By Rick M 
Biratnagar, a bustling commercial city in present day eastern Nepal, is now hosting a cultural parade where the western Netherland like people parade standards of the colourful colourful culture of the place with pride. Started from yesterday, the festival is being celebrated with restrictions which have now become mandatory due to the pandemic rules.
This event is popularly called the “Biratnagar Cultural Mela,” and this annual event has been organized for more than twenty years now. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the festival format have been made to allow the people’s movement while exciting talents and creativity of artists, craftsmen, and performers could be demonstrated.
Thus, the space of the art festival itself – once more, a grounds in the central part of Biratnagar – has been safely reconfigured into a network of socially-distanced culture. It is mandatory for clients to wear a mask and have their temperature taken before accessing the site. The hand washing dispensers are installed at various points in the venue, and the prevention of close congregation of people is being enhanced where and when necessary.
Nevertheless, the festival has recorded good turnout in terms of people attending the event to celebrate the culture, this is due to_ary the break from cultural activities or gathering due to the pandemic restriction. It has energetic current and traditional dances, and music concerts, art exhibitions and food preparation shows.
Among the events that will take place at this year’s festival is the contest of “Mask Art” – the masks where Malaysian artists drew their masterpieces on the face shields that people have to wear in public spaces today. The competition has been lauded for the success it has received in the recent past and for its effectiveness in creating awareness about COVID-19 among the population by encouraging them to wear masks.
It also helps as a major source of income for many local artisans and business persons who have been affected by the effects of COVID-19. The range of the traditional Nepali products, including handwoven fabrics and carved wooden items are available from the number of stalls for handicrafts established with proper social distance in between.
The Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Bhim Parajuli during the inauguration ceremony pointed out the need to conserve culture despite the crises. It’s, therefore, important to note that this festival is not simply a time for us to revel in our cultural practices but equally an acknowledgment of our survival as a people, he said. He also thanked the organizers for their efforts to ensure proper and safe standards for all the participants and visitors.
The fest has received good patronage in the culinary segment in which a variety of local dishes are exhibited and prepared with proper hygiene standards. Most of the foods stalls are serving foods that can be taken away to reduce congregational gathering, but people can taste traditional Nepali cuisines.
There’s also a segment of the festival for frontline workers who have been key in the fight against COVID-19 in the city. An exhibition through photographs to appreciate the health care providers, police force, and sanitation workers also has been installed, and visitors were seen touched emotionally.
The technological intervention has also been integrated into the festival to expand its coverage. Several concerts and recitals are being live-streamed, and organized art exhibitions can also be visited online so that people unable to do so physically can engage from their homes.
The principles of the local health department chair have commended the organizers for their seriousness and compliance with measures. Dr. Roshan Kumar, speaking from the Chief of the Biratnagar Public Health Office, echoed: “The festival shows how with appropriate safety measures we can start with cultural events step by slow step, keeping the health of the public intact.”
As with every event that has been held, the event has not been without its challenges. Of course, certain aspects of the festive program are quite difficult to reimplement because of the COVID restrictions; for instance, group singing and dancing or troupes and highly entertaining workshops have been replaced by distanced analogs or even canceled. Nevertheless, many activities organized during the global pandemic have been modified in various ways by their initiators.
Schools and colleges have been the part of festival by presenting the socio-cultural programs and artistic representations of the life in COVID-19 era. It has been quite moving to hear the young people being included in this event as their strength speaks volume.
It has also attracted the status of performing social awareness, giving information on different issues. Some of the NGOs have provided information that helps the public raise health, education, and environmental awareness.
On the last days of the festival, the people of Biratnagar wake up with better feelings in their hearts. It is a good event that has given the people a good break from culture, let alone show the spirits of the people in a depa hospitable environment.
The experience of these peculiar circumstances has come with the anticipation that the Biratnagar Cultural Mela may serve as a model for other cities to emulate while restarting the cultural spectacle with a view to give safety precedence. But even as is the case with most festivals, the essence and spirit of the event are captured in the fact the festival has managed to impact positively on society in the following ways and is likely to continue doing so even after the curtain comes down on the event.