BuS , eArthquAKE aNd PlAne : aLL dEparTed sHud b TreaTed SaMe

 

I was only going to write about the Bus accident at Babiachaur, myagdi on 18^th September  (the same date which evening was devastating) and the plane crash on 25^th. I don’t know what I just wrote.

It is not even a week, that the whole country is trying to foster out of that Earthquake night and six more Nepalese are dead already. I was power napping on my disfigured bed in Bangladesh that earthquake evening. That temblor shook off everything, many people at home lost their sleep, and some lost their families, bunch of innocent lives were at stake. That’s what I wrote that night of earthquake. I made a speculation; Jhala Nath khanal won’t make a headline the following day. with the grace of god he didn’t. Rather the earthquake shook the paper. Yes, I am home now and holding this kantipur piece published on 19^th of September.

Yesterday (25^th September) was not a very pleasing morning either. Didn’t feel like Dashain at all. The clouds were hovering, sun had no trace, it was either raining or foggy through out the country I guess (don’t have the exact weather statistics though). The mountain flight crashed all its way against the toilet of one Hari thapa’s house and killed 19 people on board. They explained the reasons and everything all right, the only thing went wrong was the plane that got crashed.

Ok, Bad weather, flying additional two miles south and being at the wrong elevation on that particular point and a lot of other covert reasons, I suppose. I tweeted something like this : ‘aile sabai dosh mausam lai diney? Mausam kharab vako kura ta udnu vanda agadi tha thiyena? Dashain ko bela ma aako manche bata paisa kamau vanne socheko hola Buddha air le, hadh samma ko business vo, auta private company le garda desh ko tourism lai asar garne vo.’ . Not exactly, a tweet of 140 characters, I guess I had three tweets or more accusing that plane crash catastrophe. Of course, I had deep respect for the pilot and his crew and all the passengers who were aiding to our country’s economy. However, this crossed the height of perfunctory. I mean, this was 22^nd domestic crashes in 19yrs(#reports from myrepublica.com). Something else, has to be the reason besides bad weather and craps? I am no expert, but simply couldn’t ‘OK’ the accusation over the bad weather and start RIPing over the souls that quick. This has to culminate at some point but it will halt only if we stop RIPing that soon and be more skeptical on this frequent crashes.

Now, let me guide you to the two separate Kantipur newspaper published on 19 September (the post earthquake morning) and 26 September. The international sized kantipur newspaper had this coverage over both the nation shaking news. They did it in a splendid fashion. The one on 19^th has the front page almost curtained with the Earthquake affairs and the paper on 26^th did not spare a column for anything else. However, both the days the paper had these two particular ads printed, aligned at the same position and exactly the same size. The real mango drinks celebrating dashain at the right bottom corner and Shalimar paints adjacent to it. How could this be a co-incidence? Both the ads put on at exactly same place and every time the following days to the devastating events.Both kantipur and these companies did a pretty good business over the dead bodies. How come it’s only I who is dissatisfied on this clean and intellect business they did?

I am one malcontent soul myself. I don’t really care what people call me because the more you read down this blog the more you realize they were correct. My blog on earthquake had a report of 13 people being killed on a bus accident at myagdi the same day. I had a prediction made; this will not top the earthquake news either. Moreover, kantipur gave it a little space adjacent to this ‘Shalimar paints’ ad (the left bottom corner portion of the newspaper on #19 sept). The earthquake killed five that night while the bus accident dispatched 13 the same afternoon. How do you calculate the emphasis of news anyways? Thirteen citizens killed gets a narrow column and five killed on a temblor gets the whole page. Thirteen Nepali citizens dispatched on a bus accident at some remote district of Nepal gets hardly any space while the plane crash with six Nepalese near the capital gets all the attention. I don’t want to sound heartless, of course the plane boarded 10 Indians, 2 Americans and a Japanese they should be treated with proper respect. But thirteen passengers, as unlucky as the digit itself were not treated with proper respect. How come, thirteen lives mean nothing to this heartless nation.

Who decides which lives to be more important; the people on board to a mountain flight, the people on bus to nearby ‘Darawang’ or the victims of earthquake? Why there is only a story of the three dead Nepalese residents to US, who were to have dinner with their family that night. Why there is no such story of any dead villagers, published on National dailies? They didn’t have such sophistication to their lives that does not mean they don’t have any stories. Does it? I really appreciate the love of these departed Nepalese to our mountains. I nearly cried when I read the story of this small unsuccessful family get together after the flight. I only pray for their departed soul to rest in peace. However, I would also like to hear stories of those thirteen dead.

RIP : those who lost their lives in a bus accident at an afternoon of 18^th September

1. Mukunda Subedi, principal of Jagannath Primary School,      

2. Rupesh Nepali –bus helper

3. Purna Bahadur Chhantyal

4. Surya Man Chhantyal- a teacher at Dhan Pandey Secondary School

5. Tul Bahadur Pun -- a teacher at Dhan Pandey Secondary School

6  Dipesh Pun

7. Tara Khatri and her six-month son

8. Tika Rasaili and his two-year son Prabhat, 

9. Ashok Bhandari  

10.Tara KC
11. kale damai