On November 4, 2023, the Sagarmatha Gurkha Nepalese Community celebrated the Hindu festival Dashain and Tihar at St. Simon Church Hall in Ashford, Kent.
The program’s chief guest was the former Right Honourable Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green, MP, and Ashford Borough Council Mayor, Cllr. Larry Krause, who expressed their best wishes. Dashain is a Hindu festival, but it is also celebrated by non-Hindu Nepalese people, and they come together every year. According to the Hindu calendar, this year’s main day for Tika was on October 24. However, Hindu Nepalese people celebrate it for 15 days.
The community felicitated a few individuals, including Mr. Bhim Tumbahamphe, who has been looking after elder ex-British Army Gurkhas and their families in Ashford for a long time. Tumbahamphe is a founding member of the Gurkha Peace Foundation, and his foundation runs a drop-in clinic session every Thursday morning at St. Francis Church Hall to provide medical information, language translation, foster friendships with local people, and offer support on immigration matters for ex-Gurkhas.
The celebration program had both a formal and an entertainment phase. It featured various cultural dances, including the famous Gurkha Khukuri dance. The British Nepalese society boasts ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity, with the majority being Buddhist, Kirat, and Hindu. However, they come together in cultural harmony to celebrate Dashain and the light festival Tihar.
The Gurkha Nepalese community used this occasion to establish public relationships. The Chairperson, Dammar Singkok, urged everyone to celebrate Dashain to renew their relationships with each other. The program was overseen by the General Secretary, Ramprasad Limbu, and welcome speeches were delivered by Mohan Limbu and Mrs. Basundhara Rai.
