The day had started late with unnatural coolness and a heavy
head. Maybe it was the late night movies and herbs, acting hard on me. I
remembered Osho’s saying, “Laugh when you wake up, and laugh at the death that couldn’t
conquer you last night; laugh and start the day as if it were the first day of
your life.” I was smiling but it wasn’t for defeating the death last night but
remembering “pari tyo dada ma hera gham lagyo gamailo….,” maybe the herbs were
still acting on me. At around 11:30 I bid goodbye to my host last night, and
set out to home with uncle. He was driving and it was a smooth ride. He was
talking about his plans for the day and I was rumbling ideas for the two
company’s business profile I had to prepare as soon as I get home, in my mind. At
11:55 we had passed Chabahil and I exactly remember the place where the tremor
started. In front of daffodil school, I was lying on the ground, couldn’t stand
on my feet, partly due to trembling surface and partly due to shock maybe. To be
honest I had never felt an earthquake before, everyone would run and shout announcing
the quake and I would wonder why I never feel it. Still once I remember waking
up realizing my bed trembling, I was so sure it was an earthquake only to find
out it was my brother’s prank. So lots of disappointments had struck to me
before this earthquake struck. People were running to safe places, open lawns
and fields, unfortunately very less area sanctioned for that and surrounded by
walls which was the first to fall off as quake hit the land. But I couldn’t run
or think of anything. My mind froze with shock, it was fear but more of it was realization.
My eyes were looking up at the 5 storied building swinging like a swing and I knew
that my life at that moment depended on the engineering of that building. If it
falls, it’s going to smash me so hard that no one’s going to find my bones. This
horror brought me to senses and somehow I was able to stand in my feet and run
in the opposite direction. Walls fell as I ran, people’s screaming all over and
praying. I halted in an open grounded and sat down. I saw around to find the more
than hundred people in that lawn each praying for Rama and Krishna to bestow
mercy upon them. The tremor had already stopped but the horror wasn’t going to
end so soon. I looked above to the gigantic houses around, “Fortunately not
much damage,” I thought. Then a cry of pain gathered everyone’s attention. Three
women’s were carried to the lawn and one was weeping sorely. A mother and her
two daughters were watching T.V when the quake struck and the roof fell over as
they were trying to run outside. Luckily they were not much hurt except for the
youngest daughter’s leg that was bleeding her out. Everyone started trying
phone calls but the network was down. Suddenly my phone rang, it was my dad’s
call and I felt re-energized (just now a tremor was felt, as I write it down. Everyone
is out of their houses recalling all reminiscence), knowing everyone was all
right. Till then everyone including me was thinking that it was just an
earthquake, who would have known this event had the impact that shall never be
forgotten. Then people started moving and news circulated. “The Sattale is no
more, it killed hundreds of people with it”, someone said; “my house fell off”,
said another “along with my neighbor’s”. People were slowly starting to scatter
when the tremor started again. Everyone ran to the lawn again, it was the safe haven.
Their house was now enemy which was now a killer and open land was the shelter.
We stayed there for a while. Uncle was worried about his family and the phone
connection was off, maybe the towers were down. So he decided to go back home. I
was near home so I agreed to walk. He promised to call after reaching and I bid
him goodbye. As I walked, the real picture of disaster came in front of my
eyes. A five storied building had turned upside down in Faika, people were
smashed behind it. Lots of houses lost its roofs and fixtures. Every houses
were cracked and abandoned.
As I reached home, I found all my neighbors and family
members in the lawn just outside of my house. I always hated my house being so far
from the main city, but today my feelings on that matter were different. I looked
around the neighborhood, everything was intact except for some minor cracks. Everyone
started to share their stories and theories. Dad narrated how he was on the
lawn near home when the trembling started. He said that a women working nearby
was so scared that she ran over and hold her so tight that they both fell on
the mud. But he was concerned about Binay who was on the third floor of the
house. Dad said that he shouted calling Binay to come out and was relieved when
he saw him in the lawn. Binay said that he was at the kitchen making sarbat and
everything started to fall down from the racks. He said that the house was
shaking and swinging like a swing and he unconsciously ran downstairs. Aama was
at Pashupati that day for a puja. We finally got connected to her and were
relieved to know that she was all right. All the people shared their part of
experiences to each other. The aftershock was still on. At each shake the
people would hold the ground and cry god’s name. Ten or fifteen small
earthquakes were already felt after the largest one. After the primary quiver
was over, people starting searching for facts. Radio was the reliable medium. The
internet or television told be the most effective means of communication were
of no use. Radio described the earthquake to be of 7.8 Rector Scale at exactly
11:56 am, 12th Baisakh 2072, Saturday, epicenter at Barpark, Gorkha.
The earthquake was largest since 1990’s earthquake. Then came the detail of
disaster that quivered the heart of Nepali people with gloom and grief. The earthquake
had destroyed the capital and other seven districts nearby. Thousands of people
were estimated to have died and property worth of millions was destroyed. Then came
the news, the Dharahara had fallen killing sixty people with it, Darbar squares
were destroyed and it was taken as the biggest disaster the country had seen in
this century. The earthquake had returned after 82 years with equal force but
larger was the destruction.
No one dared to stay at home and large tents were prepared
at the lawns for the night. Our whole neighborhood was there, inside that tent,
sharing with each other. The aftershock continued, and is continuing still
today. We stayed four days in the tent and returned home despite of minor
earthquakes. Statistics show that the city was hit by the earthquake for more
than thousand times since Saturday. Data show that more than eight thousands
people are found dead and more than sixteen thousands people are wounded till
today. More than a hundred thousands of people are living in tents still today.
Apart from the news of disaster lots of other news came forward slowly after
the phone and internet connectivity. People all over the world sympathized for
what we went through, donations and relief materials came from all over the
world. But how unfortunate we are, the ever known problem of poor leadership in
our country hit us and the relief couldn’t reach the people in time. Controversies
relating to Indian Army and Indian Media, personnel of German embassy trying to
flee the criminal of German nationality and lots of other nations who sent
delegates only for the sake of their citizens were disappointing. Apart of
these events participation of people from all over the world in the relief
distribution and serving the earthquake victims was appreciable. The participation
of armies and youth in these matters were remarkable. It felt bad that more
than a hundred thousand people left the valley when their help could be life savior
and some half-wit people posting rumors and selfies all over the internet was
equally disgusting. Social media played a vital role in this crucial
situations. Facebook launched an app for marking you and your family safe was a
very noble and mentionable idea indeed. In these 18 days we felt horror of
death, saw disasters and destructions, witnessed miracles and its still not
over yet. Now the most crucial task awaits, the task of reconstruction. Reconstruction
of not only houses and cities but of lives that the cruel disaster destroyed. I
hope the disaster doesn’t turn out to be a political weapon only and Nepali
people shall get the life and stability back.
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