Compassion vs. Passion

This lady has put up her bird feed and incense stall in Janabahaa near the main gate, and supports a family with this occupation.

She does brisk business all day long, selling a basket of grains for Rs. 30 to devotees, who feed them passionately to pigeons -- an act of earning good karma.

Neither the devotees nor this lady spend much time thinking about the ill effect that bird-feeding has in the cleanliness of Janabahaa. The high number of devotees who wish to earn good karma by feeding the pigeons in Janabahaa every day contributes to an uncontrolled growth in the pigeon population. The droppings of the burgeoning bird population makes it almost impossible to keep the area clean.

There are many who feel compassionate for those who scrape up a living off of Janabahaa,. Their compassion, however, is in direct conflict with those who are passionate about keeping Janabahaa clean.

Note: among the many names of Janabahaa Dyo, the most popular one is Karunamaya, the Compassionate One.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.