When Nepal was hit by two devastating earthquakes in April and May this year, it brought about the worst natural catastrophe the country has suffered in more than 80 years. Nearly 9000 lives were lost, and the country bore an economic cost worth about one-third of its national output. Very few countries that are hit by a force this big can shake off the dust with the grit and determination with which the people of Nepal are doing. In this, we are being helped generously by our immediate neighbours, traditional development partners and a new-age coalition of volunteers, private sector companies, philanthropic entities, non-governmental organisations and the Nepalese diaspora. The agility and versatility of these partnerships gives us hope that Nepal is poised for a recovery.
When the last comparable earthquake occurred in Nepal in 1934, there were hardly any modern buildings, roads, schools or motorised vehicles. The pace of transformation since then has been dramatic. We evolved from a medieval kingdom to a modern nation-state in the space of just a few decades.
