Ranchi: For residents of Doranda, home to a sizeable population of the Gorkha community, the flash flood in Nepal is more than a distant disaster. With relatives and friends living in the Himalayan nation, families in the locality have been glued to television screens and social media, making repeated phone calls and praying for their safety.As reports of widespread destruction and deaths poured in from Nepal, anxiety gripped the community. Even those whose relatives are away from the worst-hit areas said the scale of the devastation has left them deeply shaken.“For us, Nepal is not a distant country. Many of our extended family members and friends stay there. The visuals surfacing on the channels and social media platforms are very disturbing and causing immense pain to us. The first time I saw those videos on TV, the first thought that came to me was the safety of my family members and friends,” said septuagenarian Suren Kumar Tamang.Tamang, a retired Jharkhand govt employee, said his cousins, nieces and several friends live in Nepal. “Although the floods have not affected the areas they live in and they are safe, I am worried about their safety,” he said.Another Doranda resident, Suman Tamang, said almost every family in the neighbourhood has someone in Nepal, making any calamity there emotionally overwhelming.“Every time a calamity strikes Nepal, it shakes us to the core. Just a year ago, the country was grappling with political instability, and now it is facing this disaster. We stand with our brothers and sisters in Nepal not merely because we belong to the same community, but because of our shared humanity,” he said.Residents said the community was also planning to send relief material to the disaster-hit areas in the coming days.“Whenever natural calamities wreaked havoc in Nepal, we always stood by them,” Suman added.
