उमेर (Age):
24
ब्यावसाय/सम्बन्धन (Profession/affiliation): मिडिया क्षेत्र (media sector) / गैर मिडिया क्षेत्र (non-media sector)
मिडिया क्षेत्र (media sector)
बैसाख १२ गते भुकम्प जाँदा तपाईं कहाँ हुनुहुन्थ्यो र के गर्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो? (Please describe where you were and what you were doing when the earthquake hit Nepal on 25 April 2015?)
I was at a friend's room on the ground floor of a two-storey house, in Ratopul of Kathmandu, talking with my friends, discussing our plans for the scheduled 12th convocation ceremony of the Pokhara University.
भुकुम्प जाने बित्तिकै तपाईंले कस्तो प्रतिक्रिया (मानसिक, शारीरिक) प्रकट गर्नु भयो र के गर्नु भयो? (Please describe your immediate mental and physical reaction, and your response following the quake).
First, I thought it was my friend who shook the bed (that we were sitting on) for a prank. But, the friend himself shouted "earthquake" and rushed toward the door. Then only, I realized it was the quake. Then, I also rushed toward the door, too panicked and frightened. When the shaking seemed to lessen, we came out of the home onto the street.
त्यतिखेर तपाईंलाई सब भन्दा महत्वपूर्ण कुरा (सरोकार) के लागेको थियो? (What were your most important concerns at that time?)
Of course, the most important concern was the safety of myself and my family. As a media person, I also tried to know the magnitude of the tremor, but in vain.
त्यस बेला तपाईंले के-कस्ता सूचना खोज्नु भयो? आफूलाई आवश्यक सूचनाहरु पाउनु भयो त? (What types of information were you looking for at that time? Did you have access to all the information you needed?)
Immediately, I tried to contact my family members, but I was not successful. As the phone network crashed, my attempts to call them failed. Then I tried to call my office colleagues, but could not reach them. Some people there shared the news from online sites about the magnitude of the quake and the destruction it caused.
रेडियो, टेलिभिजन, समाचारपत्र, अनलाइन जस्ता समाचार स्रोतहरु तपाईंलाई जानकारी दिन कत्तिको उपयोगी साबित भए? मिडियाका कुन पक्ष कमजोर, कुन पक्ष सबल रहे? (How helpful were news media such as radio, television, newspapers, online news portals, etc in informing you immediately after the quake and the days following it? Please note their strengths as well as weaknesses).
I think they did their best. Some radio and TV stations and online portals could not update immediately as the staff there were also equally panicked. But, within a couple of hours, they resumed their services and began providing information to the people. Besides informing about losses, they also informed the people about safety measures to be taken. As everyone appreciated, Radio Nepal did a lot.
Though the media performed well overall, I think some radio stations exaggerated facts on the first day, which was not good. They, however, corrected it in the following days.
भुकम्प पछिको हफ्ता कसरी बिताउनु भो? (Please describe how you spent the week following the quake-- what you did, etc.).
I tried to stay with my family as far as possible as being together helped console everyone during the crisis. At the same time, I resumed my office from April 27, two days after the quake. Daily life, of course, was affected. But, I tried to be as normal as possible.
त्यो हफ्ता तपाईंको सबैभन्दा स्मरणीय कुरा? (Any memorable facts or incidents during the week following the quake?)
On the very day of April 25, I had to visit a couple of hospitals. My own sister was injured when her house collapsed completely. I cannot forget the scene I witnessed at Om Hospital - dozens of dead bodies and hundreds of injured at the hospital premises, all attendants crying and people rushing here and there. That, in fact, was the most frightening moment I have ever experienced.
बैसाख १२ गतेको भुकम्पवाट हामीले के पाठ सिक्नु पर्छ? (What are some of the lessons that we should take away from the 25 April 2015 quake in Nepal?)
1. Earthquakes themselves are not destructive, but the buildings we make are. Hence, we should construct strong, quake-resistant buildings.
2. We need to help each other to cope with such crises.
If you haven’t shared your testimonial on Nepal earthquake 2015, you can do so here.