Submit your Article

Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago as the death toll passed 20,000 on Thursday, Reutres reported.

The rescue of a 2-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, and several other people raised spirits among weary search crews. But hopes were fading that many more would be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities.

The death toll across both countries has now surpassed the more than 17,000 killed in 1999 when a similarly powerful earthquake hit northwest Turkey.

A Turkish official said the disaster posed “very serious difficulties” for the holding of an election scheduled for May 14 in which President Tayyip Erdogan has been expected to face his toughest challenge in two decades in power.

With anger simmering over delays in the delivery of aid and getting the rescue effort underway, the disaster is likely to play into the vote if it goes ahead.

The first U.N. convoy carrying aid to stricken Syrians crossed over the border from Turkey.

In Syria’s Idlib province, Munira Mohammad, a mother of four who fled Aleppo after the quake, said: “It is all children here, and we need heating and supplies. Last night we couldn’t sleep because it was so cold. It is very bad.”

Hundreds of thousands of people in both countries have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Many have camped out in makeshift shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides or amid the ruins, often desperate for food, water and heat, according to Reuters.

Some 40% of buildings in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, epicentre of the tremor, are damaged, according to a preliminary report by Turkey’s Bogazici University.

The government has suspended Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) General Manager Premnath Thakur. Thakur was suspended as per the ministerial level decision after he was found asking for bribes with the representatives of the Thai Smile Airlines. The Tourism Ministry spokesperson Rajendra Kumar KC said that Thakur was suspended after he was found taking bribes during the investigation. “A letter has been sent to the Director General of the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority as per the ministerial level decision to suspend Thakur from the post of General Manager,” read a statement issued by the Tourism Ministry on Friday. “The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has been urged to carry out further investigation on the matter.”    

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Secretary General Jagan Chapagain has pledged to ensure additional humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Chapagain, who arrived here Saturday on the four-day visit, said he was already ready to provide more humanitarian assistance to Nepal. This is second visit to Nepal after he assumed the post of IFRC General Secretary in February 2020. Before departing for Geneva following the completion of his visit today, he applauded the role of Nepal Red Cross Society in building safe and resilient societies in partnership with the government. A high-level delegation from the IFRC Nepal was there to see off the Secretary General at a VVIP lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport. Describing the Red Cross as the largest humanitarian assistance body, he insisted on the collective efforts to further strengthen its movement. During his stay here, the IFRC Secretary General had separate meetings with the senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his meetings with political leadership, he sought their help to further promote the Red Cross movement. He also attended the ceremony to launch the IFRC ‘World Disasters Report’.  The IFRC assistance are majorly focused on prevention, mitigation and response of natural and human-caused disasters and the climate change.

Born in 1960, Krishna Dharabasi is one of the bestselling Nepali writers. He has several books to his credit and they are mostly based on past and present societal issues. Some of his notable works are ‘Radha’, a novel published in 2005, and a short story ‘Jhola’, that was adapted into a motion picture in 2014. He is also a literary critic. Anushka Nepal talked to Dharabasi to find out what he reads, how and why he writes, and whether we are all capable of telling stories. Can you tell us a little about your reading habits? My reading habit is a bit diverse. I used to read ever since I was a child, and back then I was into ready fantasy books. After completing my schooling, I was more interested in reading books based on spirituality. I mostly read books by Dr Narayan Dutt Shrimali, and I still do. I don’t exactly remember the number of books that I have read but I read both fiction and non-fiction. I also read books in Nepali, Hindi, and English. These days, I’m more into audiobooks. It’s quite a comforting feeling. What books are you currently reading? I’ve always read across genres but one thing I missed out on reading was science. I think I’m yet to unlock the mysteries of the world. So currently, I’m reading ‘A Brief History of Time’ by Stephen Hawking. It’s something which I believe will give me a greater knowledge about the reality and the universe we are living in. After finishing this book, I’m planning to dig deeper in the field of science, especially physics. It will be a completely new journey for me. Which are some of your favorite books? It’s difficult to pick my favorites because there are many books that I’ve enjoyed reading. I think that’s true for every reader. But then if I absolutely had to name a few, those would be ‘The Good Earth’ by Pearl S. Buck, ‘Chapaieka Anuhar’ by Daulat Bikram Bista, ‘Atma Britanta’ by BP Koirala, and ‘Shesh Prashna’ a Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. You write essays and stories. Which one do you enjoy more?  I started my writing journey with poems. I wrote a lot of those during my 30s. But then, I wanted to do something different. That is when I decided to work on essays, stories, and novels, but that didn’t happen till I turned 40. Although I have written quite a few novels, my preference has always been essays. Even now, I keep writing essays on different topics, even though none of them have been out yet. I also write descriptive essays on the topic of social issues and politics. I enjoy them. It gives me immense mental clarity When you sit down to write, what do you focus on?  I focus on two things when I write a book. First, I want to explore the issue I’m writing about in depth. I don’t want it to be superficial and vague. Second, I try to highlight the struggles faced by the marginalized community in Nepal. That requires me to understand and empathize with what that community might have gone through. Every time I write, I try to put myself in my character’s shoes. Are you biased towards any of your published works? I’m specially attached to Jhola because it feels personal. I lost my father when I was young, and my mother raised me and my siblings. Just imagine if Sati Pratha was still around at that time. I would have lost my mother on the same day too. Would I have become a writer? Would I have even survived this long? What would have happened to my siblings? All these thoughts inspired me to write this story from the perspective of a son. Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I think, as a writer, it’s important to have vast knowledge of a lot of topics. That will give you an idea for an angle while writing a book. If you read multiple books about the same thing, you will be able to view the same issue in different ways. Then, being able to put things in perspective, in your own way, is what will make you a good writer. So my only suggestion is that you read a lot. Collect as much information as you can and then unleash it all.