उमेर (Age):
27
ब्यावसाय/सम्बन्धन (Profession/affiliation): मिडिया क्षेत्र (media sector) / गैर मिडिया क्षेत्र (non-media sector)
गैर मिडिया क्षेत्र (non-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 in Pokhara, playing cricket match with friends in the playground. I was batting on the crease.
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).
I immediately ran away. It was a big shock; I was chanting the name of my Gurus. I thought it to be the last moment of my life. I was really terrified.
त्यतिखेर तपाईंलाई सब भन्दा महत्वपूर्ण कुरा (सरोकार) के लागेको थियो? (What were your most important concerns at that time?)
Life was the prime concern at that time. It reminded how precious life is.
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?)
I longed for useful information; if somebody would give us minimum workable safety advice, inform what is going on around and to others. The only source of information were people around and mobile phone calls with relatives, friends and dear ones.
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).
Mobile was the best source of information at that time. But frequent fake news related with the earthquake was the weakness.
भुकम्प पछिको हफ्ता कसरी बिताउनु भो? (Please describe how you spent the week following the quake-- what you did, etc.).
I gathered with my family members to a big safe community hall. We had packed essentials, and we listened to the radio and waited for the doomsday to cease. I was informing friends and relatives about my safety and trying to gather information about others' whereabouts. During the same week, I joined my friends to collect some money for earthquake victims; donated blood which was the need of the hour. We also searched for ways to help the victims.
त्यो हफ्ता तपाईंको सबैभन्दा स्मरणीय कुरा? (Any memorable facts or incidents during the week following the quake?)
The various things I was involved in during that week-- living with my family members in the community hall, sharing information about safety, trying to find about others, helping others, etc.
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?)
Follow minimum safety rules at the individual level and the community level and let the government machinery ensure minimum safety measures in the construction of houses, roads and other structures. We should always keep in our minds that we are situated on an earthquake-prone region.
If you haven’t shared your testimonial on Nepal earthquake 2015, you can do so here.