Few hours at Pashupati Bridhashram

At a time when two powerful earthquakes followed by hundreds of aftershocks have terrified everyone in the Himalayan nation, there are also examples of some fearless souls who have no signs of fear to face death.

Among 230 seniors living at the only government's old-age home (Pashupati Briddhashram) located in Kathmandu, maximum looked calm as they are not anxious to face the deadly disaster.

Though the energetic youths leave their hopes at such moments, these people with wrinkle over all faces have accepted 'death as inevitable'.

Most of these personalities were kids when the powerful quake of 8.4 Richter scale occurred in 1934, whereas they have already experienced life till the latest quake.

88 years old Tirtha Maya Rai, originally from eastern region of Nepal, is among one of those fearless who did not run out of her bed located in a cozy and dark room during the quake.

Tirtha Maya Rai

"Everyone should die once in life. Why to get scared? Rather, I enjoyed the tremors as my bed was shaking left and right", Rai with a big smile on her wrinkled face shared at the old-age home on Monday noon.

Talkative and cheerful Rai has been living in the Briddhashram since childhood. She says her life has been beautiful till date though there is no affection or contact of parents or families.

On April 25 when the quake occurred, many of these old people were in the yard queued up with plates for curd and beaten-rice, as favorite of all.

Staffs at the old-age home informed that nobody was injured as nobody tried to run and protect themselves.

Earlier, these people at Briddhashram were trained several times regarding the safety measures to be adopted during quakes; however when the real disaster occurred, they didn't bother to follow those measures.

Rather, these elderly who have been isolated by own families started taking the names of gods with the words like "Harey Ram, Harey Ram" (Hindu lord Ram), with no fear on their faces.

An astrologer 95 years old Chitra Bahadur Adhikary, who is in this old-age home since last one year had witnessed the massive earthquake of 1934 in his village Sundarijal in outskirts of the capital.

Adhikary told, "I find the latest quake not as strong as of which I experienced in childhood. I was afraid then, but not now. I don’t fear with death as already fulfilled all my dreams of life.

Adhikary's voice was echoed by few others who were sitting on a bench in the dining hall of the building. These 65-97 years old people have no fear to face death.

These days, the dining hall and kitchen room of Briddhashram has turned into the bed-rooms. Unfortunately, the place is safer than previous rooms but with leaky roofs.

Elderly citizens sharing their stories 

Followed by quakes, the northern-part of the building has undergone damages due to which the beds have been shifted to other safer areas considering the safety of these senior people.

Even the Panchadeval temple located in the centre of the old-age home has been destructed by the quake.

Manoj Kumar Basnet, Chief of old-age home which is under the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare informed, "We shifted the senior citizens to safer location for temporary period; however there are challenges of monsoon and congestion".

Basnet has already suggested the government to shift the old-age home in a different place for long-term settlement, as the current building is in the premise of Pashupatinath temple which is enlisted as World Heritage Site. 

Dining Hall replaced by bed-room

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