A morning 21 years ago. New York City was busy as usual. The busyness of the city was increasing with the morning light. At around 8:46 a.m., terrorists crashed into the North Tower of the Twin Towers in Manhattan.
About 15 minutes later, another plane crashed into the south tower of the Twin Towers. The calm and busy New York of 15 minutes ago turned into chaos.
When the Twin Towers were attacked, some Nepali NewYorkers were also working in and around it. But luckily they all managed to survive. It’s like a nightmare to them. When they remember the events of September 11, they startle like waking up from a nightmare.
At that time, there were four Nepalese working inside the Twin Towers and working in the surrounding area. Fortunately, no one had to lose to death.
Shailesh Shrestha, who used to work in a restaurant on the 106th and 107th floor of the Twin Towers, survived by a great chance. His life was saved because his work schedule was changed that day. Otherwise, it was not possible to survive when everyone who worked with him died. So now he is experiencing a new life. Shailesh says – ‘I managed to survive because of such a coincidence.’
Yuli Chen, a Nepali-speaking woman from Darjeeling, also used to work in a restaurant inside the Twin Towers at that time. She said that at that time he saw death very closely. Even though she entered the twin towers, she could not reach the 106th floor, so her life was saved. After the attack, she fell badly on the ground when she tried to run for her life. Hundreds of people trampled her. But she managed to survive with the help of a policeman.
Since that day, she has stopped being afraid of death. Not only Yuli, but Yuli’s brother Sim also used to work inside the Twin Towers. But his life was also saved by coincidence like Shailesh’s. He managed to survive only because his work schedule was changed that day. Sim says – ‘If such a coincidence had not happened, I would not have got this life, all the events are like a dream.’
Not only them, but lawyer Keshab Raj Seadie, who had his own law firm near the Twin Towers, also saw death very closely. He managed to survive only because he slept late that day. He still shudders when he remembers the scene of people jumping from the window and the World Trade Center collapsing in front of him.
Similarly, Kalpana Pant, who used to work in a restaurant near the World Trade Center, also managed to survive with great difficulty. That’s why even now when she remembers the incident, her heart breaks.
She was also trampled by hundreds of people in the stampede. When she barely woke up and reached Staten Island, she was unable to recognize herself. When she returned home, her son could not believe that she was still alive. Her son did not even eat the food that was served to him as if he was possessed by a ghost. Kalpana could not even eat food for several days after this incident.
For two years, she was afraid to even ride the train. She could not even go to work. Even if there is a loud noise from somewhere, she gets upset.
Not only these Nepalis who survived by chance but all the Nepalis living in New York at that time, the incident of the Twin Towers attack seems like a nightmare. After the attack, most of them came to know about the incident. Not only did they call his relatives, but they also cried because they survived.
After this incident of the Twin Towers attack, many Nepalis could not even go to the place of attack for several days. Many could not even eat properly for several days. Eyewitnesses say that the corpses were buried in the rubble, and the smell of corpses could be smelled around the attack site for a few days.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
