Now that the big earthquake is slowly behind us (obviously not for everybody), I wonder what will it leave behind and where will it take Nepal – its politics, economic struggles, culture, and collective conscience. But, before we answer these questions, I keep thinking about the phrase “nabbe saal ko bhukampa” that my grandparents said to me time and again when I was small. That phrase keeps ringing in my ears now and I don’t know why and frankly don’t know the significance of it. They also told me that big earthquake was God’s test of our resolve. I never bought that argument and never made sense to me. If God wants to test us, why doesn’t he (or she) simply ask us to take a written exam. Moreover, why does God have to test our resolve and for what purpose?
Whatever the reason for the earthquake, it happened and we have to deal with it. People like us who live outside Nepal dealt it with profound sadness, guilt for not being there, and helplessness. All we could do was stare at social media and listen cable news, and radio. We consoled each other by sharing our grief with friends and relatives. Some of us prayed, cried, and wept. We were swept with even greater sense of nationalism than before. Many of us became virtual volunteers to raise money for relief and found consolation while doing it.
I have no idea how people in Nepal are dealing with it. I cannot even imagine for that matter and express it here. On one hand, we hear about remote villages wiped off the map with unimaginable casualties. On the other hand, we hear about heroics and comradery of everyday people on the ground. Slowly and surely, things will return to normal and it has to. Like me, many of you will know when that happens by looking at posts in social media. Instead of images of destruction, friends will again start posting pictures of rebuilding their homes and temples. They will start asking if their favorite momo or sekuwa restaurant is open for business. Pictures of marriage ceremonies and birthdays that were postponed will start popping up.
Tourists will start flocking to cities and trekking routes again. Langtang may have been destroyed, but the scenery has not. Dharahara may have fallen, but famous durbar squares are standing tall. Everest may have shortened a bit as they say, but who is measuring. Tourists will bring their friends and families to Nepal for the same reason I took my family to New Orleans recently to enjoy its rich cultural heritage and not to see destroyed wards and house. Sounds selfish but true.
Country’s politics will be back in full swing too. Newspapers will be rife with rumors about which politicians pocketed how much relief aid. Nepal bandha will slowly creep in because of that. I’m sure political opponents are already planning it. Besides, that is our traditions now so do not let it go away.
We were wounded by this great earthquake, so it will be a visible scar in our lives. But, it failed to defeat and crush us. We will build the villages and cities bit by bit, like our grandparents did after 1934 earthquake. That is our resolve. Moving forward, we have two clear choices. We can either let the status quo (right before the earthquake) to continue or change the course for a better future. The choice is ours and only ours to make.
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Rajat Rajbhandari lives in US with his wife and two toddlers. He can be reached at @rrajbh or rrajbh@gmail.com
Now that the big earthquake is slowly behind us (obviously not for everybody), I wonder what will it leave behind and where will it take Nepal – its politics, economic struggles, culture, and collective conscience. But, before we answer these questions, I keep thinking about the phrase “nabbe saal ko bhukampa” that my grandparents said to me time and again when I was small. That phrase keeps ringing in my ears now and I don’t know why and frankly don’t know the significance of it. They also told me that big earthquake was God’s test of our resolve. I never bought that argument and never made sense to me. If God wants to test us, why doesn’t he (or she) simply ask us to take a written exam. Moreover, why does God have to test our resolve and for what purpose?
Whatever the reason for the earthquake, it happened and we have to deal with it. People like us who live outside Nepal dealt it with profound sadness, guilt for not being there, and helplessness. All we could do was stare at social media and listen cable news, and radio. We consoled each other by sharing our grief with friends and relatives. Some of us prayed, cried, and wept. We were swept with even greater sense of nationalism than before. Many of us became virtual volunteers to raise money for relief and found consolation while doing it.
I have no idea how people in Nepal are dealing with it. I cannot even imagine for that matter and express it here. On one hand, we hear about remote villages wiped off the map with unimaginable casualties. On the other hand, we hear about heroics and comradery of everyday people on the ground. Slowly and surely, things will return to normal and it has to. Like me, many of you will know when that happens by looking at posts in social media. Instead of images of destruction, friends will again start posting pictures of rebuilding their homes and temples. They will start asking if their favorite momo or sekuwa restaurant is open for business. Pictures of marriage ceremonies and birthdays that were postponed will start popping up.
Tourists will start flocking to cities and trekking routes again. Langtang may have been destroyed, but the scenery has not. Dharahara may have fallen, but famous durbar squares are standing tall. Everest may have shortened a bit as they say, but who is measuring. Tourists will bring their friends and families to Nepal for the same reason I took my family to New Orleans recently to enjoy its rich cultural heritage and not to see destroyed wards and house. Sounds selfish but true.
Country’s politics will be back in full swing too. Newspapers will be rife with rumors about which politicians pocketed how much relief aid. Nepal bandha will slowly creep in because of that. I’m sure political opponents are already planning it. Besides, that is our traditions now so do not let it go away.
We were wounded by this great earthquake, so it will be a visible scar in our lives. But, it failed to defeat and crush us. We will build the villages and cities bit by bit, like our grandparents did after 1934 earthquake. That is our resolve. Moving forward, we have two clear choices. We can either let the status quo (right before the earthquake) to continue or change the course for a better future. The choice is ours and only ours to make.
Rajat Rajbhandari lives in US with his wife and two toddlers. He can be reached at @rrajbh or rrajbh@gmail.com
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