Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - Nepal's political and religious leaders "should learn from Pope Francis, who saw Iraqi Christians in trouble and made a personal donation, pushing Christians to do the same," said Sirjana Chaudhary, a Hindu woman who spoke to AsiaNews after losing everything in floods that hit Bardia District.
"Tens of thousands of people are homeless and without food, victims of landslides and floods, and people celebrate Teej spending thousands of rupees," she lamented. "I am having trouble even feeding my one-month son," she added. "We have no food and are forced to live outdoors."
"Many Christian organisations are helping us," she noted, "whilst our religious and political leaders believe they can feed us with words. How can they celebrate Teej? An empty stomach cannot br filled with culture."
She was referring to the great religious festival dedicated entirely to women, which celebrates the marriage of the goddess Parvati and Mahadev (Shiva).
Tradition calls for women to throw rich banquets after a long fast. Unmarried women wish for a good husband, whilst wives pray for the welfare of their marriage.
In Kathmandu, upper class people rent entire restaurants or even hotels to celebrate the holiday.
"We are becoming more and more materialistic, even us women," said women's rights activist Bandana Rana. "This way of doing things creates social inequality. Instead of acting this way, we should all be more generous."
"Whilst some people rent whole hotels, tens of thousands of women do not have enough to eat," said Renu Rajbhandari.
"These wrong practices will lead our country and our society to a spiritual desertification. People are increasingly self-centred, no one feels the need to help others," said Govinda Tondon, an intellectual expert of Hinduism who believes that this way of celebrating is a serious problem for religion itself.
"Religion must be the same for everyone, rich and poor," said Rekha Thapa, a local actress. "I learnt a lot from some Christian friends, and celebrate with moderation and collect money for those who are suffering today."