Dubious blessings

Today is the tenth and main day of the Dashain festival. It’s the day when the father of the family gives tika (a red splat of dyed rice on the forehead), jamara (barley shoots tucked behind the ear) and his blessing. This is accompanied by a modest cash gift to the recipients. Nepalese astrologers advised the nation today that the “most auspicious” (auspicious is a greatly-used word over here) time to deliver this is at 10.47 a.m. Not being into astrology - or the Hindu faith for that matter - I went ahead and delivered my rather questionable blessings to the children at the refuge at 9.00 a.m. This gives some semblance of family life to the 50 or so children who have no relatives to be with at this time. For most it’s a bit of fun and all benefited to the tune of 10 rupees each (about 8p). However two of the children were in tears, with the ceremony no doubt reminding them of their being abandoned or unwanted by natural family. This made my presence there all the more important. It also reminded me that our facilities can never substitute for a “home” and should only ever serve as a safety net for kids who would otherwise be on the streets, vulnerable to being re-trafficked or at risk of further abuse.