After the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks, a large number of Nepali celebrities made it their mission to support the earthquake victims. Working in relief and rehabilitation, they played their part in helping those in need and stabilising the chaos in the immediacy of the tremblors.  In this retrospective, The Post’s Anup Ojha reflects on the work of these celebrities in the days following the quakes. The list is not exhaustive, but demonstrates how a celebrity’s life extends well beyond their profession, and how they, even in real lives, inspire so many of their audiences and fans.

Rajesh Hamal

Superstar Rajesh Hamal was in Paris when the April 25 quake hit. On hearing about it, Hamal cancelled his prior commitments and instead started raising funds for victims back home with the help of NRNs living in France, the Netherlands and Finland. He also made various media appearances in these countries. In the Netherlands, he was featured by a citizen-run organisation, Giro 555; and with help from the Dutch-Nepali community, he collected 9.6 million Euros in a single day.  Hamal also visited Pokhara to promote tourism.

Manisha Koirala

Once the news  surfaced, Manisha Koirala left the shoot of her upcoming movie in India and came back home. The government nominated her as a goodwill ambassador to help raise funds for relief and reconstruction. Koirala, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNFPA Nepal, in coordination with Nepal government distributed Dignity Kits, which consisted of essentials for pregnant women, new mothers and infants.

Sitaram Kattel and Kunjana Ghimire

The husband-wife duo built 40 Dhurmus-Suntali Integrated Settlements in Panchkhal, Kavrepalanchowk. This was a collaboration with their popular show Meri Bassai,  Bhadragol and social networking site sagoon.com. Sitaram spent 70 days constructing the new settlements. In total, they built 10 toilets for 40 quake-affected households in Sindupalchowk and also helped construct seven classrooms for a primary school in Nuwakot. The money came from various fundraisers organised in the US, prior to the quake.

Hari Bansha Acharya and Madan Krishna Shrestha

Among their many relief works, Maha Sansar (their foundation) donated US $2,000 to Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre in Sankhu. They received the amount from Nepalis living in Washington DC. The duo were also appointed goodwill ambassadors to help raise funds for relief and reconstruction in aftermath of the quakes. They tied up with various organisations, NGOs and INGOs for reconstruction work in various affected areas of the country.   

Rekha Thapa

The actress spent three days at Pashupatinath Temple, helping out with the cremation of the casualties. She even bore the funeral expenses of the unclaimed bodies.  She also donated Rs 5,00,000 from her upcoming release to help build homes for technicians and media workers whose houses in Sindupalchowk and Nuwakot were destroyed by the tremblors.

Komal Oli

Radio Nepal, the oldest radio station in the country, played a commendable role in constantly updating the people about the devastation wrought by the quake and its aftershocks. Komal Oli spent three days in the studio, airing live updates from throughout the country. Post-quake, she was also involved in providing psychological counselling to children aged six to 16, in various quake-affected areas for nearly two months.

Adrian Pradhan

The singer was involved with numerous charity music programmes after April 25. Pradhan, along with his musical troupe, Adrian & Frendz, was invited to India to perform at a charity programme for earthquake victims. He shared the stage with renowned Indian artists like Farhan Akhtar,  Vishal Dadlani, Shilpa Rao, Indian Ocean and Kalimpong-based singer Bipul Chettri at the DLF Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, India. Pradhan  also performed in Seoul, South Korea and Darjeeling.

Manoj Gajurel

After the quake, Gajurel, along with the group Sisnopani Nepal travelled to 10 quake-affected districts with relief material. Along with distributing basic necessities, the artist  offered laughter therapy to the victims.