With our first project we learnt a lot and we sent the supplies with one of our member who was working at the ward at Sindhupalchowk with his team. It was good to get their reports and feedback on what was happening. Just when we had stopped going to the field ourselves, we had a conversation with one of the helpers working at my place. He told us the situation of his family members and village. It was heartbreaking to know that relief had not reached yet. We inquired more about the village and got the supplies arranged from Helping Hands for 30 families.

The village of Dhuseni was not that far, a drive of two and a half hours made us reach there as we crossed the landmarks at Panchkhal and 50 kilo. The off road drive was adventurous but at the same time we entered an area which was badly affected with the earthquake. We could see the landslide which had occurred and the narrower road made it more challenging for us to reach. We carried sacks of rice, chuira, juices, thepla and detergent packets. We also had masks and tents with us.

As we reached our destination, we were introduced to the master and other people of the
village. They told us that they would divide the quantity of supplies among the families equally. Each member of the family stood in line as we gave out kilograms of chuira and rice. We observed didi’s taking the rice on the piece of cloth they were wearing. They put forward the sides of saree, salwar, while kids collected on their shirts. The distribution took a long time as we added the left supplies in their share.

As we got done with giving out all the food materials we went to see the place they were staying at. The houses had collapsed and the ones which were not destroyed completely had cracks. The families were staying at the temporary tents. In a situation like this they offered us coffee and fresh curd. This made us realize once again how warm- hearted and loving we are. The view from the village looked spectacular. As we bid goodbye we crossed a house where everything had come down. It was Jyamdi village. A man had lost his life and the houses for seven families were down. Many livestock were buried inside and the place smelled differently. We could not help them as we had already given all the supplies, but we told them that we would be back soon and spread the word around if anyone else wanted to give relief materials.

The night when we got back home, it started drizzling and I could imagine how the people we met were living. They did not have tents and everything that they had built was damaged. The school books, scientific calculator and bags which were scattered around were the only remains that were left. They were sleeping under the open sky and the rains made it worse. This thought made us go the place again on the weekend.

We purchased tents, rice, chuira, pulses for the people at Jyamdi. As our jeep was carrying more than 500 kilograms of supplies, the tyres got punctured on our way. As we changed the tyres quickly after taking all the sacks outside, we head to Jyamdi area. We gave out tents to the people who had not gotten yet. We were directed to the other wards by the teacher who was a wise man and made sure the supplies were going to the neediest. As we crossed the wards, we were informed that there were organizations that had gotten supplies during the week. The people in the wards wanted us to give out supplies to the others who had gotten no relief. They were satisfied with what they had received.

As we checked each ward, we reached the hilltop at an area named Rampur. We analyzed the needs there, which were for 140 families, but we had materials for 30. As we were deciding on giving out the materials, two trucks with relief materials reached from another organization. We were happy as they had supplies for the whole area. As we drove down, we gave out our supplies to particular families in the nine wards at Jyamdi VDC. We stopped at a school at Deurali named Shree Bagdevi Uccha Mavisha which was destroyed completely. It was sad to see the school in such a condition. The locals asked if we could help rebuild the school. We left some tents for the school as we assured them we would try our best by spreading the word.

The amazing bit was when people were letting us know whose family needed tents. We assumed that it would be really hard to control the crowd with the supplies but our experience was totally different. Their houses had been destroyed but their hearts were surely not.

As we had decided to help with supplies and relief materials on the outskirts, we started with our first project at Panauti. We made a list of things that would be required for 600 people. After hunting for the supplies at a couple of departmental where the stock of chuira and wai wai had ended, we finally managed the amount we needed. With a lot of coordination with the other members, we put together sacks of chuira, cartons of juices and wai wai, energy bars, medicines and clothes. It was late on arranging everything and we postponed the plan for the next day. We wanted to reach immediately as the situation explained to us was really bad. We had problems arranging three things; one was water, the next was tents and transportation.

We took water purifiers with us but the hardest was to get a jeep or pickup van to reach. There were not many people in the city as many had gone back home. The drivers were hard to find and so was the vehicle. After some calls we finally managed the van. The first project taught us many things:

1. The first and most important is to know a local person of the village personally so they can direct on which places the relief is needed and the exact scenario can be understood and known.
2. An assessment of a place that one is heading to is must before taking the supplies.
3. There are a lot of people trying to make the most of the vulnerable situation, by giving out wrong information of the affected people, place and stocking up the provisions. There could be chances of people fighting for goods when it reaches the destination. There are times when the villagers gather around the supplies and want people to leave everything for them even if it is not required and the mass cannot be controlled.
4. The groups need to be ready for leaving the collected supplies at the offices of VDC, so they could distribute it well. It is not necessary to be distributing in hand to the affected on these situations because they have been going through the worst times.
5. The groups should be writing in their experiences on different sites which have been designed for earthquake reporting and the places they have visited so there is no multiple reliefs been taken for the same place. It surely is difficult but at the same time this data would be very useful for non duplication of efforts.
6. Even if one cannot go to the ground, one can send materials with the people they believe are doing ground level work as the main idea is for the supplies to be reached quickly. This made us realize how each citizen is helping each other and we are strongly united.
7. The last thing that we noted was there were a lot of people collecting funds from across the world, and the donators wanted each penny to be used for the relief or given to the affected people. It makes sense when they want a detailed sheet on where the funds have been used, but at the same time they need to understand that there a lot of channels. Once the funds are received, the supplies are purchased, the materials are taken to the required place, and when it is left to the VDC office, there is no guarantee when and how it is given. So, one can collect funds and give it to the people that they trust and this is the most that groups who have collected funds can do transparently. Having said that, we should be doing our bit on how we can help and not judging what is right or wrong.

The tremors and aftershocks were on and all of us wanted to help in our own ways. The ones who were residing abroad for their studies, work were helpless to unite with their families as much as people in Nepal. We could not see our city in tragedy as we wanted to rise with it. We had no idea how we could be of help but each one wanted to lend a hand.

The news channels were showing devastation and damages everywhere that it was hard to believe that the monuments and the heritage sites were no more. The places that we grew with were not the same. Basantpur Durbar Square was in a bad shape, so was Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square. We heard about Swayambhunath, Boudhha and other stupas which were badly damaged but the exact was not known. It was sad to hear that many people lost their lives at churches as the earthquake happened during the mass time.

The outskirts of the area was unimaginable when we saw the villages were washed away because of the earthquake and people had lost everything that they had built. Some could not make it out of their homes on time and got buried under their house while the others were lucky to be alive but with nothing remaining. Many temples in the UNESCO heritage site were in rubble and people were being rescued. The rescue teams from different counties were being sent but the coordination was not being done. Some groups were sent back because they did not know where to go and no directions were given to them. It was really sad to see relief groups leave our country during situations like these. The mismanagement and we not being prepared for a disaster like these made it worse. It was a chaotic situation at the airport where the tourists were stuck because of the delay in flights. Since the runway of the airport was functioning well and the highways were open, it was not that difficult for people to travel.

Each one of us was tired with the tremors. We were physically, mentally drained out. The moment we settled there was another aftershock. The only option was to stay strong and see around if we could help our people. The days were passing very fast but without doing anything. The nervousness did not lessen as three days were over.

We were confused on how we could start helping people, where should we begin, should we be collecting funds, or should we be assessing the situation. We decided on taking a check to the places we had been involved in with The KTM Drive. We went to the orphanages, old age home, and disabled centres for kids, Deepa’s house to see if everything was fine. We reached her house which was evacuated and the school that Sabina was going to was destroyed.

The situation was worst when we saw on the outside. People were in tents at the open spaces, mass cremation was happening; thousands of people were waiting in line to catch a bus and leave Kathmandu. The city was in grief while there were some groups who had already started doing their bit for the community that they were staying at. The campaigns had started as it was the need of the hour. While many groups were cleaning places, the others were giving information on water and sanitation to the needful. We needed to spread awareness to the majority on the precautions to be followed. In case safety measures were avoided the chances of diseases spreading were at a higher ratio.

We got back home with the understanding that it was more important to give out food supplies and relief materials on the outskirts concentrating on one area. We did not have a strategy or plan but we knew we had to aid the most we could. This incident also reminded us that the catastrophe could have been on the day when we had taken kids on a trip to zoo, museum or say any other event of The Ktm Drive where we were on the close space. We believe that the destiny is written and surpassing death is just not possible. Having said that we could have been one of many beneath the ruins, but luckily we got another life.

The aftershocks did not leave us for the entire night. Maximum of us slept in cars and in tents outside our houses and in open spaces. Each one of us was scared and did not get sleep because of the fear of bigger earthquake coming back again. We were the lucky ones who could arrange a tent or had a car to get in. There were thousands around who lost everything and also their loved ones. There was nothing left except that one word which was “hope” as we prayed for the vibration to stop. The world was praying for the same as the jolts did not stop. There were under the open sky which must have been the most difficult time for them. To worsen the situation, it started drizzling. We couldn’t imagine how people in the rural area would have been living. We just surpassed and survived the earthquake and now the challenge was to stay alive in the hardest moments.

We slept on the ground floor and woke up around ten times in the middle of the night. All of us ran to the garden of the house as soon as any one of us felt the beds were shaking. There were times when my little brother got up with panic in the lightest of tremble. We were expecting aftershocks after the disaster but not in the highest of magnitude. The sleepless night felt like eternity.

The morning news was saddening as the death toll around the country was reported and the areas on the outskirts and in valley were affected badly. Thankfully the phone lines were working and we could get connected to our near ones. Messages, phone calls, mails from across the world were being received by people we knew to know if things were fine. The answer to this was tricky as there were rumours of a bigger earthquake with a higher magnitude. Even if we understood that there is no timing for catastrophe and it just happens without anyone preparing for it, we were nervous. The same thoughts kept revolving as the social networking sites were flooded with the earthquake posts.

There was another tremor the second day which was really bad. People were mostly outside their homes nevertheless the ground started shaking and the feeling of a calamity coming to an end was far away. We saw the buildings sway and stayed back on the outside for hours as the plates had surely not settled. We were helpless and wished that Mother Nature would be kind to us with no more tremors.

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and each one of us had our own plans as it was a weekend. Some were being lazy and enjoying their holiday, while some were on a hike to the nearby places making the most of the day. We, as a KTM Drive team, were off with a list of things we were to purchase for the kids of Disabled Newlife Center. During the last event we made them write what they wanted to become when they grew older and one thing that they wished for. Their list was immaterial and we were amused to note that pencil boxes were favourites of many. We purchased all their gifts and were set for our event. As we were leaving the weather changed and the wind’s force was strong which made me grab my jacket for the ride. With the change in the climate, the signs of heavy rainfall were prominient. We had no idea about how things would change drastically and the disaster which was in store for us.

We left for Disabled Newlife Centre which is situated in Gokarna. We took a different route to avoid the traffic and as we reached the stretch behind the airport, the bike started unbalancing. We thought the tyre was punctured and I got down leaving it to the rider. As I stepped my foot on the ground, the road was quivering and the buildings in front of us started swaying to and fro. It was the most frightening moment of our life. People were screaming and running without any control over balancing themselves. Everyone was running to the open ground and with that I saw the water tank on the terrace of a far away building collapse. It felt like watching a slow motion movie as the vehicles came to stillness, while others were about to skid because of speed. All of us settled on the ground after the first huge shake and it left us clueless.

We have all experienced earthquake but this was the scariest, the 7.8 Richter scale for more than a minute made everyone fear death. We did not understand on what was happening as the aftershocks was stronger. The people who were in their houses ran towards the ground as the second big shake hit us. These situations are helpless and the most one can do is try to connect with family. The network congestion wasn’t helping but the news was all around internet. As we checked twitter, the news of Dharara, the nine storey building had collapsed which made us imagine the damage and innocent lives of people lost. Since it was a Saturday lot of visitors would have wanted to go the tower through which the view of the town can be seen clearly. As news came after the other we could see the flights being landed.

After two hours of wait, when we felt the tremors had lowered, all of us rushed back home. On our way , there were lot of destruction and the roads felt live never before. Everyone were on the streets with a fright of an unexpected calamity. I had a sigh of relief when I reached home and saw that everyone was fine. This was 25.04.2015 for me!! I am sure each one of us has their own story to share.

This weekend started with the fun hike to Changu Narayan temple. All of us were looking
forward to the architecture and history of the place since it is the oldest temple in Nepal. In spite of us being many in number, coordinating and planning was perfect as always by Saloni. We left the city at 7.30 in the morning and drove towards Bhaktpaur.

As we reached Telkot which is on the other side of the diversion towards Nagarkot, we were at our starting point. We parked our cars and head for a two hour walk. We were a little behind the schedule and it was getting warmer as the morning heat was at its peak. As we crossed the different shades of greens, we loved what the Mother Nature had to offer us. The view of the city from the hill – top looked amazing as that side did not have much residential but different terrain. The hike was easy as the way was not steep.

The most interesting part about the hikes near Kathmandu is the scenes that one can experience, the fresh air and an energy which rejuvenates each one of us from our busy schedules. The path led us into the greens and got us near the temple in no time. With the conversations and catching up with one another, the time went quickly. On our trail, we crossed a group of foreigners, and an old man who asked us if we had a smoke to give him. It took us by surprise that the man needed nothing more than a cigarette at that moment. We denied and walked ahead and reached the Changu village where we saw houses in a row. The houses had prettiest flowers around their area.

As we were nearing the temple, there was a huge parking space, and lot of cars was parked. Since it was a Saturday, it was crowded and many drove to the temple as the roads were pitched. As we crossed the
souvenir shops, we were directed towards the open sky museum. The museum was not as fancy as the name. There was a statue of Lord Shiva in between the four pillars. Then we went to the main temple courtyard. The two storey roofed temple existed as early as 325 A.D. The design of the oldest temple was magnificent and there was a museum which had details about the Licchavi period. The different festivals which are celebrated in the temple premises are Teej, Krishna Asthami, Nag Panchami as the shrine of Lord Vishnu is worshiped. As we got to know more facts about the place, we could relate to each structure of the temple. We clicked a few pictures and saw how the map of town was before hundreds of years. It amused each one of us as we noticed how clear and open the city was.

 

 

 

 

 

We then went to the nearby restaurant and chilled for a while, playing games before we head back to the town for a round of laser tag!

There are some situations where the emotions is seen outwardly in the same way as it is felt from inside. The expressions reflected in the eyes are certain and it is visible around. There is so much that the moment explains and there are many who do not realize about these circumstances. That’s right; we are talking about travelers and also about lot of individuals waiting for their loved ones at the airport.

The airport of any place leaves behind many stories and memories. It is heartwarming to see when a family unites with their children whom they meet after years, friends reunited after long. The happiness, tears of joy, the hugs, all of it expresses so much. There are many for whom the wait is too long and they get restless at the airport trying to divert their mind checking the information of arrivals on the screen continuously. Some listen to music in the highest of volume while some initiate a small talk with the person standing next to them. Waiting is tolerable for people with patience or else it is a pain, but in all cases, the togetherness is the key ingredient which shadows “the wait time”. There are many who hold placard to reach out to the person they have never met.

The feelings are mutual when the person is leaving the country for the longest times, which could be for work, studies or more. It becomes worse when goodbyes happen faster than thought. Goodbyes are pretty hard; nevertheless it is wishing luck for a new beginning. Some travel for a new hope, a new start whereas others might be on a tour or adventure. We all know that anything for the last time creates double the impact and so does the last meeting with the loved one for the longest time. This can be apprehended only when it happens in reality.

On the other note, most passenger especially foreign travelers get an odd and unusual thought when the airplane takes off. The stay, the people met, the places explored, adventures, learning of a culture, language and tradition becomes their strongest memory. Some get a patriotic feeling when they leave their homeland even if they are off for a vacation and coming back in some days.

The most amusing part to observe in an airport is when people run to join the line to board a plane when the announcement is made. They do realize that they are to get on the same plane yet hurry. The next is when they are loud and everyone can hear the conversation around them especially when the aircraft lands and they use their phone. It is surprising how people are off gadgets during the time of travel considering the impatience they possess.

One of the saddest parts is experiencing a migrant worker travel. They only know their name, and have no idea what their documents are, where they are heading to, what is the procedure of travel. And at the same time there are officials who do not answer their queries and dominate them. This system should be abolished and the authorized should be given a training to regard each person as an equal. Nonetheless, it is interesting that the passengers travelling together are never distinguished by their creed, caste and color.

I was just thinking how”thinking” is one of the favorite for most of us. Some of us think on a particular topic and get in depth of it, trying to analyze every different aspect of the conversation or the discussion whereas some give it a thought about the everyday activity, things they see, situations that they come across, the surroundings they observe and experiences that they live. There are the rest who do not give it a thought and let situations take control. They are the ones who believe a little more in destiny. The thought process of each one of us is amusing as there could be moments which would strike one’s idea faster while the others will not be affected by it. There are a majority who would share their thoughts and get diverse information and sides of the same subject and there are some who would keep it to themselves. As these thoughts are kept to an individual, the emotions which come after a certain period could be uncanny.What kind of thinker are you?? Have you given a thought to that? I am sure this article will get a lot of thinking around people and make them question about their thought process.

All of us keep thinking in our idle time and also when we are busy (pun intended). Our mind is always occupied and even if there is nothing important which is going on, there are these random thoughts that we never thought would come to us. These feelings might not have a link with each other but they juggle in our mind. There are times when the idea vanishes before we can think about it properly. There is no end to thinking; some are taken to the extent of its action when it comes to a plan. The best is after the accomplishment when the direction towards it is exactly as designed. The worse is when we realize no output after a lot of thinking and energy used in it. We would not call it a waste but maximum are the times when the productivity does not match with the framework prepared.

An explosion of thought can happen anytime. It could be while taking a shower or driving or meditating or while one is on a vacation. It all depends on where we are and the circumstance or at times that is not required too. There are times when one thought leads to the other and so much gets added that one forgets where it all started. All of this gets me quizzical on knowing the best time that you give a thought to different matters, could be small or big. You can answer easily but if you need a little help, let us know when this piece that you are reading will get you thinking.

The other day I heard a series of unfortunate accidents been discussed in the group. I was shocked to hear about incidents where the innocent lives were affected badly. These individuals were not at fault and it was sad to hear them suffer. This has become a common topic of conversation as we keep reading about road accidents in newspapers every day. Who is to be blamed and who is held responsible? Are the careless pedestrians guilty or the reckless drivers wrong or should the fault go to the hasty riders? It is hard to put the blame on anyone and every accident depends on situations involved.

We should be extra careful and take precautions if we are walking or driving the wheels. It is our conscientiousness to analyze and calculate the risks involved. Most of the accidents happen due to speed as individuals are always getting late. No one wants to wait as everyone is in a hurry to reach their destination. It’s amusing how the vicious circle keeps going on. The drivers charge and get mad at the bikers, the way they ride and get their way out from the smallest gaps whereas the riders and drivers hate how pedestrians walk casually. When it comes to the pedestrian’s side of the story, they are annoyed how the riders and drivers do not follow the rules and how walking is a task for them each day. This has been going on for the longest times and to add to the misery there are the public vehicles which are the most irritating ones. The sudden halts, driving in a crazy pace, changing lanes, polluting surroundings with black smoke as they run, carrying double the number of passengers the vehicle can accommodate makes it more infuriating.

In spite of the strict rules and lot of effort by the police, there are cases of drinking and driving. The classes which are to be taken after one doesn’t follow the rules and fines imposed have made an impact among the younger drivers but at the same time, it has not been abolished completely. There are many different rules and laws that are being added for a smoother traffic flow. The traffic is a chaos if officers are not present for even an hour. So on that note, we should be thankful to the men/ women in blue who supervise and track the vehicles and maintain decorum. It is one of the hardest jobs to channelize and regulate the traffic with number of vehicles that we have around town and with no traffic signals. This is a duty which requires them to be on board not considering the weather conditions and the time of the day.

Some officers give in their best and some don’t, but we as responsible citizens need to be extra careful while we get out on the streets. As drivers and riders, we are responsible for ourselves and also for hundreds of people that we cross on our way. Also as pedestrians we should not be crossing the road except zebra crossings and walk on the footpaths and not on the road. It is maddening when people multi-task on their phones while wanting to reach the other end or when drivers use their phone while they should be concentrating on driving. These are small things that we are all aware of but do not follow them. Imagine if each one promises to leave ten minutes early, no one will be speeding and the ratio of accidents will lower, no one will be harmed, including us, all for those “ten minutes”.

One of my earlier love blogs were on 5 reasons one should be in touch with their exes. The article convinced many on being in touch with their exes as there is so much that a relation has to offer even if one is not in a” love relationship” with the other person. Some denied and commented in saying one cannot be friends with people they have fallen in love with because if they still want to be around them then they should never let them leave from their lives.

Most of it depends on how break up has happened and this post is exclusively for
circumstances where there is a mutual understanding on the relation not moving forward forever. When there has been a bad breakup than the reasons for the differences is valid not be around that person. The difficulty is when one is still in love with that person and has to take decisions in regards of situations that each one is going through. This position arises after lot of thinking and positivity to carry on the relationship and if nothing works with time the individuals have to take the call of being out of each other’s lives. However weird and strange it gets, one needs to be strong after taking the choice. There are six degrees (pun intended) that one needs to follow for the separation. These could be for the shortest times but it is necessary.

1. It is very hard not to talk to a person whom one has been sharing most of their life with but that is exactly what is needed. An attachment exists if one keeps talking about every day incidents, taking suggestions and being in touch. It is super complex if one has the same set of friends around and meetings are frequent. One needs to limit themselves totally from getting to know anything about the other one.
2. There are habits and behaviors that one doesn’t like or approve which exist in the person that one is with. There are two things which can happen in course of being together, one is the person changing as the likes of another one and the next is both individuals adjust with each other as they are. The first one is less likely as people do not want to change who they are and want to be accepted on how they are. With time since one gets to know the other one very deeply, there could be reasons that one would not have appreciated if they were not in love. These reasons can help overcome a mutual transition.
3. There have been fond memories in a relationship and remembering each moment does no good, rather accepting the change strongly and if the past is spoken about, a smile is what should define it all rather than conversing about it. The things that remind one of the other person should be taken as token of growing up in a relationship.
4. One needs to meet new people and be open to new relations. There is no point comparing the past relationship and how the other one was to the people one will be meeting. Each person has its own charm and flaws that need not be judged and one should definitely give a chance to a new person who is interested to know more. Unless one meets other people with an open mind and as a single, the relation will never work out even if tried to.
5. Keeping oneself occupied and busy is the main mantra. Since it’s said an ideal mind is a devils place that is exactly what happens when a person is breaking up. There are reasoning and wanting to get back again, giving it last tries. When one is the busiest, thoughts do not wander and there is a straight line that one follows. Since out of sight, out of a mind is a famous phrase, it surely works out for many, indulging in the activities that one loves should be the first goal.
6. The most important rule is acceptance. Everything gets down to this one rule. One need to be sure in their mind that the relation is not going to work later and it is for a good reason. It does no good to anyone when mind is strong but heart is weak; which when given a chance will fall for the same person again. One needs to built a strong connection of mind and heart and make them follow the same path. There is no point on lingering around one decision for long.

Having said that, it isn’t just easy to write and not follow these. These are required to follow for a short term and one needs to have peace with the fact that the relation is no longer the same. Undoubtedly, the heart will have the same respect and love even after many years because there is a reason one has been with that person for the longest time and at times love requires one to let go forever.