Shailesh Shrestha, a Nepali who survived the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, reflects, “Life is a document of coincidence.” It’s been 23 years since that fateful day, but for Shailesh, the memories are still vivid.
“When I enter the big elevator of skyscrapers, I feel suffocation,” he shares. “I think that I should not have climbed all by myself. It seems that these luxurious high-rise buildings could have been avoided, but my feelings cannot stop their business. I know that too. I speak my mind and I am speaking this moment. But around the graves of my colleagues and friends, wealth is found and cultivated. We talk about feelings, but they do business.”
Shrestha, who worked on the 106th and 107th floors of the Twin Towers, recalls how his life was spared because of a shift change that day. “My job was at the Windows on the World restaurant. I always reached work by 6 a.m., but on September 11, my shift started at 3 p.m. So, I stayed at home all morning,” he recounts. “Seventy-three of my colleagues who worked with me died in the attack. Coincidentally, maybe because my luck was strong that day, I managed to survive. If not for that change, my day would have ended there, along with seventy-three others.”
The memory of his colleagues haunts him. “When relatives or friends come from Nepal or other states of the USA, Ground Zero, or the first World Trade Center, is usually on their list of places to visit,” he laments. “I can’t say openly, ‘Why are you visiting the graves of my colleagues?’ My friends always say, ‘Friends, you have got the bonus life and you have survived. Do good and meaningful work.’ My wife usually doesn’t like to go to 9/11 memorial ceremonies. She says, ‘Dear, you only cry on stage. What is there to see in men’s tears?’ Tears are tears after all. Where do you stop? The color of the tears that fall from the eyes, year after year, with heartache or melting, may be the same.”
Yuli Chen, another Nepali-speaking survivor who worked in a restaurant inside the Twin Towers, remembers, “At that time, I saw death very closely. I could not reach the 106th floor, so my life was saved.” She vividly recalls being trampled by hundreds of people while trying to flee. “But I managed to survive with the help of a policeman,” she adds. From that day, Yuli says she “stopped being afraid of death.”
Attorney Keshab Seadie, who had a law firm near the World Trade Center, also narrowly escaped. “I live by sleeping late,” he remarks. “I always reached the office at 8 a.m., but I was very tired the day before and slept late on September 11. When I arrived at the train station, there was chaos. The police were shouting, ‘Run away!’ and I could see the building burning.” He continues, “I was only a short distance away when another plane hit the South Tower. I felt as if I had passed out.”
Kalpana Pant, who worked in a restaurant near the World Trade Center, describes the harrowing experience of escaping the stampede. “I fell to the ground in the rush of people,” she says. “I was trampled by hundreds. When I reached Staten Island, I could hardly recognize myself. My son didn’t believe I was alive; he acted like a ghost had entered the house.” The trauma left her unable to eat or take a train for two years. “Even now, if there’s a loud noise, I remember that incident,” she shares.
For all these Nepali survivors, the events of September 11 feel like a nightmare. They recount their stories, each one a testament to the randomness of survival. As Keshab Sedai reflects, “Life felt like a bubble of water. I was happy to have survived, but the memories never leave.”
From the archives of NepYork.
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.
