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I was in Nepal to
shoot a documentary for a psytrance music festival. On the 24th of April,
2015 I reached kathmandu. The hotel I was staying at was next to kathmandu
durbar Square.
On the morning of the
earthquake, lot of hippies and dance music lovers from all around the
world gathered at thamel to catch a bus to himalayan height resort,
haatiban which was the venue for the festival. Festival was already
delayed, but the people still had that mood to party. The bus was moving ahead
with loud music and suddenly we were interrupted. The earth was shaking. At
first, we had no idea what was going on but the continuous shakes made us realize
it was an earthquake. It lasted about 30 seconds. I noticed everyone was coming
out from buildings and running around, tall buildings were turning into rubble.
I didn't panic, thought lots of people around us did. After the shaking
stopped, people were shocked but it was necessary to get out of the affected
area so bus moved ahead and get to an open space. We were safe in the bus but
we were close enough to feel the fear. The roads were damaged and there were
also cases of land sliding so we didn’t go ahead without making sure that the
road ahead is safe.
We were in Kathmandu
city area for only a short period of time after the earthquake so we didn’t see
too much of a response from the city and locals at the time. Once the
earthquake occurred we could see everyone huddled in open fields and on the
streets.
We took 2-3 breaks in
between and we reached the mountains. The venue was 5 km up in the hill.
Everyone took a deep breath for a while and got ready to reach up on the
mountain. With all the bags and luggage everyone moved on towards their
calling. Upon reaching the venue, people got to know that festival is
cancelled due to earthquake. But organizers had the possession of venue so they
said everyone not to leave and stay at the camp at the pine forest. People
started pitching their tents, those who had come without tents, were provided a
tent.
Connectivity was a big
issue, we tried calling immediately after the quake but our mobile phones had
no reception. Our phones were useless once the battery was down and it was
difficult to find a place to charge them. The internet was up for a short while
after the earthquake which was critical for us to get in touch with our family,
but once it went offline we had to rely on telephones. And telephones on the
mountains were not working.
After 3 Days I found
someone whose phone was working on the mountains, on a request he let me use
his phone to call Indian embassy. Embassy official asked me to reach the
airport. Gas stations were non-operational so a lot of taxis and other
vehicles were of no use. Somehow I managed to join a bus with our fellow
campers to the airport. the reality was totally different from what I
heard in the news. When I reached airport I saw lot of people were left
stranded, wanting to go back to their country. airport was jam-packed with
tourists from all around the world. The chaos was enough for me to understand
the situation. Thousands of people from different countries were waiting in separate, long-winding queues for evacuation,
the line to get in for Indian nationals, which looked like it had more than
3,000 people, was snaking all the way out to the entrance of the airport. There
were people who had been in that queue since last three days. I also joined the
queue with a hope to catch a rescue flight but unfortunately the queue wasn’t
moving at all and people were really pissed off. Upon asking the officials they
said there are no flights coming from India, flights are not coming because of
bad weather conditions etc. more than 2000 people stranded for 4 days without
food, water and shelter. Many of them were beaten by Nepalese police as well, I
was one of them. There were no network connectivity but I was getting WiFi
signals from somewhere so i just informed one of my friend in Gujarat and asked
if she could help anyway, she given me some numbers of Indian embassy
officials. Then I spoke to one of the embassy officials, asked about the next
rescue flight, officer replied she has no idea and she don’t have any schedule.
Then I opened my bag, grabbed my camera and started taking videos of the
situation. After some time, a group of Nepalese police and military came to me
and told me to do not shoot there. Respectively, I stopped filming and joined
the queue again. 12 at the night they said you all may go as there are no
flights. People were getting panic and i had nothing better to do so i kept on
filming the scene. check out video to know the ground reality. This video is a
testimony of the plight of stranded Indian nationals at Tribhuvan International
Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal.
after 5 days of
continuous efforts, I got a reply from Indian embassy of kathmandu. but it was
worthless because i already got my ticket booked for commercial flight to
India. Most of the people who waited for four days, realized that waiting in
this queue obediently would be pointless. So they left airport and took a train
or bus.
Authority and
organization is critical in disaster situations – for example, when the
military was distributing food and water in the airport, everything was a
free-for-all. I didn’t even have a chance to get food; people were pushing and
shoving like a riot so I didn’t even bother. The problem I found was that we
didn’t need the food and water as much as those living in the villages that
lost everything – including drinking water - so it should have been given to
them. It made little sense to give the resources to those that were leaving the
country.
I stayed at Kathmandu
International airport for five days, during that time at the airport,
aftershocks kept occurring, spreading fresh bouts of panic every now and then.
I am thankful to a couple who donated me a tent. Also thankful to all my
friends and relatives in India, for their constant efforts, support and love.
I look at life a bit
differently now knowing how that one event has changed us. It still shocks me
how much destruction had occurred. I look back at the photos of durbur square I
just took a day before earthquake hit, and the photos of the rubble that now
sit there. I guess it scared me because I was there just 24 hours before the
earthquake. Life is miracle.
On Saturday, April 25th, 2015 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal and other surrounding areas, such as India, China, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. This devastating earthquake, as well as the aftershocks has so far caused the death of 9000 individuals and the number is rising. The situation is very severe.
A second major earthquake occurred on 12 May of 7.3 magnitude. More than 120 people met death and again thousands got injured. Many buildings, including homes, schools, government buildings, religious sites (many of them UNESCO world heritage sites), etc. have been destroyed. Health care for people is not easily accessible, as hospitals are turning people away as there are not enough resources. For a country that thrives on tourism, many historical monuments have been demolished. Being here, there is not much we can do. However, we can keep the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers. Please join us for a candle light march ceremony for the people affected by this. Together, we can make a difference.
Let’s commemorate those who have died or are suffering in Nepal, Bangladesh, Tibet and Northern India from the recent earthquakes.
Event Schedule: On 17th May at 5.00 P.M citizen of Ahmedabad are requested to gather at Vastrapur Lake to pray for the victims, to play music for their wounded souls, to hear their stories, to join the debate. From 6:00 P.M march will began to reach it's destination by 7:00 P.M holding candles chanting songs of peace and hoping well for Nepal.
Agenda: • Songs for peace, • Moment of silence, • Candle light march and • Awareness on Earthquake.
Songs for Peace: This is a musical tribute for all the people that lost their lives due to earthquake in Nepal, Tibet and India. Students, singers, musicians and artists of different fraternity along with the common citizens will dedicate their songs and music as prayers for the people of Nepal who have suffered.
Debate: Ahmedabad has seen its share of death, broken homes and shattered dreams. Still the earthquake resistant constructions are not made compulsory, still every day, thousands of buildings and flyovers are erected just to fall down one day. This is simply for us to come together and remember those who've lost their lives and those who struggle to rebuild.
Through this march we aim to create awareness about the non-compatible constructions in the seismic zones. Most of the buildings falling down with hundreds of lives due to earthquake or aftershock, are not designed to suit the geographical requirements. This is not a problem of Nepal. This is a worldwide phenomenon and thousands of people die because of cheap raw materials, shoddy construction techniques and deadly greed of Builders and Constructors.
We want to request the governments worldwide, to make sure that the earthquake resistant guidelines are brought in place, to reduce the death toll. We want to request all the universities to make the knowledge of earthquake resistant technology covered in their syllabus. We want to request all the builders in the world, to show some mercy, and construct sustainable cities in future.
Nature is not to be blamed, it’s us the humans, we create infrastructure that cannot endure natural forces. Earthquakes, Floods and Global Warming are some of the problems that need confrontation.
• Please bring your own music instruments for the special music jamming session. Please inform in advance if you are participating in jamming. • Please feel free to bring your own candles/torch. If possible bring for others as well. We will also have candles available. We request you to wear cloths with ‘White’ color code, it is not mandatory. • We are not accepting any relief material or cash to send to Nepal, just the prayers and songs will do. • You can bring the plea cards, banners or posters with your message for Nepal and world. • Please park vehicles responsibly. • All are invited. There are no religious obligations.
for further queries Contact: +91 85 11 9191126, 9824642246 or Songsforpeace@jayrajsinhchavda.com
Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you all this Sunday.
It is said that music has no boundary. I have seen people travelling thousands of miles to attend a music festival. Music festivals are not only about music. They are beyond music. It is an experience. It is about creating and spreading good vibes. It is about meeting like-minded people and singing songs with someone you have never met before. For some people it may be an escape from the rigid conventional lifestyle.
Music is like self evolution. It helps us connect with our inner self.You start listening to certain kind of music and it evolves as your sub-conscious mind demands something different or music with some deeper state of consciousness especially when it comes to psytrance music. Psytrance music and culture has been growing and continuously rising since early 1970s, because of the internet. In this era of cutting edge technology, people are connected to each other from all over the world and via internet. Thus, Internet unites them all.
Nepal Calling:
In April 2015, lot of hippies and electronic music lovers from all around the world gathered at Kathmandu, Nepal for ‘Universal Religion – A Psytrance Music Festival’. This four-day event was to feature electronic dance music (EDM) artistes from all over the world. Several sub-genres of psychedelic trance music and has been dubbed as the festival of music, love and peace.
The festival, which was scheduled to be held from April 24 in Kakani, Nuwakot, unfortunately, has just been cancelled, 36 hours before its start. On their Facebook page, the organizing team mentioned ‘some unexpected last moment serious legal issues involving safety of the participants’ to explain the sudden cancellation. Many tourists travelled from different countries to attend Universal Religion. More than 1,000 people were expected to attend this festival. lot of people were on their way to Nepal. The post on Universal Religion’s Facebook page provoked different reactions from the festival-goers. Some showed their support to the organizers stating that cancellation is always a possibility here for psyche events. Still, most of those who had already bought their tickets were criticizing the lack of professionalism of Universal Religion. No one could actually modify their plans. Festival organizers were still trying to get it sorted. In the meantime, people who have already arrived in Nepal, started looking for an alternatives. No matter how small the country Nepal is but culturally it is very rich, there were lots of things happening around.
Upon reaching the venue, people found out that it had been cancelled due to earthquake. There was no option for to go through with the festival. Nepal was in ruins and after shakes were rolling in. But organizers now took on the responsibility to assist and secure the area and all its 500 + guests. They had provided an open space where people could pitch their tent and settle down. By now, it was evening and the enormity of the tragedy had begun to sink in and nearly 200 people — most of them tourists — were also taking refuge in the pine forest. They started pitching their tents, those who had come without tents, were provided a tent. In general, people had begun to settle down by then, but periodic aftershocks kept stirring up panic. Supply chains had been broken, electricity cut in periods of time, no network for our phones, but we were safe. Everyone had a place to sleep and food accessible to them.
Connectivity:
We tried calling immediately after the quake but our mobile phones had no reception. Our phones were useless once the battery was down and it was difficult to find a place to charge them. The internet was up for a short while after the earthquake which was critical for us to get in touch with our family, but once it went offline we had to rely on telephones. And telephones on the mountains were not working.
Help from Local Community:
We were in Kathmandu city area for only a short period of time after the earthquake so we didn’t see too much of a response from the city and locals at the time. Once the earthquake occurred we could see everyone huddled in open fields and on the streets.
However, there was an article in the newspaper I read that mocked the military and mentioned that the civilians did a better job helping one another. I can’t really say if this was true but yes, for the little time we were there after the quake, we saw locals helping one another out.
Authority and organization is critical in disaster situations – for example, when the military was distributing food and water in the airport, everything was a free-for-all. I didn’t even have a chance to get food; people were pushing and shoving like a riot so I didn’t even bother. The problem I found was that we didn’t need the food and water as much as those living in the villages that lost everything – including drinking water - so it should have been given to them. It made little sense to give the resources to those that were leaving the country.
Conclusion:
Whatever happened back in Kathmandu still haunts. I guess it scared me because I was in Nepal during the earthquake. It hasn’t been easy. I have been having recurring nightmares involving tremors, death, and destruction. I look at life a bit differently now knowing how that one event has changed us. It still shocks me how much destruction had occurred. I look back at the photos of durbur square I just took before a day, before it turned into rubble. The devastating earthquake left a trail of destruction, but the unwavering hippie trail of the Himalayan region still attracts thousands of travelers. Known as the Mecca of the hippies, thousands of hippies come to Kathmandu to enjoy the liberated life of love, drugs and spiritualism.
Headed off to Nepal. Will be officially filming Universal Religion Open Air Transformational Psy-trance Festival In the lap of the Himalayas. It goes from 24 - 27 April. My health is always up and down but my inner hippie will always have a heart for Music Festivals! Universal Religion is set to spread those hippie vibes in the mighty Himalayan bound beautiful nation. PLEASE NOTE my studio will be closed from 22nd April to 4th May so I will answer emails and calls on my return. Joy and Peace
Even 60 years old citizens of Ahmedabad said that they had never witnessed such a massive hailstorm in their lifetime.
The city of Ahmedabad today witnessed hailstorm which will be remembered for long. Ice cubes were raining in speed continuously for over half an hour. Trees were shaking due to high velocity wind equal to mini cyclone. Big ice cubes carpeted road sides. For some minutes it was scary look as ice cubes were making too much noise. Some cars parked in open suffered crack in front glass.
Venturing outside was nearly impossible due to speedy fall of good size ice cubes. Also the water was too cold. Walking in such water was impossible beyond 30 ft. People of Ahmedabad generally have habit to witness water logging, but today’s water logging was so icy cold that it was impossible to pass through it. Street dogs were seen as worst sufferers. We witnessed couple of street dogs who were struggling to walk to safer place as their legs were not able to tolerate the ice cold water.
Due to mini cyclone, water on the ground was mixed with floating branches and leafs of trees. This was causing slow discharge of water in gutters.
The city therefore witnessed heavy water logging not just in low lying areas but on almost all roads.
This was second incident of hailstorm in Ahmedabad this year. But previous hailstorm was not so solid.
This was also the fifth round of unseasonal showers since January 1.
Remix of season is very confusing. Yesterday the morning time, and even noon time was like just another summer day with open sunny sky, but by the evening it was dark cloudy sky with light rain, chilled winds and cold.
Indian Filmmaker, Theatre Arts Graduate, Music Producer, Writer, Film Editor, Anthropologist, Video Journalist, Environmentalist, Free Spirit, Hippie by Heart.
I did my bachelors in Performing Arts (Theatre Arts) and consistently pursuing the calling of my dreams and vision, making films, rather, the creative aspects of filmmaking. Theatre also holds a huge piece of my heart, so I love spending my time either on a set, or on a stage.
I am interested to make thought provoking cinema, films which is highly visual, grand, epic, cinematic style, with unconventional narrative structures breaking form, blending reality and imagination, fantasy, dreams, scientific, philosophical, metaphysical and humanistic ideas. What I make reflects my experiences in life, my emotions, my feelings about certain things, my stories and of course, the many worlds that reside in my imagination. So when I say "I make films" it just means that I am manifesting bits and pieces of me in a motion. What I write is simply an overflow of interactions I have with the brokenness of the human condition. Some of it comes in dreams, other times it emerges from seasons of sorrow, humiliation, warfare, joy and pain. I am endlessly creating myself with nothing but peace, positivity, and good vibes. I Have been living quite of nomadic-hippie lifestyle.