1 hr ago
Nepal Floods Push Kolkata Students Toward Safer Puja Holidays
Floods in Nepal have made many Kolkata students and parents worried about travelling to the mountains during Durga Puja.
Some families cancelled their Nepal trips because roads may be unsafe and landslides can block travel.
Other families changed hill-station plans to visits on the plains.
Several students remembered earlier trips when snow or landslides left them stranded.
One student said that a cancelled holiday is much less important than people losing homes and basic supplies.
Teachers and students are discussing how disasters affect communities.
They are also learning about climate change, river systems and preparedness.
Some students still hope to visit Nepal someday, but they want to be more careful.
Kolkata students and parents have cancelled or reconsidered Nepal and mountain holidays after devastating floods killed nearly 1,000 people.
Reports of damaged roads, landslides, travel disruptions and rescue operations have heightened safety concerns.
Some families have replaced planned trips to Kurseong, Kalimpong and other hill destinations with visits to historical sites on the plains.
Students linked their concerns to earlier experiences of being stranded by snowfall and landslides in Darjeeling, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
Classroom discussions have focused on natural disasters, global warming, disaster preparedness and the effects of interconnected river systems in India and Nepal.
- Who
- Kolkata students, their parents and teachers, with Nepalese communities affected by the floods at the center of concern.
- What
- Students and families are cancelling or reconsidering mountain holidays after Nepal’s devastating flash floods.
- Where
- Nepal, with travel concerns reported in Kolkata and discussions about possible effects in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- Ahead of this Durga Puja, following the recent floods.
- Why
- Because floods, landslides, unsafe roads and travel disruptions have raised safety concerns and highlighted the human cost of the disaster.
Prioritize Safety and Caution
Keep Travel Possible With Care
Whether to take mountain holidays
Prioritize Safety and Caution
Some students and parents cancelled or postponed trips because unsafe roads, landslides and changing weather could endanger travellers.
Keep Travel Possible With Care
Other students, including Arpan Chatterjee, still regard Nepal as a future travel destination, although the disaster has made them more cautious.
How to view a cancelled holiday
Prioritize Safety and Caution
Students said missing a holiday is disappointing but safety should come first.
Keep Travel Possible With Care
Oishika Chatterjee stressed that a disrupted holiday should not be treated as a major loss compared with families losing homes and livelihoods.
What should follow the disaster
Prioritize Safety and Caution
Students called for greater investment in disaster management and action against global warming.
Keep Travel Possible With Care
The article does not report a specific opposing policy position, but some students focused on continued travel planning rather than ruling out mountain trips entirely.
Key facts
- Reported deaths
- Nearly 1,000 people were killed in the Nepal flash floods, according to the article.
- Travel response
- Some Kolkata families cancelled Nepal trips or changed mountain-destination plans.
- Alternative destinations
- One family replaced plans for Kurseong and Kalimpong with historical destinations on the plains.
- Previous disruptions
- Students recalled being stranded by heavy snowfall and landslides in Darjeeling, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
- Classroom topics
- Students discussed natural disasters, global warming, disaster management and preparedness.
- River-system concerns
- Teachers discussed how interconnected rivers link Nepal to India and could affect Bihar and Uttar Pradesh through flooding and contamination.
Quotes
Anwesha Bhattacharji
Class XI student at G.D. Birla Centre for Education
“Since then, I have always been a little apprehensive about travelling to the mountains because you never really know how quickly the weather can change.”
telegraphindia.com
“How can we go with news of bad road conditions, travel disruptions and rescue operations making headlines every day? We decided to cancel the trip.”
telegraphindia.com









