Nepal’s most important festivals of the year, Dashain and Tihar, took place in October and November, highlighting the country’s deeply ingrained Hindu religious values such as brotherhood, strong family bonds, respect for all creatures, and the triumph of good over evil spirits. Families gathered to celebrate the two week-long festivals, a rare opportunity for bonding in a country where many migrant workers travel to far-flung locations to find work. Even liberal-minded Christians like to participate, signalling a positive note for social harmony, religious tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding. At the same time, there has been a backlash against Christians with over a dozen recorded cases of persecution against their communities this year. This trend worsened after the new criminal code took effect in August 2017. Even though it includes more provisions against discrimination, it’s anything but progressive in terms of respecting people’s freedom of religion.
India’s poor deserve better than this
Concerns are being raised about whether the needs of poor and marginalized communities in India are receiving enough attention in current government policies. Observers say
