“I am here today to preserve and celebrate our Hindu religion. The earthquake was God’s decision and we need to accept that. No matter how much we hurt, we should never forget our traditions. It is what we are passing on to our younger generations.”
Photo: Sven Wolters
“I work as a rickshaw driver in Kathmandu because my village in Sindhupalchowk was destroyed during the earthquake. Normally I earn 1000 to 1500 rupees a day. Now it is already noon and I have not earned a single one.
“But it is okay because Holi has brought me immeasurable happiness. It makes me forget for a short time all the destruction here in Basantapur and in my home village.”
Photo: Sven Wolters
“Durbar Square is on my daily route for picking waste. I feel numb seeing these destroyed temples every day. The place where I used to sleep also collapsed during the earthquake. But today I am not fearful and not even hungry. My stomach is filled with happiness, fun and celebration.”
Photo: Sven Wolters
“When I was young, there were no readymade colours and water pistols for Holi. I had to collect them from leaves of different plants. And I built a pipe to shoot water out of bamboo.
“But now I am old and only come here to take pictures for my grandchildren. They need to know about the tradition of their ancestors. And they need to see that despite the destruction, despite the buildings barely supported by a pole which could fall down any second, despite the fear, we are celebrating.”
Photo: Sven Wolters
“If you go to my village now, Gerkhu, in Nuwakot district, people act as if it is somehow a normal situation. They have managed to live in congested temporary shelters, by reusing material taken out from collapsed buildings. They have started playing cards and going to the tea-shops to discuss politics. This is why I say Nepali society is different from other societies in the world.
“I could say that my society is a society of resilience. They can, and have to, cope with any difficult situation they face. Since there is an absence of government in rural areas, people have to manage their day-to-day life on their own even during and after every crisis. While doing so, they generally rely on their own limited resources and skills.
“Villagers were able to cope on their own with the post-earthquake rebuilding because most of the houses were made with locally available materials and skills. Villagers just took the zinc sheet roofs from the collapsed houses, and reused them as temporary shelters. Even if the zinc was not reusable, and they had to buy it, this was not very difficult or costly, as villagers could go to the market and spend just 12,000 to 15,000 rupees. Most of the wood used in the old house could be reused. That would not be the case if they had modern houses. If it was a concrete house, it would be very difficult for villagers to cope with the situation.
“However, the media and politicians pose the idea to the villagers that they need to have concrete buildings. But how, if you are building a house on top of a hill with no road access? You have to carry sand, cement, steel, glass and what not. This sort of house costs at least a couple of million Nepalese rupees. But the villagers are getting a government grant of NPR 200,000 [approximately £1,265]. That is why the only option remaining for villagers is to go for modified traditional houses, which allow them to mobilise most of the money at the village level, to hire local labourers, masons and carpenters, and to buy local construction material like clay, uncooked bricks, stones, raw timber. This will not only ensure sustainable reconstruction but also revive the rural economy of Nepal by creating more jobs at a local level.”
Photo: Patrick Ward
“Waiting for others to help us with our wants and desires will only hold us back. My family and me are ready to work hard to secure our future. We are ready to sweat to overcome the pain of this disaster.”
Photo: Unnat Sapkota
“I was the only person to be injured in my neighbourhood. I was trying to save my elderly aunt when the wall fell on me. Thankfully, she was not hurt. But I spent three months in bed. I could not even move for the first 13 days. I thought my life was over. I am diabetic, so the doctor could not operate on my leg and back quickly. Months have passed now, but I am still in pain. I can’t sit in one place for long. My leg is still swollen. I have to go to the hospital for monthly check-ups and I have to bear all the medical expenses myself. I have started going back to work now. I have to have an operation soon on my leg, and another one on my back. After that, I am hopeful things will get better.”
“Engineers pasted red stickers on our house, marking it unsafe. But we repaired it on our own. We had to move back in because it was difficult to live under a tin roof once the winter began. I am not sure if the house is safe now or what will happen if there is another earthquake. We live in fear. All I can do is pray to the lord to keep my family safe.”
Photo: Deepa Poudyal
“He was in the army. We were completely smitten with each other and eloped. We had four beautiful children before he got posted to Kathmandu and got involved with someone else. Now the only time he speaks to me is to fight with me. He says I was whoring around the village and that the children are not his. He doesn’t help with their education, he doesn’t provide for anything, and he took away the relief money the government gave after the earthquake.”
“I am the director of a company operating in the tourism sector. The drafting of the new constitution opened many doors and new opportunities, and we were planning a new beginning. But then came the blockade and fuel crisis. They damaged my business ten times more than the earthquake. No tourists wants to enter the country now. My company is still waiting to receive compensation from the government. We are suffering heavy losses each day, but we still have to pay our banks loans, rent, staff salaries, electricity bills…”
Photo: Mandira Dulal
