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On January 30th, the Shree Panchami festival took place. This Hindi celebration worships Goddess Saraswati who is worshiped as the goddess of learning, knowledge, wisdom, art, music, and culture. According to Hindu mythology, this goddess has four hands to represent ego, intellect, alertness, and the mind. Shree Pachami takes place on the fifth day of the month of Magh’ to celebrate the arrival of spring. It is celebrated through music, art, and worship gatherings. The color yellow is strongly associated with this festival as it signifies both nature and life in general. People dress in yellow and place yellow flowers on altars as an offering to their beloved goddesses. Families come together to celebrate this day. Young children often sit with their parents and begin writing their first words. Students enjoy a special day which includes mass in school followed by a visit to temples. Some communities will even join together to celebrate through poetic and musical gatherings. Many choose to start a new venture or work towards a cause as this is considered the best day to begin a new journey, similar to New Years Day in the United States. (SpotlightNepal and TheHimalayanTimes)

As a country, Nepal is ranked 136th freest in the world out of 180 countries according to the 2019 Index of Economic Freedom. The index goes on to explain how Nepal both thrives, and struggles as a nation wedged in between two industrial powerhouses – China and India. Political instability has riddled Nepal since the establishment of their federal republic back in 2008. To this day, it remains on of the worlds least-developed and overall poorest countries in the world. In recent years, China has established a large cultural influence over Nepal, even agreeing to create a railway between the two countries to allow for more Chinese investments in the country (Heritage.org).

The Fragile States Index ranks Nepal 45th out of 178 countries in 2019 (Fragilestatesindex.com). This Index annually assesses economic and political pressures that the country endures. The higher the rank, the better the country is. Nepal fell far below average due to its ongoing struggles with politics both in its own boarders, and with India and China. This ranking is also hindered by the inequality that exists in Nepal. The gap between the poor and the rich have steadily been increasing throughout the last decade. The income of the top 10% in Nepal is more than three times that of the bottom 40%. This is known as the Palma Ratio and it puts a numerical value to inequality. Nepal’s Palma Ratio has steadily risen throughout the last 20 years, and has remained one of the highest in the world.

This inequality is the work of rampant capitalism. As more state programs become privatized, the lower class becomes poorer while the already wealthy prosper substantially. Tony Judt’s “III Fares the Land” provides more insight to how this staggering inequality affects all citizens. Judt mentions that inequality is proven to create severe social problems as in higher criminal rates, unemployment, drug use, and lower life expectancy. The issue with unregulated capitalism only gets worse as Nepal is one of the most corrupt places on earth. According to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Nepal ranks 122 out of 180 countries. As corruption grows within the government, illegal wealth skyrockets. This only increases the already large inequality gap. Currently, the government is trying to regulate this gap through taxes and public services but with how corrupt the government is, there is uncertainty over the progress that will be made. Nepal is working on regulating public spending and improving healthcare in order to provide for the poorer citizens. Statistics have shown that women are disproportionately affected by the inequality in Nepal. Girls are less likely to complete school and instead be sent off to marriage. Hopefully the government will have more solutions to these problems before it is too late (Oxfamilibrary).