What I’ve learnt from the earthquake

KATHMANDU, June 1: The after effects of disaster include lessons learnt and new perspectives in life. Our lives have been pretty shaken by the earthquake, its aftershocks and the upheavals brought out by the calamity.

But through it all, we've gained a new outlook in life and realized what the things we really value are, whether they are our families, friends, or careers. Our celebrities also share their new lessons with us.

Reema Bishwokarma, actor

Rather than something new, this earthquake was an opportunity for me to acknowledge certain things I've always known. Like keeping in touch with family and friends. These days, I've started making regular calls to my friends and I've even called up my school friends to ask how they're doing. I've certainly realized that you never know which moment could be your last. So let us celebrate our lives and let our special ones know how much they are loved. I was also impressed with the work that our young people did. They passed their energy and motivation on to me.

Kali Prasad Baskota, musician

The biggest lesson I've learnt from the past month is that it's no use if you're the only one alive. Aafu matrai bachera kaam chaina. There are many people with dreams and careers of their own, but when tragedy struck, everyone was doing the best they could to check on their families and relatives. That made me think that we are all in this together and we should help each other out.

Astha Raut, singer

People's nature doesn't change very easily, I know. And I was always of the opinion that young people complain too much but don't do anything. However, I saw that they were the ones who really rallied and did everything possible to ease the suffering all around. This changed my perception of them. I felt really proud of their actions. At the end of the day, we should remember humanity instead of caste or religion.

Deepak Raj Giri, Actor

Prior to the earthquake, we were infamous for pulling each other's legs. We were conceited and intolerant at times. But after the quake, I was pleased to see how people, forgetting their own misery were helping others. Their own houses were cracked yet they were helping to build their neighbor's house. Ironically, a chairman was sleeping on the same floor with his peon. So I guess that's something beautiful this quake gave us. It brought us down to earth and brought out the real human within us.

Talking about myself, I used to be so busy before the quake. I had shows and movies to shoot for and there were some more projects coming in. I was always thinking about myself; but now, since all of my projects have halted, I have plenty of time to spend. These days, I go to schools and other places to motivate people and make them happy. I guess this is the opportunity given to me to think about others and help them.

Mohammad Nazir Hussain, actor

I really missed being on stage this past month. The earthquake made me realize how deeply I value my art and career. I was supposed to put up a solo performance on April 27 with a play called 'Pablo' but of course everything went haywire due to the big quake. After my family and friends, my career was a big point of worry for me. I'm just grateful to be back in theater, rehearsing for a new play these days. 'Pablo' will also be staged soon and I'm planning to give some part of the proceeds to my friend who's working in a school in Sindhupalchowk. The fund will go toward helping collect books and building a library.