The festival of Dashain is round the corner. Time seems to be literally flying in the run-up to it. Imagine also the fact that even the air acquires colours as everything else around us. They say it is the young people who look forward to it more than the grown ups. The reason could be the attractions it brings. Life is never the same. Did anyone say the festival in question has an ephemeral ring about it?

Yet what is also true is, it means different things to different people depending on where they belong in societal ladder. It certainly does not herald the same tidings for one and all. Could the festivals have been levellers in any way when the man was still on trees? If not, the highest and the best branches could certainly have gone to the most privileged. The not-so-privileged units could have settled for lower branches.

Time has changed, but not mass destiny. However there are instances of both time and mass destiny changing at much the same rate. But this seems to be happening more in the northern half of the planet than elsewhere. This is to say that Dashain does not certainly mean just the same thing for someone located up north and another someone located down south. Wait, we have that quintessential north-south divide in our society too.

Given the mind-boggling social inequality and impoverishment, news reports that “locals could not observe Dashain because rice was not available” will hit the headlines as naturally as the “arrival of new high-end consumer items.” The next few days will see different forms of disappointments. While a corrupt bureaucrat will curse his fate for not making more loose cash, a politician will kick himself for not making it to the top to wallow in political donations.

Not far behind will be amoral businessmen in cursing their fate for not inflating the price by hoarding much and selling the same in the black market. There will be streetwalkers who will be ruing why they could not land moneyed customers. Compare them with those who will be in Singapore, Paris, Washington for mere fun. Some will be nearer Delhi. Meanwhile, my best wishes will go to them who are at the lowest end of the ladder and will be going without food on the appointed day.