More Than Half A Year On, Nepal's New Normal Is Still In The Making [Pictures]

Last month, 25 October to be precise, marked the six-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Nepal. While the people who have suffered this catastrophe are still either trying to break down and reconstruct their half damaged homes or have settled down in camps indefinitely, their troubles have assumed new dimensions.

Residents of Bungamati are still working on fully dismantling their broken homes. Bungamati is a once-beautiful Newari village in Nepal's Lalitpur district

For two months or so, the Indo-Nepal border in the Terai region (southern Nepal) has been closed down by protestors due to dissatisfaction over the new constitution. And it has been over a month since trade has been blocked into Nepal. This has led to massive shortage of petrol, diesel, LPG and other basic necessities. It is still not clear whether India has blocked trade with Nepal or whether it is the protestors who aren't allowing the trucks to enter Nepal. But amidst this entire political turmoil are suffering the common people. People need to return home to start rebuilding their lives. They shouldn't have to worry about how to cook food if the blockade continues. On top of it, business owners are in a fix because their goods and containers are not cleared from India for well over a month now.

Nepal has landed from a natural disaster to a political one in just six months.

Having said that, the Nepalese continue to be resilient as ever and are finding alternate ways to deal with the situation.

Homes in shambles, Bungamati

There's a long way to go in Bungamati

Work in progress, one step at a time, Bungamati

A mother and baby from Sindhupalchowk, one of the worst affected districts of Nepal, find an occasion to smile at Bode cap in Bhaktapur. They have been living here for six months or so.