Nepali students perform in markets for quake victims

Even though the amount of contributions have started going down, the Nepalese students here continue to perform in market places to raise funds to send relief items back home. The lesser amount of contribution has not dampened the spirits. The performance lasts for over four hours on weekends. On weekdays, it is different.

A few groups can manage to coordinate ‘live performances’ in market places after their work hours.

“The contributions increased right after the second earthquake hit Nepal. There is a dip in contributions again,” said Lal Bahadur Thapa at Khan Market on Sunday evening.

Thapa hails from Baglung district in Nepal. He is among around 300 students, preparing for Chartered Accountancy, who are collecting funds in the Capital to send relief items back home.

As the group of youngsters in the background sit back with guitars and perform “Give me some sunshine” from 3 Idiots, Thapa holds a placard of ‘Save Nepal Earthquake Victims’ and sighs.

“Nepal will never be the same. This is all we can do from here to help out the survivors.”
Asked if everyone is safe at his home, he nods.

In the group of 10, another student Samir who hails from Kathmandu says the programmes will be intensified even though the response is “lukewarm” now. The group of guitarists draws crowd as the evening progresses. While some capture the efforts of the youths on their smartphones, a few others give donations at Khan Market.

While some students are preparing to crack the CA exam, some are already in the course.
The around 300 students in groups of 10 who have performed in Connaught Place, NOIDA, Rohini, Biswasnagar, Hauz Khas Village, Khan Market, Delhi University till now.

“We choose crowded market places for the performances,” says Samir.   
Nagendra Shah from Janakpur who runs a coaching centre training students of CA in Laxmi Nagar here who has got the students together to raise funds says now the group will wrap collecting donations.

“A team of students are already in Nepal with the relief materials bought from the funds collected so far. We are now in the process of wrapping up the process,” says Shah.

“Because of the misunderstandings, the Indian media did not cover the second earthquake as extensively. This has also led to a dip in the collection,” he adds.