CHITTAGONG: It was noon of April 25. I was busy in Facebook chats. Suddenly, a friend informed me that our country had been jolted by a massive earthquake. I was shocked and felt inner-blood shedding. I browsed Youtube and saw the scenes of destruction.

It was like a Hollywood movie, everything was going underneath. I was too frustrated to express anything. I could not understand what I should do.

An MBBS final year Nepal student at University of Science and Technology, Chittagong (USTC) Gir Bahadur Mahra was sharing his pathos with Banglanews while taking about the recent Nepal-quake. He was crying and wiping his eyes while showing the pictures of destruction of his homeland.

Gir Bahadur said, ‘On the day, I could not connect anyone in my country. Telecommunication was almost destroyed. In the afternoon, I could contact with my brother Kiran. He was crying and saying that they had lost everything. But all of our family members were unhurt’.

‘My family members were unhurt but my motherland had been destroyed. How we will be able to recoup the loss.’

Another MBBS final year Nepal student Shirishraj Pande with his teary eyes told banglanews, ‘My house is in Kathmandu. Thousands of tourists regularly visit Nepal every year. Besides the natural bounty of the Himalaya, the country was enriched with many architectural heritages’.

‘Everything had been ruined. Signs of destruction are being visible everywhere. Pyres are full of dead bodies. Nepalese are looking at the other people to get their daily meals. My villagers are being affected by diseases.’

Mentioning the reality of his village, Shirishraj said that no remnant of his forefathers now exists. Almost all the houses in his village have been destroyed.

‘It hurts me as I see people of my country are passing their nights under open sky. I am feeling sad. We are helpless to the nature.’

Nira, a student of USTC, had lost his two legs as he went to Nepal to join his brother’s wedding. He lives in Sindhupad, where the quake caused huge damage. The new bride was also critically injured.

‘Nira, who came to Bangladesh to study medical science and dreamed to serve his nation, is now passing the days in a hospital bed,’ said Bahadur Mahra.

‘The devastating tremor had also jolted his dreams.’

On a question of returning home, Mahra said that they had come to Bangladesh to study. They cannot go whenever they wish as the journey costs from Tk 25-30 thousands.

‘We are sending money to Nepal from Bangladesh,’ he added.

Sunil Achariya, a resident of Shonchhari, told banglanews, ‘My village is on the lap of hills. Many people lives in muddy houses. They were stuck there. Rescue operations were slow. I can hear the screaming of the affected people. I think I should go back to Nepal and work for my country people’.

‘Oh God, please be kind to us,’ Achariya screamed.

Mentioning Bangladeshis as broad-minded, Gir Bahadur joined the talks after a while. ‘We thought that we could not provide enough assistance to our people from here. But on the first day, we arranged a prayer for the victims. Bangladeshi people participated there spontaneously. We could collect Bangladeshi Tk about 200,000 and a good amount of medicines by five days’.

‘Everybody, from MPs to businesspeople to students, extended their helping hands to us. We are grateful to Bangladesh people.’

Urging the other nations, the Nepal students said, ‘We all human beings are the members of this universe. This loss is not only for Nepal’s, also a loss for human civilization. We cannot be happy keeping other people unhappy’.

‘We can help Nepal from our respective positions. Nobody can hold their tears after seeing the pictures of Nepal havoc. Everyday we cry for the dead people.’

‘Will we be able to standup again?.’

After the talks, Gir Bahadur requested this correspondent saying, ‘Bhai, media people can do many things. Please do something for us, so that, we can standup again.’

‘We know Bangladesh people and the government have sent relief materials to the victims. But due to the callousness of some local administration people, the relief goods were not distributing properly to the victims especially in the remote areas.’

‘You write about the real situation,’ Bahadur put emphasis on the issue.

However, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal and its bordering regions in Tibet, India and Bangladesh on April 25, resulting about 10,000 people dead particularly in Nepal. The devastating tremor and scores of aftershocks left about 80 lakh people in Nepal hapless.

BDST: 0202 HRS, MAY 08, 2015
RR