The Tharu women in Chitwan are preparing to observe the Jitiya, a festival equivalent to Teej, which involves fasting, singing and dancing. This year, the festival falls on Sunday.

On Friday, the local Tharu Welfare Committee organised a cultural show to mark the festival. One of the songs performed in the programme carried a message about precautions to escape dengue.

“As the festival is about fostering communal harmony, we thought it would be fair to include a song about dengue in the cultural show,” said Ritu Chaudhary, a member of the local teenagers’ club.

While the locals are concerned about the outbreak of dengue all over the country, they are not deterred.

“The disease has troubled many, so we wanted to spread awareness through the song to sensitise the people about dengue,” said Garima Chaudhary, another member of a teenagers’ club.

The song was composed by the teenage girls from the club. Other songs with themes against domestic violence and dowry system were also performed at the programme.

Meanwhile, a team from Dhobaha in Madi came up with songs about wild tuskers’ terror and floods.

“Just like how Teej songs focus on issues that concern women and society as a whole, Jitiya songs also do the same,” said Janaki Mahto, a resident of Dhobaha. “The songs can be about anything, from wildlife terror to awareness about diseases.”

The festival is observed to celebrate the powerful mythical character Jit Bahan, said Rampati Gurau, 60, a local from Madi.