Nepalese Tharus celebrate Jitiya Parva

Qatar-based Nepalese Tharu community celebrated the festival of Jitiya Parva recently. The programme was organised by Tharu Kalyankarini Sabha-Qatar (TKS) at Al Nokyan Restaurant in Doha. The programme was chaired by TKS vice president Satya Narayan Chaudhari, and Shiyaram Chaudhari, chairman of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities-Qatar (NFIN), was the chief guest. The programme featured multiple speeches. It also had a number of cultural performances by Tharu Welfare Council and dancers, Arun Kumar Chaudhari, Ghanshyam Chaudhari, Chadani Chaudhari, Michael Chaudhari, Dil Magar, Anjana Tamang and Shiba Narayan Chaudhari. This was the first time that Tharu community celebrated Jitiya Parva in Qatar. This year, Jitiya Parva fell on September 23, where mothers fast for the health of their sons. The Tharu community makes up a little over 6% of the Nepalese population.         Text and photos by Usha Wagle Gautam