When he heard the news about the earthquakes in April and May, Valli was worried for the Nepali people and the country that was like his second home. He says he felt immense relief seeing that Kathmandu is pretty much intact.In the country to attend the 20th convention of Nepal Association of Tours and Travel Agents (NATTA) to help promote tourism, Valli also visited Pokhara at the invitation of NATTA Western Regional Association on Sunday. He expressed his happiness at seeing that Pokhara was not affected by the tremors.
After the earthquake, Valli visited many villages in the Gorkha District. "Nepalis are very brave. Seeing their courage to move on after the earthquake has encouraged me to make a film on their indomitable spirit," he said. The new film is set to be shot in a remote village in Gorkha.
He informed, "The village is so remote that it takes five days of walking to reach it from the highway. It lacks every kind of facility. Despite the sorrow brought about by the disaster, they have the courage and patience to start anew. That's why the location fit my film perfectly."
Media coverage of the earthquakes also sent wrong information about Nepal to different parts of the world. This prompted people living outside the country to believe that the entire country was greatly affected and in ruins, while in reality only 14 districts were majorly affected. It's important that tourists come to Nepal to find out for themselves that the country is recovering.
He also suggests that the government focus on promoting tourism to revive this industry. "This is an opportune moment to do something good for Nepal. Other countries have faced disasters of their own and have come back stronger. Nepal can do the same if it can overcome the challenges."
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