Kathmandu With Gathasthapana on October 13, the greatest festival of Nepalis Dashain has arrived. It is the time when families unite, wear new clothes, eat delicious food, have fun and much more. However, this Dashain is not going to be the same as it used to be due to the fuel crisis and the April earthquake. Nevertheless with Nepal’s new Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, there is a hope for betterment. And here’s what our college goers think about celebrating Dashain and about the newly elected Prime Minister. Dashain is all about celebration and being together with friends and family. But due to the fuel shortage, we have to compromise our way of celebrating Dashain this year. Yet we are celebrating it. This year there is a financial crisis in the family and I won’t be buying any new clothes. Instead, along with my college friends, I collected Rs 200 per person and bought kites, cake and juice for the school children so that they can enjoy the arrival of Dashain. The students are from poor background and some of them are orphans. Meanwhile, I hope our new PM will do something for the earthquake affected people and focus his action towards the needs of people.

— Ashish Man Singh, BBS IInd Year, People’s Campus, Pakanajol

There is no planning for Dashain but I am going to visit my friends and have fun. This year I won’t be going anywhere for tika. I will spend most of my days at home. I hope our new PM will develop our country in the field of technology and develop alternatives to fuel that are imported from abroad. It is now time to find a solution for fuel within the country by tapping our own available resources so that we won’t be dependent on other countries.

— Niranjan Bajracharya, Class XII, Moonlight Higher Secondary School, Kumaripati

There won’t be a big celebration this year. It will be simple as due to earthquake I lost my relative and we are not celebrating it in a grand way. I am actually from Nuwakot and this year we won’t be going home as our house collapsed in the earthquake. I hope our new PM will change the face of our country and I expect an overall development of Nepal. I hope he can bring peace and prosperity in Nepal as we have already got our Constitution too.

— Poonam Adhikari, Class XII, Jubilant College, Kalimati

It will be difficult for them who won’t be able to go home because of the fuel crisis. Obviously my Dashain is also going to be affected as eating delicacies would be minimal this Dashain due to fuel crisis. However, I am sure that there will be get-togethers and we will be spending time doing fun activities. I hope the new PM will do something as soon as possible to ease the hardship of the citizens. But I don’t have any expectations that this PM will bring positive changes in the country.

— Adeep Shakya, BBA VIIIth Semester, Sagarmatha Multiple College, Dillibazar

I used to go to Janakpur with my family to celebrate Dashain but this year due to the disturbing condition there, we will be celebrating the festival here in Kathmandu. I feel bad as Dashain is the only time when we get to meet our relatives and the entire family. I will miss all the gatherings. But I will be celebrating with my friends this year. I don’t think the new PM will be able to bring changes in the country’s development but I hope he could restore peace as soon as possible. We want a peaceful Nepal and we don’t want to see division in our country. — Aabha Rauniyar, Class XII, Jubilant College, Kalimati