Nepal is a multi-religious, multi-lingual,
multi-cultural, and multi-ethnic country.
Parliament proclaimed Nepal a secular state
[earlier this year], while the 1990 constitution
had defined Nepal as a Hindu country.
There are more tribal and indigenous communities
in Nepal than Hindus, and they have their own
distinct languages, religions, and cultures.
Besides them, Nepal also has Muslims and
Buddhists. The tribal and indigenous communities
who form the majority of the population are
non-Hindus.
But Prithbi Narayan Shah wanted to create a ’true
Hindu land’ in Nepal and started converting the
indigenous peoples to Hinduism by expanding the
borders of Gorkha. The Shah dynasty forced
indigenous communities to accept Brahmanistic
Hinduism, backed with the slogan of ’one
language, one religion, one people’. Due to
pressure from the power centre, indigenous
communities have also been forced to accept Hindu
culture and norms, and festivals like Dasain are
national celebrations.
Indigenous communities and leftists have long
demanded that Nepal be declared a secular state.
Parliament’s proclamation earlier this year
announcing a secular Nepal has been welcomed by
political parties, indigenous communities, and
social welfare organisations. In a secular
country all religions and cultures are treated
equally by the state.
Puritans oppose the secularisation of Nepal. The
biggest loser from secularism is the monarchy,
which declares itself an incarnation of Vishnu
and has ruled Nepal for over 200 years with the
backup of Hindu religion. This is why puritans,
regressionists, and royalists oppose the
proclamation. They have even tried to create
caste wars in the name of religion. However,
their attempts will prove fruitless in the face
of people power. After the reinstallation of
democracy in Nepal it is essential that
secularism be implemented correctly.
Dasain is now used to promote consumerism and
force indigenous communities to accept a Hindu
identity. The festival is a burden to the poor,
subsistence farmers, and daily wage earners. The
government should now treat all religions,
cultures and languages equally