FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

Oh, LANGTANG (Satis Shroff) Langtang Valley can be reached from Kathmandu by traversing along the Trisuli river valley and further to small picturesque Nepalese hamlets such as: Betrawati, Dharapani, Ramche, Thare, Bokejhung, Bhrugu, Munga and finally Syabrubensi, for where the Langtang Valley begins. Most of the trekkers head for the village of Langtang, which lies at an elevation of 3,500m, and another village is Kyanjing (3,850m). These two villages lie in a wide arid valley, and has woodland and meadows: a trekker's paradise. Ghopte Gosainkunda Lake, Lauribinayak Pass Shin Gomba (monastery) But at the moment the beautiful Valley and town of Langtang lies under 10,000 tonnes of snow, earth and stones that have rolled down. 'Langtang Valley is no longer what it was and doesn't exist,' according to Tulsi Prasad Gautam, chief of tourism in Kathmandu. In the middle of the valley lay the village of Langtang. ...

NEPAL: AFTER THE QUAKE (Satis Shroff) (Acryl by Satis Shroff: Kanchenjung Massif) The birds were flying in panic in the sky over the Durbar Square and Basantapur, Asan Tole like in a scenario from an Alfred Hitchcock film. The temples on which they formerly roosted had been pulverised and what remained were gigantic conical heaps. The famous Nautale Durbar temple in the Basantapur Square has been destroyed and the white neo-classical Rana palace from where the former kings and royalty of Nepal used to greet the folk is also partially damaged. The Dhara tower, about which we Nepalese used to read about and the exploits of Junga Bahadur Rana, has also been demolished. Over 4000 people have died, 6,500 injured, and the death toll is expected to be more under the piles of earth, wood and bricks. A strong earthquake lasting almost 2 minutes hit Kathmandu in the morning of April 27, 2015 measuring 7,8 on the Richter scale, according to USGS. The epicentre l...

O Catmandu! (Satis Shroff) O Catmandu! All I see is rubble, People buried by bricks, Waste fragments of stone. Wooden struts from ancient temples, Loose stones, Tumbled houses. The cries, shouts and helplessness, In Nepali and Newari tongues. Mothers looking for their children, Young Nepalese mourning the dead, People in motion, Searching incessantly, Like ants on heaps of rubble, That were once unesco heritage sites. The pagoda skyline has vanished. O Catmandu! The convulsions of the earth's surface, Has in the past demanded its toll Of human lives, As far back as 1934. When the Indian subcontinent Approaches the Eurasian landmass, Seismic shocks are inevitable. The movement of tectonic plates Causes damage not only without, In Catmandu, Pokhara, Khumbu Icefalls, But also within the denizens of Nepal. Social, psychological, Economical pain results. O Catmandu! ...