‘It is not just me in this situation. The whole of Nepal is facing the same tragedy’

10 Oct 2015

‘It is not just me in this situation. The whole of Nepal is facing the same tragedy’

By Mandira Dulal

“This is where my house stood. I built it myself. I got married here. My seven children grew up here. My parents took their last breath here. So when I walk around it now, it is like I am walking around a piece of my destroyed heart. After the earthquake, we spent some days in a tent provided by the Red Cross, some days in a hut, and some in a buffalo shed. Now we live a very congested life, renting a small room. But I still use the courtyard of my house for the bathroom and for water. My sons and I want to build a new house. We have about Rs 300,000, but that is not enough. I don’t expect any compensation money from the government, but if the government can provide us loans, it would make our lives easy. My sons are ready to take on the loans. But it is not just me in this situation. The whole of Nepal is facing the same tragedy.”

Photo: Mandira Dulal

05 Oct 2015

‘When my husband appeared, covered in dust, it was the most miraculous moment of my life’

By Enika Rai

“I had a house and a shop in the market area. Now I live in this shelter. I sew clothes here. When I had to move in here with my family, I cried for almost a month. There is nothing here. No ceiling, no floor, no furniture. It’s hard to sleep on the cold ground. It’s hard to care for my family. But then I remember the day of the earthquake. I was cutting cloth in my shop when the earth shook. At first, I ignored it. But then I ran out when I felt how massive it was. I had left my husband in our house. I was scared for him because our house is quite old. I tried to run home, but I couldn’t. The road was blocked with rubble from destroyed houses. I screamed and I cried. After half an hour or so, my husband found me. He was covered with dust, and without slippers on his feet. When he appeared in front of me, it was like a fairytale. It was the most miraculous moment of my life.”

Photo: Unnat Sapkota

04 Oct 2015

‘I was home when the earthquake hit. Coming back here is the scariest thing I have done’

By Namita Rao

“After the earthquake, we lived in tents for two months. I saw a post on Facebook that said there was going to be a volcanic eruption in Kathmandu soon. All I could think then was about moving away from this valley. I feared this place. I was paranoid about the future, about disasters that might follow. Then two counsellors visited the camp. They said everyone reacts to a natural calamity differently. Some get headaches, some have nausea, some sleep poorly, some sleep well, some eat little, others eat a lot. The place where we were when the earthquake hit is the place that terrifies us the most. The counsellors asked us to go to those places and face our fears. I was at home when the first earthquake hit. Coming back here is the scariest thing I have done. What the counsellors said makes sense. It has taken me a long time, but I am in a much better place now.”

Photo: Namita Rao

22 Sep 2015

‘We were friends before, but were not so close’

By Aman Jaswal

“We were friends before, but were not so close. We were busy with our own lives. We used to talk when we met each other. But one thing I am happy about is that the earthquake has shown us the importance of life. I worry about Vijay when he is not around and there is an aftershock. I think he does that, too.”

At https://www.housebuyers.app/oregon/house-buyers-near-me-roseburg-or/, you can connect with experienced home buyers who can provide a fair cash offer for your New Mexico property.

Photo: Aman Jaswal

17 Sep 2015

‘Sometimes when Emisha asks about her mother, silence kills us both’

By Mandira Dulal

“Her name was Mithu, Mithu Parajuli. You know what Mithu means? Mithu means ‘sweet’. My sister was sweet to everyone, but she was not sweet enough for God. That’s why God gave her a cruel death. She was inside the rubble for two days. It took nine years for her to build a happy family, with a son and a daughter. But it didn’t take even a second to destroy that happiness. Her husband was injured, her children lost their mother. Of the two, I brought Emisha with me. When I look into this little girl’s face, I see my sister. Sometimes when Emisha asks about her mother, silence kills us both.”

Photo: Mandira Dulal

16 Sep 2015

‘They put on a brave face to help other people, but they have private disasters of their own’

By Namita Rao

“One of the things about disasters is that people tend to forget that those who make the decisions, people in the government and local leaders, have experienced the same disaster too. Their families, their homes have all been affected. Yet they are still out there as public servants, doing their job. They put on a brave face to help other people, but they have private disasters of their own.”

Photo: Ritu Panchal

More Posts