Sexual and Gender Minorities Light Lamps During Gaijatra, One Hundred Thousand Assistance Declared in Memory of the Deceased

September 13, Kathmandu.

Individuals from the sexual and gender minority community lit lamps on the occasion of the Gaijatra festival, in memory of their deceased members and those who died in the Bhote Koshi flood.

On Saturday, at the program organized by Blue Diamond Society (Neel Hira Samaj) at Khullamanch, Kathmandu, lamps were lit in memory of those who lost their lives due to the devastating disaster that struck the country and community members who died prematurely throughout the year due to various reasons.

The annual Gaijatra Pride Parade program was postponed and this time only lamps were lit, informed Peter Rai of the organizing institution. ‘We postponed the 14th Gaijatra and Pride Parade and only lit lamps in memory of the deceased. In this moment of sorrow, we wished for peace for their souls,’ she said.

At the same program, Member of Parliament Bhumika Shrestha, representing the community, stated that since the country is engulfed in disaster and many community friends across the country lost their lives prematurely, it was their duty to remember them by lighting candles in their memory. Mentioning that the problems and issues of the community still need to be resolved, she wished for everyone to have increased self-confidence on this occasion.

Umisha (Umesh) Pandey, Chairperson of the Blue Diamond Society, stated that although they usually celebrate the Gaijatra Pride Parade grandly, this time, considering the country’s sorrowful situation, they remembered the deceased by lighting lamps.

‘In the past year, we lost 12 community friends who were in contact with us. The devastating flood caused even greater damage. In such a situation, we simply lit lamps in memory of the deceased,’ she said.

On that occasion, it was announced that one hundred thousand rupees would be donated from the Society to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, informed Manisha Dhakal, Executive Director of the organization.

She stated that due to the great disaster that struck the country, they could not celebrate the Gaijatra Pride Parade with enthusiasm, and therefore remembered the deceased by lighting lamps and donating one hundred thousand rupees to the state treasury.

For more: Nepal’s LGBTIQA+ Community Pivots Gaijatra Pride