Ujaya Shakya of the Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) appeals to the international community for participation in relief efforts post earthquake
If you have been following the news, the death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015 has already crossed 8000 by now. In many villages across Nepal, almost all of the houses have been destroyed. At this hour, the Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) is coordinating with the Nepal Government to accumulate an Earthquake Relief Fund. All the member agencies of our association are already contributing. We would like to appeal to the international community to come forward and help Nepal in every possible way during this tragic time.
This is a very unfortunate time for most Nepalese across the world. On April 25, Saturday at 11:56 Nepal Standard Time, things drastically changed for all of us. It has built a fear within us, with aftershocks which have been occurring continuously.
Along with terrible loss of life, the country has also suffered severe damage in terms of heritage – the Durbar Squares, UNESCO World Heritage sites, in all three important cities within Kathmandu Valley, i.e, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur (a primitive township with a public square area preserved almost intact for centuries) are now in ruins. All three of them also consist of old royal palaces, which include temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and more. These three sites are amongst the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nepal. In fact, these are the urban focal points of Nepal’s capital. Kathmandu Valley is a city for which the cultural sites are part of its soul. If you take them away, the city collapses, losing its core meaning beyond being political and business capital of the country. Kathmandu temples and monuments are central to our community life.
And of course, there is the economic aspect of these sites as well. Almost 10% of Nepal’s economy depends on tourism. There is so much investment and infrastructure built around Kathmandu Valley and even closer to these areas, on the basis of the tourism industry. Visitors come to these areas as part of sight-seeing and indulge themselves absorbing the local culture and Nepali history through temples, shrines and palaces built around these sites. Tourists coming from across the world spend hours around them and a good amount of time in the surrounding restaurants to feel the ambience of the area. The artefacts, wooden carvings and statuettes they see in these sites inspire them to buy local handicrafts from gift shops or street hawkers.
In fact, Kathmandu Valley offers a historic crossroads of religion and culture. It is internationally recognized as a unique mix of Buddhist and Hindu iconography. This is the core brand proposition of Kathmandu Valley to attract more foreigners for holidays in Nepal. For Kathmandu Valley to be relevant for visitors, the heritage ambience is the centre of the offerings by many travel agencies.
The earthquake has struck Nepal at so many levels. Personally, culturally, historically and socially and without a future in tourism, the very livelihoods of certain sections of Nepalese are threatened. Therefore, it is an obligation for both Nepalese and the world community to restore these structures in their former glory, despite both technical and monetary challenges. It is simply impossible to imagine Kathmandu Valley without them. Kathmandu Valley as a tourism hotspot will lose its charm and ability to spark the excitement of foreigners when they visit Nepal.
If anyone wants to help Nepal, please reach out to the Advertising Association of Nepal Office in Kathmandu (contacts given below) and we will guide you in the process.
(The author is the founder and managing director of Outreach Nepal. He is vice-president of the Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN). He can be reached at @shakyau or shakyau@gmail.com)
