KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, August 30, 2023 (Free Malaysia Today): For the many migrant workers who have traveled from Nepal to Malaysia in search of better wages and opportunities, spending nights alone without the company of their loved ones has become part of their lives. That loneliness can play on their minds and, without the love of their families, there is a danger they may turn to alcohol and even drugs. To help them overcome their loneliness, a group of Malaysian-Nepali women performed a Raksha Bandhan ceremony at the Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar temple at Brickfields, here, on Sunday. Raksha Bandhan is a ceremony performed by Hindus and Sikhs to celebrate the bond of love between brother and sister. The ritual is performed annually at the end of August and is widely celebrated in Nepal, Bangladesh, parts of India, and also among a small segment of Indians in Malaysia.

Shankar Bahadur Poudel, a representative of the Nepali society in Malaysia, said the celebration today was intended to show Nepali workers in the country that they are part of a community they can count on. Shankar, a Malaysian, said the celebration was to give a sense of family to the Nepali workers who have left their homes behind to earn a living. “We want them to know that we acknowledge their presence here in Malaysia, and that they are not alone,” he said. The ceremony itself is colorful and begins with all participants singing religious songs in Sanskrit, called bhajans. This is followed by the women offering a short prayer for the men’s wellbeing. Then, applying bindi (commonly known here as the pottu) on their foreheads, the women feed the men with sweets. They also tie a red thread with golden ornaments, or a rakhi, on the men’s right wrist to signify the bond between brother and sister.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2023/08/30/nepalis-bring-comfort-to-migrant-workers-with-family-ritual/

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