Rachana Bhattarai

Kathmandu, January 7

A month-long Swasthani Brata (fast) began today. Family members of most of the Hindu households gathered and read the

story of Swasthani, which narrates the life of Lord Shiva, his family and benevolence. The ritual of story-telling goes on for a month and ends with an extravagant ceremony.

The festival is generally for women — most of the married and unmarried females keep fast for a month. They concentrate on their worship to Lord Shiva for a happy family life. It is believed that the worship of Goddess Swasthani will help an unmarried girl to find an eligible groom and make the husbands loving.

According to the lunar calendar, the brata takes place from the full moon day of Magh Shukla Purnima and ends on the day of Phagu Shukla Purnima.

Many devotees also spend a month on the banks of Sali river near Sankhu, about 7 km northeast of Kathmandu.

Sona Acharya, an unmarried girl says that she started reading the book of Swasthani since her childhood. 'It is interesting. This is our culture and we should protect and follow the tradition,' she adds.

However, the rituals are not being performed as in the past — people are getting busier and some even lack time to keep fast and read the story. Many families choose shorter versions as they do not have time but cannot abandon the tradition either.

Furthermore, the younger generation lacks faith in these traditions. Religious scholars blame cultural encroachment and foreign TV channels for the eroding values. Achala Aryal, 19, says that neither she has any interest in listening to the story nor she keeps the fast though her mother forces her to listen to the story.

According to her, the story unnecessarily pressurises the ordinary people on many occasions, which has no meaning in the present context.

Ram Chandra Gautam, a professor of Hindu religion says, 'Swasthani Brata helps in purifying the soul. It shows us the right path. There is nothing wrong in carrying on this tradition,' .

On the other hand, woman activist Shova Gautam says that there is both a positive and negative aspect. Some of the chapters have placed women in a respectful position, while in others, it wants women to be loyal and dependent on their husbands. 'Carrying on a tradition is not a bad thing, however, protection of conservative views in the name of religion is wrong. Our religious texts should be updated according to the changed scenario,' she adds.