KOLKATA: Nepalese people living in the city are worried about their kin and friends in their homeland that has been struck by flash floods along the Nepal-China border on Aug 26.The Nepalese diaspora is praying for the safety of their near ones, who are about 1,150 km away. These people are also getting flooded with calls from their anxious friends in India or other parts of the world.Nepalese families, settled in the city for a long time, are fretful and disquieted for those, who had remained out of sight for several decades.“I don’t know whether my school friends living near the border areas are still alive. I know the affected areas like Nuwakot and Dhading,” lamented Pramila Chhetri, who has been living in the city for over three decades.In the past two days, Neena Agarwal, a businesswoman, spent sleepless nights as she was concerned about her family members in Nepal.“To watch the videos showing how the flash floods swept away buildings, cars and human beings in moments was distressing. I watched and wondered helplessly about my near ones living there. I called up some of my relatives in Kathmandu and heaved a sigh of relief that they did not have to face the wrath of the calamity,” she said.
People wait anxiously
Young professional Bipasha Chhetri was born and brought up in Kolkata. She visits Nepal every year.“When I heard about the devastating floods in Rasuwa I called up my grandparents and uncle and other relatives to check whether they were safe,” she said.“Had my kin gone to Rasuwa for trekking, he might not have returned. Thankfully, he had cancelled his plan,” Feku Singh Chhetri, another Nepalese in the city, said.Pooja Singh, a Nepalese student at Rabindra Bharati University has been flooded with calls of concern from her well-wishers and friends in India and Sri Lanka.“My area is unaffected as of now. I keep calling my family each hour to find out whether they are okay. They told me that there are concerns that the region may get affected. Everything is uncertain. But till now, the situation is okay in my area,” she said.Singh has been communicating with another Nepalese in the city.Some members of the Nepalese community have no kith and kin in danger zone but they are also equally worried about those affected by the calamity.Former Indian footballer, Shyam Thapa, who was also former coach of the Nepal national football team recounted his memories of Nepal.“I have passed the affected places along the Bhotekoshi river many a time when I visited Nepal for coaching footballers. I remember having been stuck during the rain there once. But I have never seen such a huge disaster in my life,” said Thapa, who is 78-year-old.
