It is that time of the year again. Kites are being flown around the country and people are shopping for new clothes. Adults and children alike are swaying in giant bamboo swings. Yes, Dashain is just around the corner. If there is one festival that Nepali people all over the world look forward to, this is it. Dashain is one of the most significant holidays in the Nepali calendar. A culmination of all things good is what makes this festival stand out from the rest of the other holidays. According to the Hindu mythology, the annual festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil. It is a time of joy and excitement. People fly kites, play cards, drink alcohol, eat a lot of food and generally just look forward to having a good time with family and friends. And if you�re a kid, there is always the day of tika, where you receive blessings from the elderly and receive some money as well. The days leading up to the festival are just as fun, fairs and celebrations can be seen around the country to promote sales, general get together and for advertisement purposes. The famous bamboo swings are another telltale sign that the festival all Nepali people look forward to is finally here. This festival is much awaited by local business owners and they invest huge amount of money in stocking materials targeting this festival. Whether it be groceries or clothes, it is safe to say that the businesses during this period experience a big increase in sales. It is also the only time of the year when people don�t hesitate to spend more money than they generally do. Lots of Nepali staying abroad for various reasons return to their homes to spend time with their family and friends. Airports and bus terminals are particularly busy during this time of the year as a lot of people can be seen returning to their villages with gifts in their hands. The valley remains relatively empty as a result and guarantees an otherwise non-existent calm peace. But that was all in the past. The excitement surrounding Dashain and its core values are being been forgotten over the last few years. The festival is perceived more as a reason to indulge in personal enjoyment rather than spending time with families, relatives, and people in society. The peaceful streets that everyone appreciated during the festival is but nothing an afterthought and the skies that were once filled with kites is but a rare sight these days. Something about the festival does not seem to appeal the masses as it previously did except for those handful of people that celebrate Dashain as it is. People are losing interest in the festival every passing year. �Dashain has changed a lot over the years. We used to blast music from our rooftops and flew kites and compete with others in the neighborhood. In the evening our friends and family gathered around and we played cards and drink a little bit of aila. These days it�s different though. I wouldn�t say that it is different in a bad way because we are still celebrating Dashain. For a few years now, I and my friends gather in someone�s house to play cards and drink beer. It is still fun but the way we celebrate now is very different than before. My elder son and I used to fly kites together but he says he has better things to do than fly kites. I can�t really get blame him for not wanting to because no one seems to fly kites nowadays. They prefer watching cartoons and playing games now�, according to Sabin, a 36 year old father of two. A big concern regarding the decline in Dashain celebrations are that a lot of families are willing to spend their holidays outside the country these days due to the increase in the hustle and bustle in the city. Up until a few years back, the festival was a time of peace and quiet in the capital with barely any vehicles and pedestrians in the streets with just a handful of stores remained open. The valley, though overcrowded as it is, provided a respite from the busy activities of day-to-day life during the festival. But those days much like the people�s fondness in the festival are long gone. At present, the streets during the festive period are not that different from that of any regular day. Dashain also welcomed a number of exhibitions and fairs. These exhibition and fairs which used to be a treat for all those shopping for clothes and goods as they provided goods on a cheaper scale. However, they seem to be diminishing at a growing rate a lot of bargain deals only seen previously in these exhibitions and fairs are now being offered in regular stores. These fairs seem to be losing its popularity amongst the average Nepali as these fair tend to get a lot busier around the time of the festival and people prefer to visit stores where it is less crowded and easier to shop at. This market is dying out fast but it can still be seen throughout the country. Although they are not as big and vibrant as before, a moderate number of people still look forward to visiting it. A lot of people are also hesitating to set up shop in these fairs as it does not pay the dividends quick enough in time for the festival as it lasts for a very short period of time. �During my youth, Dashain was all about getting together with your family members. Back then, mobile phones and computers did not exist. These days all the children are constantly staring at their mobile phones and computers that they don�t enjoy Dashain like it�s meant to be enjoyed. We were lucky to enjoy Dashain while we could�, according to Chaya Devi, a 67 year old woman from Chettrapati. The festive period also offers a majority of the people a chance to take a break from their busy lives and spend time with their beloved ones. Although, every Nepali is given time of work and school, not all are fortunate enough to enjoy it to the fullest. Many of those that are employed in the service industr ies like hospitals, hotels, T.V. channels and radios stations don�t get as much time off from work like the rest of us do. Employers face a tough task retaining their employees during the holidays while rest of the people are enjoying the comforts of their homes. Various incentive programs and extra leave days after the festival help convince the employees to stick around during the festive periods. Since Nepal is quite diverse and enjoys various festivals from many cultural backgrounds, these companies also tend to cycle the days of vacation for the employees. �For me Dashain is about the holidays. I don�t have to go to school for a few days and I can just relax and spend time at home. The day of tika is fun. I can go to the houses of my relatives and they give me money during tika so I enjoy that quite a bit. I also like to fly kites since it is the only time of the year I get to fly kites but I don�t fly as many kites as before because there aren�t a lot of kites in the sky these days. I think people don�t enjoy it nowadays. If I am not flying kites, I spend most of my time on the internet these days,� according to Ashish Chettri, a 9th grade student in Kathmandu, when asked how he spends his time during the festival. What motivated this general lack of interest in the festival is still unclear. People may have outgrown this festival since a lot has changed around them. Busier lifestyles, technology, western influences or just laziness may have played a role in this change. But nothing is definitive. A lot can be said and done to help change people�s minds and attitudes but it ultimately up to the individual. We need to realize that we are giving up a part of our culture and identity by forsaking this glorious festival. For the sake of our future generation, the festival needs to be preserved as a time to have fun and create memories and not looked upon by children as a reason to drink alcohol. And like Mr. Udhav said, �our mind tends to divert to different things�, maybe we just need to focus a little more on what�s important.