Authorities have found more than 100 foreigners from 18 different countries living suspiciously in the Simli forest of Ghodaghoadi-9, Kailali, for the past week.
According to reports, they engaged in odd activities without authorization. Identifying themselves as the “Rainbow Family Gathering,” Gogan Bahadur Hamal, the Chief District Officer of Kailali, has now given the gathering 24-hour notice to leave the area.
Rainbow family gathering and hippie culture
The Rainbow Family Gathering is a loosely structured, global group of people that gather in isolated natural areas to celebrate alternative lifestyles, peace, love, and harmony.
The American counterculture of the 1970s influenced the movement, drawing from Native American customs, communal living, and a distaste for materialism and contemporary social systems.
These events, which occur in many nations across the world, can run for weeks and are entirely non-commercial—that is, no money is traded—with participants depending on pooling resources, food, and housing.
In order to promote harmony and a sense of community, participants participate in spiritual practices like yoga, drum circles, chanting, meditation, and nature-based ceremonies.
Rainbow Gatherings have encountered opposition and legal issues in a number of nations, despite their nonviolent beliefs. Because of the lack of infrastructure, authorities frequently voice worries about unregulated activities, the impact on the environment, unlawful camping, drug use, and health dangers.
Local governments occasionally consider the meetings to be disruptive and illegal, which can result in evictions or legal action, even though many attendees perceive them as a haven for spiritual discovery and personal freedom.
Foreigners “Rainbow family gathering” in Kailali
Although the purpose of these gatherings is to promote peace, unregulated activities, environmental problems, and legal difficulties frequently draw the attention of local authorities.
Authorities in Kailali expressed concern after observing that the foreigners were participating in strange activities without authorization. Gogan Bahadur Hamal, the Chief District Officer of Kailali, responded by giving the group a 24-hour notice to vacate the region.
Such incidents demonstrate the continuous conflict between municipal laws and alternative cultural groups. Although hippie culture and the Rainbow Family Gathering promote independence and community living, their presence in other countries can occasionally result in social and legal issues, particularly when they fail to communicate with local communities or governments.
Hippie Trail Nostalgia lives on in Kathmandu
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Hippie Trail was a well-liked overland route that connected Istanbul and Kathmandu. Adventurous tourists passed the route through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India before arriving in Nepal. Traveling back then was simple, and there were no tight visa requirements or safety worries, so people could move around freely.
Thousands of hippies sought a new lifestyle in Kathmandu in the middle of the 1960s. Inspired by Eastern religions, meditation, and inner serenity, many sought spiritual enlightenment.
Others wanted independence and a way out of violence and materialism, particularly the Vietnam violence, which they vehemently opposed. While some were only seeking adventure and self-discovery, others saw leaving home as a means of escaping the norms and expectations of Western culture.
To avoid being enlisted in the war, many young Americans fled. Representing the true essence of the hippie subculture, these travelers often arrived in trucks, buses, and vans painted in vibrant colors, draped in psychedelic hues, and blasting music by artists like Van Morrison and Bob Dylan.
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