โItโs sad, but everyone is suppressing their emotions. You canโt keep crying just because youโre sad.โ
On the 7th (local time), when the Nepal government designated 'National Day of Mourning' to commemorate the victims of the great flood, the Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple in Kathmandu, the capital, was crowded with believers who came to pay morning prayers from early in the morning.
At this temple, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, monks recited Buddhist sutras in memory of the victims.
The believers rotated the 'Manicha' in their hands and prayed for the victims of the great flood. A manicha is a cylindrical object engraved with a sacred phrase 'mantra' that is repeatedly recited during prayer or practice.
Pasang Sherpa, 47, who I met at this temple, said, "Today is a day of national mourning, but there is nothing special. I am suppressing my sadness and praying for the victims."
Rajiv (32), who came to Kathmandu from India as a tourist, said, โIt is unfortunate that a major accident occurred in Nepal, a neighboring country, resulting in many casualties.โ He added, โMany Indians are also missing, so it does not seem like anyone elseโs problem.โ
This morning, flags were hung at all government buildings and diplomatic missions, including the Board of Audit and Inspection in Kathmandu, but no large-scale memorial events were held. It was an atmosphere of calm and mourning as they went about their daily lives.
Previously, the cabinet of Prime Minister Balendra Shah (36, aka Balen) designated this day, the 13th day after the flood, as a day of national mourning. In the traditional funeral of Nepal, which has many Hindu believers, the mourning period lasts for 13 days, and a ceremony to pray for the soul of the deceased is held on the last day.
Some families of missing people have already held funerals without the bodies, following Hindu traditions that consider cremation an important final rite.
On this day, students and faculty at some Nepali schools gathered at the playground to commemorate the victims of the flood.
Adaditya (16), a high school student, said, "Today is a day of national mourning, but I went to school as normal. People living in Kathmandu are not affected by floods, but it is sad that anyone can become a victim of a major disaster like this in the future."
The Kathmandu Durbar Square, where small candlelight memorial services for flood victims were held every night, was no different from usual.
This square, located in the center of Kathmandu's old town, is a representative historical site in Nepal where old kingdoms and temples are gathered, and the surrounding area is crowded with mobile phone stores and jewelry stores.
The merchants, who began opening their stores around 10 a.m. on this day, prepared for business as usual. On one side of Durbar Square, stalls selling antiques and precious metals were also opened at similar times as usual.
Sarita Gurung (33), who sells handicrafts, said, "After the floods, the number of tourists has decreased significantly, so business is not as good as usual. Nepalese people are sharing their grief with the families of the victims."
Meanwhile, families of Nepalese victims urged the government to expedite search and rescue operations at the Prime Minister's Office in Kathmandu and elsewhere.
As of the previous day, 1,398 people had died and 5,515 were missing in Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, which border the border, due to a major flood that occurred in the upper reaches of the Himalayan mountain range on the 26th of last month.
About 1.6 million people, about 5% of Nepal's total population, were damaged by this major flood, and 20,000 houses were no longer habitable, including about 7,500 houses that were completely lost.
