Priest turns singer to seek help for quake-hit Nepal

A priest at Nepal's iconic Pashupatinath Temple here has assumed the role of a musician, strumming a guitar and singing songs while asking for aid from visitors for quake-hit people.
33-year-old Sooeil Rajbhadari, one of the youngest members of the Rajbhandaris priest family associated with this historic Hindu shrine, can barely speak at the end of the day.
From 6 o'clock in the morning to 7 o'clock in the evening daily, for the past few days at the World Heritage temple site, he has been crooning several times over a Nepalese song "Let's Come Friends, Let's Help Nepal."
And, lending him support is fellow Nepalese and city- based tourist guide Biss Baba, who plays wooden instruments and adds vocal strength to his partner.

The duo very politely, decline to accept offer of any cash from visitors, and instead, point them towards placards they have put up around, saying "Please help Nepal with relief material."
Sooeil, who has been playing music since class 7, told PTI, "It was time for us to mobilise support for our fellow Nepalese, who have been hit by this tragedy of catastrophic proportions. Once, we collect all the relief material, then we will take them to remote villages where relief is not reaching."

31-year-old Biss, who speaks 13 languages besides Nepali, believes in the power of the residing deity, and urges people to join "hands in the name of Lord Pashupatinath."

"Our song in Nepali - 'Nepali hun Nepali..' means 'I am a Nepali and one Nepali should help another Nepali'. In the last six days, we have collected food relief and medicines, and we will take them to affected villages," he said.
Curious onlookers and foreign visitors to the landmark temple in the capital city, gather around the duo, when they perform and cheer up to lend moral support to the cause.
But, it is not just through music that Nepalese youth is mobilising support for the affected people of the Himalayan nation, which has been shaken to the core by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake on April 25, in which over 7,500 people have died and another 14,536 injured.

Several youth volunteers and members of civil societies and NGOs from New Delhi to Nepal, are raising funds by literally walking the streets.
Aswisa Magar, in her late 20s who is associated with NGO 'Women's Dreams', has mobilised young boys and girls, who are marching in the streets of Kathmandu, raising slogans of 'Help Nepal. Please Donate'.