A young Nepali boy wore the traditional daura surwal to his primary school in Reading and collected donations. Artists in London auctioned off their works to raise funds. Restaurant owners held charity dinners and opened up their storage space to collect relief materials.

That day the tremors were felt not only in Nepal but in the hearts of Nepalis all around the world. Before the scale of the devastation had even sunk in, the UK diaspora started contacting each other to handle the emergency. It was the only thing one could do while feeling helplessly away from the homeland during the big earthquake; find at least some comfort in the company and cooperation of fellow Nepalis. It really was a time of realization for all, of the importance of community and the spirit of Nepalis towards their fellow countrymen.

A group of Nepali gamers were also moved to do anything in their power to help. Asesh Limbu, Anish Limbu, Arjun Malla, Biraj Gurung, Shashank Gurung, Sakun Jimi, Dipson Ghale, Meryem Rai, Utsab Subedi, Puskal Purja and Shivum Pradhan had been friends for a while after they met through online games. Most of them moved to the UK with their families while they were still very young. Neverthless, they felt directly affected by the earthquake. Initially, the gamers had the idea of streaming online games to raise funds, but decided instead to busk in the streets of London. Busking allowed more of our friends to participate. They would help us raise awareness to a wider range of people, and not explicitly gamers.

So, they borrowed sound equipment from friends and printed posters. They put up a Facebook event “Busk for Nepal” and set up an online donation account. They gathered their musician and dancer friends in the middle of Trafalgar Square, most of them meeting each other the first time, many of them performing in the open streets for the first time. Despite the awkward starts, each one was motivated to pull their own weight and do what they can. Then, in the midst of the busiest tourist areas in Central London, the Nepali youngsters and their non-Nepali friends started singing and dancing every weekend, collecting small change from passers by.

To keep the performances going for hours, musicians Joanna Charafeddine Akar, Andrei Frias, Ayeisha Raquel, Jerusha Rai, Shreya Rai, Prasil Kanwar, Diwan Roka, Karuna Gurung, Yogesh Limbu, Mahanta Gurung, Nirjan Rai, Ash Chetri, Ben Richardson, Utsab Subedi, Dipson Ghale, Shashank Gurung, Shaun Luke, Allan Shrestha & Rohit Banmali (The English Weather/Cobweb) and dancers Ting Ho, Wai Man Leung, Nilufer Masa Cetin, Vitas LeBas, Deepak Mouchen Darlami, Sakun Jimi and Reshma Gurung took turns, while they had to keep up with their classes and jobs.

“Many more joined in to perform with us, these were people who were just passing by and offered to perform with us”, said Dipson Ghale. “At the beginning, we thought people wouldn’t be as charitable to our cause but we were wrong. Many wished Nepal a swift recovery and a lot of donations came through. The charitable spirit of London made our cause a lot more successful than we initially thought.”

The buskers together collected £1500 along with a similar group functioning in Belgium. The fund was utilized for the reconstruction of Shree Kalyan Devi Higher Secondary School in Nuwakot, one of the most affected areas. A batch of volunteers from the group also went to Nepal themselves to help with the reconstruction

The group’s efforts were met with some surprise, as young NRNs are often perceived to be aloof from the concerns of their homeland. “Although most of us moved here at an early age, we still feel a sense of responsibility towards the place where we came from or where our ancestry lies. Most of our relatives still live there. Buildings and monuments we grew up around were destroyed and these were things we still associate ourselves with. So, organising a charity event for Nepal made us feel that we are still doing our part and most importantly it brought us closer together”, the group shared.

The Busk for Nepal group plans to hold future fundraisers and target specific charities, especially now that they have gathered quite a lot of experience in busking. They share some tips for anybody who wants to set up busking sessions in their own towns.

“Everybody must be committed to the event and enjoy it at the same time! Make sure you have flyers and banners to show what your cause is. Everyone involved should be well informed about the cause you are working for, so when people ask you questions you should be able to answer confidently. Enjoying busking makes things a lot easier to organize but also gives you a huge drive into helping others from the work you have done. Be prepared for really bad weathers in the UK. And one more thing, there are a lot of drunk people around London, mostly Trafalgar square, so make sure you are ready to deal with it!” warn the now seasoned buskers.

Busking has been used an an effective and relatively easy method for fundraising utilized even by established charities like Oxfam and Cancer Research UK. Interested volunteers can set up busking sessions in their own town centres with a minimum of resources, and maximum opportunity to interact openly with passers by.

Through Busk for Nepal sessions, people from all walks of life were made aware of the problems facing Nepal. They have made some lasting friendships among and beyond the Nepali diaspora. Above all, they have learnt some unforgettable lessons of what can be achieved when people simply come out to the streets and talk, sing and dance together.