in some, it is endo-gamous. In other words, not only should the contracting parties have to strictly abide by their respective caste or kinship guidelines but they have to scrupulously ensure that such caste or kinship strictures are not breached, come what may. For, to do so would not only invite the wrath of their respective communities on their heads but, worse still, they, along with their "mis-matched" sons and daughters, could be ostracised by their communities. If this, in a predominantly agrarian society like ours, ever happens, then it is akin to be banished to Timbuktu. In other words, such erring families have no other options but to migrate from their villages and start afresh all over again in some other places.

Since the penalties exacted on the erring families by their respective communities are indeed very severe, the only way out for the marriage contracting parties to greatly narrow down any caste or kinship errors is to resort to arranged marriages. But then, as and when two hearts speak to each other, the two love-birds tend to be oblivious to such caste or kinship taboos. And to be as far away as possible from the forthcoming wrath of both their respective families and communities, the two lovers tend to elope and migrate to other climes.

For, so strong are caste or kinship taboos in most communities that even if the families of the lovers were to forgive their errant sons or daughters the communities will still be ostracising them. Especially when the two lovers come from two different castes. In such a case, if the boy (or girl) happens to marry a girl (or boy) from the lower caste, then his (or her) social status is automatically relegated to that of his wife (or her husband).

As mentioned above, in some communities, marriage customs and practices do differ greatly in that if some condone marriages between cousins, then others are not only dead against such a practice but if it ever takes place, then the couple is instantly ostracised by the rest of the community members. This is because in some communities the male cousins have a customary right to demand for the hands of their female cousins. So strong is this custom that as and when a female cousin reaches a marriageable age, her parents, before giving her away to another families, make it a point to inform the parents of the male cousin who has the customary right to marry her first. Only when the male cousin refuses to marry his female cousin will her parents give her away to other families. But usually the boy ends up marrying his girl cousin.

But in some communities not only are cousins looked upon as close siblings but to ensure that no such a marriage will ever take place the contracting parties tend to trace their respective genealogies back to as far as seven generations!

In additional to all this, there are still some communities that condone polyandry—although this practice is said to be slowly phasing out of existence.

All this proves that in Nepal, marriage equations are indeed mind-boggling in that to any man, any woman could be a potential bride.....or a possible dynamite.

Significance Of Ghatasthapana

By Dhurba K. Deep

DASHAIN, the biggest Hindu festival always begins with Ghatasthapana. This great occasion falls on the first day of bright fortnight of Ashwin (Sep/Oct). Ghatasthapana literally means the ritualistic installation of a ceremonial water jar, which marks the advent of Dashain.

This ceremonial jar filled with holy water symbolises the supreme creative power of Devi Durga, the universal mother goddess whom we worship during the entire period of festival. This festivity continues for ten full days. Hence comes the name Dashain meaning the ten-day long celebration.

One of the most fascinating highlights of this festival is the animal sacrifice, which is offered to Devi Durga on the 8th day of Dashain popularly known as Mahashtami. The animals selected for the sacrificial purpose are of five different kinds. They are water buffalos, goats, sheep, chickens and ducks. According to the traditional belief, the water buffalo symbolises anger, goats and sheep stand for lust and stupidity whereas chicken and ducks stand for timidity and apathy respectively.

Some of the important puja materials required for Ghatasthapana ceremony include barley seeds, a holy water jar, a big clay pot, some flowers and of course, the wet sand from the river. The one who is to perform the Ghatasthapana rites must be either the family priest or the eldest person in the family. It is quite interesting to watch the performance of this traditional ritual. First of all the sand is laid at a place chosen for the purpose. Then the ceremonial jar is placed in the middle of it and barley seeds strewn all over with the chanting of hymns to Devi Durga. After this is done the worshipper will cover up the silt by a huge clay pot. The seeds will grow into their full splendour in another few days.

This particular period of nine days is called Nawaratri. It represents the devotees’ deep devotion to Devi. Many believe that this is the best time of the year to evoke Devi to have one’s desire fulfilled. This practice seems to follow the puranic injunctions very strictly.

On the ninth day of Ghatasthapana the priest or the eldest member in the family picks up some lovely Jamara (seedlings) for worshipping Devi Durga. The brightness and freshness of Jamara add a lot of colour and grace to the ceremonial atmosphere of Dashain. It always reminds one of the blooming beauty of Kumari, the living goddess who presides over many important ceremonies during the entire period of this great occasion.

Celebrating Dashain without Jamara flowers (bright gold green colour of seedlings) is like celebrating Christmas without pines. Despite the tremendous value attached to the Jamara flowers, after the Vijaya-dashami (the tenth day for celebration) is over these flowers don’t seem to appeal to anybody any more no matter how fresh and fine they may look yet. This shows the importance of a particular thing at a particular time.

Another interesting aspect of Dashain is Nawaratri Vrata. Nawaratri generally means nine holy nights of the bright forthnight of Ashwin very auspicious to Devi Durga. This is the reason why the Nepalese devotees go to nine different places of religious significance - locally known as Teertha Sthal (to take a holy bath continuously for nine days). Many believe that those who complete this difficult ritual without any break will be blessed with many great virtues by Devi Durga. As mentioned in Devi Bhagvat (a holy Hindu text) many divine personalities like saints, seers and great kings like Rama Chandra and Surath had many of their important tasks fulfilled by worshipping Devi Durga on Nawaratri. According to the same Hindu text Devi is said to assume nine different forms during the Navaratri period with new form every day. Here are the names of those nine different forms of Devi: Kumari, Trimurti, Kalyani, Mohini, Kalika, Chandika, Shambhavi, Durga and Shubhadra.

These goddesses are believed to bless their devotees with different boons. Since Devi is the one who takes care of the entire affairs of creation and sustinence, it is quite natural for her to assume various forms as needed by time for the sake of Dharma or right action.

The tenth day of Dashain is considered to be the most important day. According to the Puranas, this is the day Devi Durga killed the demon king Mahishasura and rescued her devotees from his most miserable reign of terror. Probably this is the reason why the worship of Devi in his Mahishasurmardini form is more widely performed in Nepal than in any other form. Killing of Mahishasura by Devi Durga understandably enough symbolises her victory over vice which eventually marks the closing of Dashain celebration.