A visa rejection that initially left a Bengal woman disappointed may have ultimately saved her from the devastating flash floods in Nepal. Sixty-one-year-old Tapati Singha from West Bengal was preparing to travel on a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, but her plans changed after her Chinese visa was rejected without any reason being given.
Singha had been preparing for the 13-day pilgrimage since May. She attended meetings organised by the Kolkata-based travel agency, took part in shopping trips and even participated in trekking preparations with the group. Around 33 people from West Bengal were expected to travel as part of the pilgrimage.
However, shortly before the journey was scheduled to begin, Singha was informed that her visa application had been rejected. Upset by the decision, she changed her travel plans and chose to visit Ladakh instead.
The decision turned out to be a fortunate one as severe flash floods and landslides later hit parts of Nepal, leaving hundreds dead and many people missing. Had her visa been approved, Singha would have been travelling with the group during the period when the disaster struck.
Singha said she is now returning to Kolkata after completing her alternative trip. She had reached Delhi and was expected to arrive at Kolkata airport on Thursday evening.
The Nepal-based counterpart of the travel agency with which Singha was scheduled to travel has reportedly been unable to establish contact with the travellers. Officials from the agency have travelled to Nepal to gather information about the group and assist with efforts to locate those affected.
The disaster has also raised concerns about the safety of hundreds of Indian nationals in Nepal. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 288 Indian citizens remained uncontactable as of Thursday. The missing include workers at the Trishuli 1 power project as well as several groups of tourists and pilgrims from different Indian states.
Among those uncontactable are 73 Indians working on the Trishuli 1 project. Groups from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and other states are also reportedly among those whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The Indian government has been coordinating with Nepalese authorities and travel agencies to locate missing nationals and provide assistance to those stranded by the floods.
For Singha, however, the rejection that once felt like a major setback now carries a completely different meaning. A cancelled pilgrimage led her to Ladakh instead, keeping her away from a journey that could have placed her directly in the path of one of Nepal's deadliest recent natural disasters.
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