NATIONAL 5 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Tremors Of Concern

Bhugol Park, situated at the heart of the city, was built to commemorate that moment in 1934 when nature took its deadly toll

By AKSHAY SHARMA

We were all shocked when a weekly carried a story and pictures of the devastation caused by the earthquake that struck in 1990 BS (1934 AD). Then television channels around the world began showing live pictures of devastation wrought by the earthquakes in Gujarat, India, and Seattle, United States. The calamity nature is capable of inflicting on the world came into sharp focus.

"What are we supposed to do? Wait and bite our nails for the next earthquake to strike?" asks Pravin Shrestha. But we are left biting our nails listening to chilling predictions from experts that a big quake will hit South Asia within 2006.

A rural house : Shaky foundation

The Bhugol Park situated at the heart of the city at New Road was built to commemorate the moment when the earth shook violently in 1990 BS (1934). That was the first biggest recorded and best-remembered earthquake in Nepal.

Today you can see many people basking in the lovely summer sun, gossiping, eating peanuts, reading newspapers some even managing to catch some sleep. In his famous work Kopila, Govinda Malla Gothale writes: "I still remember how the earth shook. At that time, we kids used to go to study at with a teacher during our winter vacation near Bag Durbar. A sudden loud noise erupted and there was debris and dust flying all around. I barely escaped from a brick that nearly fell on my feet."

"I remember seeing the older Dharahara crumble from the window," Gothale remembers. "My mother and family were sitting around the table and all the people in the neighborhood had debris strewn all over their faces. We didn’t go inside the house fearing that another earthquake might occur. We slept all night under a table eating beaten rice (chiyura) and curd [dhai}. We broke up parts of the table to light a fire to keep us warm outside our house. We were too scared to go inside the house."

"The earthquake destroyed the Durbar High School where I studied. Classes were held on the grounds of Tri-Chandra College. The Ghantaghar (Clock Tower) had crumbled and the road was being cleared."

Inscribed on the Bhugol Park monument are the words of the rulers and the money they donated. The landmark tells us that the British, Japanese and Indians donated Rs 2,303,714. Rs 544,489 was distributed to the victims of the earthquake.

The total amount of money spent on relief was Rs 38,422 and the government provided Rs 560,956 in interest-free loans to victims and their families. The money that was lent during the four-year program was Rs 2,982,216, as inscribed in the memorial.

This means the country had a debt of Rs 2,982,316. Rs 560,945 was raised in the form of an earthquake fund and an Rs 2,421,360 was written off. Some people were allowed to pay their debts later.

The ferocity nature showed that day has been explained to the younger generation through word of mouth. "I remember the stories my grandmother told me about the earthquake. She said that our house in Ason crumbled to pieces," said 26-year-old Anish Man Joshi.

Are we prepared for another big earthquake? Even the question sends shivers down the spine.