“Don’t Let Disaster Define Nepal”: Manisha Koirala Urges World To Return To Land Of Everest
Kathmandu:
Bollywood actress and Nepal-born star Manisha Koirala has made an emotional appeal to the international community to continue supporting Nepal and, importantly, to return to the Himalayan nation as tourists.
“We don’t want to be known as a country which is constantly having trouble,” Koirala said, urging the international community not to allow the devastating floods in parts of Nepal to define the entire country.
“We want to be known for what we were meant to be known for—beautiful weather, strong Himalayas, great nature, great people and great culture and tradition,” she said.
Koirala stressed that while a devastating calamity has struck parts of Nepal, the entire country has not been swallowed by disaster.
Nepal remains the home of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, spectacular Himalayan valleys, ancient cultural traditions and some of the world's most extraordinary natural landscapes.
“We need people to come to our country. We need you all to travel to Nepal again,” she appealed.
Her message comes at a time when horrifying images from the worst-hit areas have dominated international coverage—villages buried under mud, roads washed away and families searching desperately for missing relatives.
Koirala said the international community had repeatedly shown love and solidarity towards Nepal and appealed for that support to continue.
She also spoke emotionally about the thousands of people caught in the disaster and the bodies being recovered from enormous deposits of mud and debris.
The actress said she had personally tried to trace people she knew of in the affected areas, reflecting the uncertainty facing families who still have no information about their loved ones.
The devastation has also placed an extraordinary burden on Nepal's rescue pilots.
Nepal's first female helicopter captain, Priya Adhikari, has reportedly flown around 100 rescue missions since the floods struck.
Adhikari described flying through narrow Himalayan valleys crowded with rescue helicopters, where pilots had to constantly communicate to avoid collisions while evacuating survivors.
Landing was itself a life-threatening operation.
In several locations, ground that appeared solid from the air had turned into deep, unstable mud. Helicopters had to remain on power even while touching down because the aircraft could sink into the soft surface.
More than 200 people were evacuated from some of the worst-hit areas during the initial rescue operations.
For Koirala, however, Nepal's story must not end with disaster.
Nepal must be remembered for Everest, the Himalayas, its valleys, nature, culture and people—not merely for floods and tragedy.
Her appeal is therefore both emotional and economic. Come back to Nepal. Visit its mountains. Explore its valleys. Meet its people. Support its tourism industry.
Because, she says, Nepal needs the world not only during a catastrophe, but also during the long road to recovery.
