While the streets erupted into protest in Baltimore and thousands continued to escape from Syria, Yemen and other war-torn places, Nepali men and women turned to each other for help, coming together in a way befitting of the power of our mountains and the beauty of our temples that are now shattered. Thousands streamed into Tudikhel setting up camps with the ease and discipline of seasoned survivors, not the newly traumatized.Across the entire city, where resources were instantly compromised, order prevailed. There were no riots. There were no mass lootings. People ushered one another to safety, sharing basic supplies and securing the needs of those who were weaker or less fortunate until the international community could respond. We shared the tragedy. Our newsroom began to fill with stories of kindness, hope and cooperation from around the country.
And while Nepal slept, in those first terrifying nights, our young people, scattered over universities and college campuses around the world, were wide awake and ready to come to our aid. Working via Viber and Facebook, networks of Nepalis living abroad instantly collected and sent funds that translated into a tiny army of relief workers. Within 72 hours, our young people organized delivery of tarps and blankets, rice and shelter to the remote villages in Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk and beyond, so those most affected would know their children in the city and around the world had not forgotten them. This is the true spirit of our people.
The unwritten stories of cooperation in our tragedy may forever remain unknown as the world's media packed up and left the country last week. There is the new Princess to be covered, and reports of the endless supplies and international monetary support are a familiar story that many assume will end unhappily, with tent cities and the kind of poverty that never ends. Our story, however, does not have to be like this. We do not wish to be yet another international disaster zone, trapped in a cycle of relief and eternal development.
Our people are already demonstrating they are determined to realize a different fate. A mere week after the earthquake, Kathmandu and other major cities are lurching toward normalcy. Restaurants and shops are opening. Many have lost houses and loved ones, yet the resolve to rebuild and move forward is unshakable. Farmers in villages are already preparing for the monsoon, and are gearing up to make their tents safer, even as relief efforts continue.
Despite our optimism and our best efforts, the task of rebuilding Nepal, the most difficult part, is ahead of us. We were receiving endless supplies and monetary support for emergency relief. But the greatest challenge is to bring in the billions of dollars required to rebuild and rehabilitate our people. This is where we need the international community.
Do not collude in making us another Haiti, where many are still living under tents after five years of the earthquake. Dream up real solutions with us, not pledges for makeshift houses. Help us create global villages worthy of our common aspirations of sustainability and innovation. Join us in making ambitious plans for the kind of super highways and infrastructure that will replace the rubble with a new economy. Work with us, side by side, to restore the timeless temples and sacred sites that have always been the heartthrob of the world community.
While the media may be tempted to see this earthquake as another disaster, soon to be forgotten, we ask the international community to stay with us as we fundamentally change the conversation about what it means to restore a country broken by the earth. The resilience and spirit of our people is unique. The crisis has united us like never before. Our young doctors, engineers, architects, coders and college students are devoted to working around the clock to create this new Nepal.
We will come out as a strong and united nation. This tragedy has granted us the opportunity to finally release the final remnants of our age-old fatalistic mindset. We are ready to rise up and take on the long and painful task of not only restoring our country, but of revealing to the world all the ways our beloved Nepal has always been a beacon of spiritual gentility and a haven of hope. Our heartfelt request is that you have the same confidence in us that we have in ourselves, and that we fulfill this dream together.
Twitter: @subhash580
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