During Bada Dashain, many Nepalis in Nepal and abroad are unable to receive tika with their families, as work obligations and distance from home keep them apart. Some remain in the country to provide essential services, while others are away from their families. Among those missing the family observance are health workers, security personnel and people serving in other vital roles, including officers deployed to help keep celebrations safe and smooth.
Work continues through the festival
For people whose jobs cannot pause, Dashain can mean remaining on duty while family members observe the festival without them. Health, security and other essential service providers are among those who cannot be with their families to receive Bada Dashain tika. Their absence is not necessarily because they have left Nepal: some are in the country but must continue working to keep necessary services available.
The demands of these roles place workers in a different position from those able to spend the occasion at home. While their families mark Dashain, people on duty must attend to responsibilities that continue during the festival. The reports describe this as a reason some citizens miss tika with their loved ones, even when they are not far from home.
Security personnel face a related sacrifice. Those deployed to help make other people's Dashain safe and smooth may themselves be unable to receive tika with their families. Their assignments keep them focused on their duties during the celebration, separating them from the family occasion they are helping others enjoy.
Distance keeps families apart
Work is not the only reason people miss the family observance. Many Nepalis living abroad are unable to return to be with relatives for tika, while others are away from home for different reasons. In these cases, distance itself is the barrier: family members cannot share the occasion in person, even as Dashain is being observed in Nepal and elsewhere.
The circumstances vary, but the result is similar. Some people are kept apart by employment and service responsibilities; others are separated from their families by being far from home. The reports highlight that missing tika is not limited to people who have travelled abroad. It also affects citizens who remain in Nepal but are required to work through the festival.
A festival observed apart
The experiences of those on duty and those away from home show how the same festival can be marked under different circumstances. For many families, the occasion includes receiving tika together. For others, work schedules, essential duties or distance mean that one or more family members cannot take part in person. The separation may be especially visible for health and security workers whose roles continue while others celebrate.
The people who miss the occasion are not all absent for the same reason, and the available reports do not suggest a single experience shared by everyone. Rather, they point to a range of circumstances affecting Nepalis at home and abroad. Some cannot leave their posts because their work is essential; some security personnel are deployed to support public safety; and some people are simply far from their families.
The reports focus on those who would like to receive Dashain tika with their families but cannot do so. Their situation draws attention to the people whose work helps services continue and celebrations proceed, even when it means they are separated from their own loved ones. Further details are available in reports by Nepal Press and Pradesh Khabar.
