Quake-survivors observing Tihar under open sky

Shur Bahadur Singh/RSS

 Thousands of displaced quake-survivors in Karnali Province are compelled to observe ongoing Tihar festival under the open sky.

Since the 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Jajarkot district on November 3, hundreds died and many people were injured while thousands of household in the district and other neighboring districts have been rendered homeless.

According to the Karnali Province government, over 65,000 quake-affected households in the Province including around 55,000 in Jakarkot alone have been living in make-shift shelters since November 4.

They appear to be untouched by the fervor of Tihar festival. However, the sight of young girls and boys playing Deuso Bhailo (cultural singing and dancing programme) in their own style seem to assuage their heart to some extent from the loss and damages they suffered from the quake.

Locals of both districts as well as other adjacent districts have suffered a huge loss lives. Over 100 deaths were reported in the quake from these places and properties worth millions have been damaged.

The winter chill is increasing and so are their woes. Amidst this, they have tried to put a brave face and are hoping and praying that the ordeals would be over soon.

Recently, a picture of a local at Nalagad municipality in Jajarkot lighting up the oil-fed lamps during the Tihar is doing the rounds in social media, a representative picture to show how the quake-affected ones are trying to lighten their mood and lift their spirit.

Kali Bahadur Sing, a local resident of Kushe rural municipality in Jajarkot, shared that the quake-survivors were mostly worried about how to fend off the increasing chill of the winter.

"There is no question of smothering one's faith and cultural practices as long as one is alive but the opportunity to observe Tihar joyously has been lost due to the quake," he wailed.

Jajarkot's Bheri municipality's Dinesh Singh he had a narrow escape in the quake and has been living in the open space since the quake. He wished that the government would understand their plight and problems and help build simple huts or shelters at the earliest to fend them off from the biting cold.

Mansara Rawat of Junichande rural municipality in the district remarked that there was no fervor and frill of ongoing Tihar. She mentioned that they were living in fear in an open space.

She viewed that if the government had timely delivered on reconstruction and rehabilitation of the quake-survivors, it would bring them more joy than the ongoing five-day festivity.