Suman Tiwari, 11 October. Across Nepal, the arrival of Ghatasthapana marks the beginning of a familiar and cherished season. Families prepare for Navaratri, plant jamara, clean their homes and begin counting the days until Dashain brings relatives together. From towns and villages across Madhesh to communities throughout Nepal, markets grow busier, travel plans take shape, and conversations turn to new clothes, family gatherings and the journey home.
For many Nepalis, Dashain is a time of reunion, blessings, memories and belonging.
Yet something about the way we celebrate has quietly changed.
Alongside traditional preparations, another part of festival life now unfolds on our phones. A daughter working abroad calls her parents to discuss Dashain plans. A brother sends money home. Families order clothes and gifts online, compare travel options and exchange photographs through messaging applications.
Technology has not replaced the traditions of Dashain. In many ways, it has made participating in them easier, particularly for families separated by distance. But the same convenience that brings people closer can also create opportunities for deception.
When Familiar Messages Are Not What They Seem
Imagine receiving a message during festival preparations. It appears to come from a relative travelling home who urgently needs money. The profile photograph looks familiar. The request seems believable.
Would you send the money immediately?
Many people might, not because they are careless, but because the message appears to come from someone they trust.
That is what makes online deception troubling. Fraudsters do not always need sophisticated technology. Sometimes they exploit ordinary emotions: concern for a family member, excitement about a bargain or pressure to act quickly.
A social media account can be impersonated. An attractive shopping advertisement can lead to a fraudulent seller. A message claiming to be from a bank or digital wallet may direct someone to an unfamiliar link.
Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau has warned about online shopping fraud, compromised social media accounts being used to request money, and fraudulent banking or wallet messages designed to obtain one-time passwords.
Such problems exist throughout the year, not only during festivals. Dashain simply offers a timely reminder that even ordinary trust can be misused online.
When a Festival Bargain Looks Too Good
Festival shopping is part of the excitement of Dashain, and online marketplaces make it easier to compare products and order gifts.
But an attractive offer deserves a second look when the price seems unusually low, the seller demands immediate advance payment or the business is difficult to verify.
The answer is not to abandon online shopping. It is to treat an unfamiliar online seller with the same care we would exercise with an unknown seller in a physical market.
A Small Pause Can Make a Big Difference
Digital safety does not always require technical expertise.
Consider one simple habit: pause, verify and then proceed.
If an unusual message asks for money, call the person using a number you already know. If a message claims that your bank account or digital wallet needs urgent verification, open the official application yourself instead of following an unfamiliar link. And if someone asks for your password or one-time password, do not share it.
The message says there is no time to think. The safer response is to take a moment anyway.
Being careful does not mean becoming suspicious of everyone. It means taking a moment to check.
Looking After One Another
Digital technology has also changed how families experience Dashain across distance. A video call may not replace sitting beside parents for tika and blessings, but it can still bring familiar faces into the room.
For families with relatives living or working across the Nepal–India border, or farther away in the Gulf, Europe, Australia and elsewhere, phones can help keep family members part of the celebration even when they cannot return home.
That connection provides another opportunity: looking after one another online.
An elderly parent may be comfortable with a video call but unfamiliar with a suspicious account-verification message. A younger relative may shop online confidently but still fail to recognise an impersonated social media account.
No generation is immune to deception, and no generation should be made to feel embarrassed for asking questions.
Dashain brings generations together. A conversation about digital safety need not become a lecture. It might begin over tea with a simple question: Have you ever received a strange message asking for money?
Sometimes, helping someone check an unfamiliar message is enough.
The essence of Navaratri and Dashain lies in faith, family, blessings, generosity and the relationships that hold communities together. Digital tools have become another way of maintaining those relationships, especially across distance.
As celebrations increasingly extend from our homes to our phones, looking after one another has acquired a digital dimension too. A moment spent checking a message, verifying a request or helping a family member recognise something suspicious need not diminish the spirit of the festival.
It may simply be another way of looking after one another.
