The time is rife for celebration. It is the time for harvest and the sky cleared of the clouds. Hindus all over, and especially of central Asia, celebrated the victory of good virtues over the evil power of devilish virtue.
The Bhutanese diaspora too celebrated Dashain festival in their new homes. In several cities of resettlement in US, Canada, UK and Australia, Bhutanese Hindus observed Durga pooja during the Navaratra. Reports from various sources suggest that there is zeal and motivation within the community to hand over these cultural and religious heritages to coming generations, wherever they live.
In Bhutan, Navaratra was observed full nine days with the recitation and prayer devoted to goddess Durga in the Hindu Temple of Thimphu. It is the official way to show that Hinduism in Bhutan is not under any restriction. On the ninth day, the ministers and high level officials did visit the temple to get the blessings of Nava Durga Bhawani. But, unlike the last year, the king is seen nowhere to observe the tika ceremony with the public.
It is usually a concern of fund crunch for the Hindu Samudaya of Bhutan to observe Navaratra offering prayer to goddess Durga in every temple located in the districts like Dagana, Tsirang, Samtse, Chukha and Samdrupjonhkhar. Although funding of dratshang and shedra (the Buddhist religious center place for monks) is a government undertaking, no such fund is channeled to other Hindu temples and religious learning places (pathsala) outside Thimphu.
But for the urban people who lived away from home, one day official holiday was not sufficient to reach home any way. Many employees have to take two to three days off from work and seek tika blessings from the elders. So the nine days of devotional prayer to Durga can well be pertained to increase of power of the government and not to well- being of people. No, it is not to give concession to Lhotshampa Hindus to celebrate the festival with families and friends at home.
There is still a stigma among the Lhotshampa living in north to put tika on forehead as they might get queer comments from the neighbors and passer-by.
