Bardiya, Oct 19: Dashain fervour has already gripped settlements with people busy preparing to make the festival celebrations unique and special, according to their means.
However, for five families in Tingharawa of Rajapur municipality-9, this Dashain brings more pain than joy. They are mourning family members and relatives who went missing in the August 26 Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river system floods.
Sirjana Tharu, spouse of missing Pradip Tharu said, “Dashain has begun, but for us, it has brought only pain. However, we have offered our prayers to ancestral deities on this Dashain, as it is customary. We set all other celebrations aside. Our hearts are heavy with grief.” She broke down in tears as she recounted her ordeal. Pradip had been in Rasuwa for work.
Suresh Tharu of the same village went missing in the flood. His spouse Ramita Tharu still hopes to see him return home. “I am still waiting for him, and how can I celebrate Dashain when he is not here?”
Like of Sirjana and Ramita, five families from Tingharwa are living in grief over the disappearance of their loved ones. Suresh Tharu, Amis Tharu, Sisan Tharu, Pradip Tharu, and Raju Tharu, all from the same neighborhood, remain unaccounted for since the devastating flood.
The grief over the disappearance of the five extends beyond their families, casting a shadow of grief over the entire village.
Tularam Tharu, the elder brother of the missing Raju Tharu, said the incident had left the entire community heartbroken. “The community feels no festive spirit for Dashain.”
Tingharawa village, the part of Rajapur municipality-9, is home to 75 families.
During Dashain, people working abroad, living away from their families for business, studies and other reasons usually return home to celebrate the festival with the families. Family reunions are the most cherished aspect of Dashain. But for five families in Tingharawa, this year is different. Instead of reuniting with their families, they are grappling with the pain and uncertainty caused by the disappearance of their family members in the floods.
Families of workers who went missing in the Bhotekoshi flood have complained that they have yet to access the government humanitarian support meant for the affected families.
As they say, they are struggling financially even to conduct last rituals of the missing ones.
Ramita, spouse of Suresh, shared with the RSS that despite assurances from the local-government, they have not yet received the support.
According to Khusiram Tharu, the disaster focal person for Rajapur Municipality, the government is yet to declare those missing in the Bhotekoshi flood as dead and this has created an obstacle in providing relief for funeral rites. He added if the missing people were officially declared dead, the local government could provide up to 50,000 rupees to assist with the funeral proceedings.
Eleven people from Rajapur Municipality including five from the Tingharwa-9 remain missing following the Bhotekoshi flood. In total, 76 people from Bardiya district have been reported missing.
