Nepal Earthquake Survivor to Exhibit Photos

Photos featuring the aftermath of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake and the resilience of the country’s people, taken by University of Findlay graduate student Rajesh Paudel, will be exhibited in Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion’s Gallery H in December.
Paudel will give a free, public presentation about his project, titled “Nepal Will Rise Again: A Photographer’s Journey” in the pavilion on Monday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. His pieces will be on display for free, public viewing through Dec. 31.
The Nepal native and amateur photographer was in his home country when the earthquake struck. The devastation destroyed his family’s home and left many destitute. Paudel’s response was to grab his camera and capture images of what the quake had wrought, and how residents were surviving.

As a Red Cross volunteer who was provided with a vehicle and medical supplies to help victims, he had access to some of the country’s more remote areas, which he photographed with residents’ permission, even as strong aftershocks continued to injure and kill more.
Paudel, who is studying health informatics, hopes his presentation and photos will provide additional enlightenment about the Nepalese and the earthquake itself, which triggered landslides, flattened entire villages, killed almost 9,000 in Nepal (fatalities also occurred in China, India and Bangladesh), and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
“Many (Americans) don’t know about Nepal. They sometimes ask me if I’m from India or China,” Paudel explained. “I want to draw attention to the fact that this disaster happened in 2015,” he said, and to encourage people to travel there as well.

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