Returning home for Dashain, only to face trouble at the border

Thousands of Nepali migrant workers are returning from India for the festival, but exorbitant transport fares and harassment at border crossings are making the final leg of their journey difficult.

When Bhim Prasad Khatri of Chaurjahari, Rukum West, crossed the Jamunaha border into Nepalgunj on Friday morning, it felt as though Dashain had arrived. Returning home after four years away, he had savings from his labouring job in India’s Himachal Pradesh and was eager to celebrate the festival with his family. “Spending time with my family matters more than money,” he said. “I’ll finally get to enjoy Dashain with them after four years.”