Picture courtesy: New Spotlight Online.

On every month of Asar (15) in the Bikram Sambat Calendar this festivity earmarks the time when the farmers plant new seedling of paddy crops.This year,however with the arrival of pre-monsoon rains striked a huge grin onto their faces.

The government too has affirmed the tradition since 2005, as from then this day is being annually observed all over the country as,'National Rice Plantation/ Paddy Day'.

Apart from the farmers, who look upto this day to rejoice in the harvest whilst singing asare geet ,dancing over,smearing mud to one another and then relishing on dahi-chiura, a popular treat eaten on this day to recgarge the wornout farmers.This merriment part,actually attracts a lot of people where over the years various programmes were organised like playing games in the wet muddy fields ,among others. 

But in the light of the pandemic,just like the previous year the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has publicise a new guideline to carry on the agricultural task but with limited number of people while maintaining proper physical distancing,wearing face mask and other health protocols. 

With all that being said,let's go through this old archived photos from a Japanese national Koji Okamoto who had clicked this pictures in the year 1972 that clearly pictures the paddy cultivation culture in Lakeside,Pokhara. 

Note all the pictures are owned by Koji Okamoto. 

Meanwhile, as per the news reported in 'The Rising Nepal' in Pokhara Metropolitan City paddy is planted across 11,000 hectares of land .