Gautam Man Singh with his creation: the replica of Dharara. Photo by Om Astha RaiGautam Man Singh, a 42-year-old, working from his home/office as a carpet designer in Sanepa, survived the 25 April earthquake.
However, Singh lost something that he held close to his earth in the disastrous earthquake.
He did not lose any of his family members, nor did he lose his house: He lost Dharara – the tall landmark that he loved more than any other monument in Kathmandu.
"When I was a child, I used to play by Dharara and take a bath in Sundhara (the now damaged golden tap)" he says. "Dharara did not stop fascinating me even after I became an adult, it broke my heart to see it crash onto the ground.”
Twelve days after Dharara’s fall, which killed more than 50 people, Singh created its replica and installed it in the Ring Road, right off of Sanepa.
Dharara's replica has won the hearts of many who pass by this mini creation. The tiny Dharara reminds people of what used to be and touches them to the core, so most take pictures or selfies around or by it.
"It's my tribute to Dharara," says Singh. "I feel happy when I find others emotionally connecting with it, like I do."
Singh created the little Dharara by using a hollow petrol drum, scraps of steel, tyres, an empty water jar and a piece of water pipe. More than 100 people gathered around his replica on the 13th day of the earthquake to light candles and pay tribute to the people who lost their lives during the earthquake.
The death toll from Nepal's deadliest earthquake, in more than 80 years, has reached nearly 8,000. The earthquake injured more than 14,000 people and damaged more than 100,000 houses in central and western Nepal.
Singh is also the president of Reiyukai Nepal's 8th branch, which has distributed relief materials like food, clothes and kitchen utensils worth around Rs 50 million in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dhading and Sindhupalchok districts.
"We lost a Reiyukai member when Dharara collapsed," he says. “But it brought all of us, Reiyukai members, together to help the earthquake survivors.”
Om Astha Rai