Save or celebrate?

People don’t have much money to spend this Dashain. But can they at least be optimistic of a better tomorrow?

Dashain seems to have arrived only for children who get to spend a carefree few weeks away from school. For the grown-ups, especially those from middle- and low-income families, the biggest festival this year has been a tightrope walk as they have to balance thrifting and merrymaking. Inflation has crossed the 8 percent mark, walloping people’s purchasing power. At 69th, the country’s standing among the 125 countries reviewed for the Global Hunger Index is nothing to celebrate as we face ‘moderate’ levels of hunger. Even as people were struggling to make their ends meet, the most recent session of the country’s federal parliament could not pass any vital laws, as nearly all its time was spent squabbling over who was to blame for smuggling of gold and selling Nepali nationals abroad as refugees. Little wonder, not many people are in a mood to celebrate.