Woman's heartbreaking take on life as parents remain missing after Nepal floods

A young woman, whose parents went missing during the devastating Nepal flash floods, broke down in a heartbreaking video as she spoke about the uncertainty surrounding their disappearance and the challenges she has been facing in life in the past one month.

Tanvi’s YouTube video came more than a month after her parents went missing while on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. They have remained untraceable since flash floods struck near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastating towns and villages across northern and central Nepal.

In the video titled “I haven't really talked about this...30 days since Nepal,” Tanvi spoke through tears about her parents, Venkatram and Anagha Annamdevara, who were part of a 67-member pilgrimage group caught in the disaster.

As she struggled to come to terms with their absence, Tanvi recalled the little things around her home that constantly reminded her of her parents. She also questioned why they had to face such a tragedy when they were still so young, with their lives ahead of them.

“It has been 30 days since the Nepal floods. My parents went on the Kailash Yatra on August 26. They were at the immigration centre, which was the worst-hit location during the Nepal floods,” she said in the video posted on September 26, repeatedly wiping away her tears.

Tanvi said the past month had been consumed by legal formalities, financial responsibilities and the daunting task of managing everything her parents had built. Amid the paperwork and practical demands of the crisis, she admitted that she had barely processed the emotional reality of their absence.

“I haven't even processed it at all. For the past 30 days, I have been running around, taking care of all the legal and financial work and trying to maintain everything my parents have,” she said.

Looking around her home, she recalled the little things that reminded her of her parents. A water bottle bought by her mother, a speaker bought by her father and countless other everyday objects had become reminders of the people she was desperately hoping to see again.

“My parents have made me disgustingly educated and privileged because I have just realised how much I have around me. My mom bought this bottle, and my dad bought the speaker. They worked so hard, for what? For them to leave?” she said.

Her grief was intertwined with anger and disbelief. At 52 and 49, respectively, her parents were still young and had only just reached a stage in life when they could begin enjoying the rewards of years of hard work.

“They were so young. They were supposed to start enjoying their lives now. They were supposed to start travelling. And the first trip was the Kailash Yatra. I am just angry at the world, at the universe. I don't understand. Why them?” she said.

For a while, Tanvi had convinced herself that her parents would return. They were originally expected home on September 6, but she continued to hold on to hope even after that date passed.

“I was delusional enough to wait until September 15, thinking they were going to come back. Reality hit me late, and I realised that maybe they weren't going to come back,” she said.

As per previous social media posts, her parents were part of a 67-member Kailash Yatra group. Tanvi said she had been unable to establish contact with either the group or the organisation handling the pilgrimage. Their last known location was around the immigration centre and the Friendship Bridge in Nepal.

Her parents' disappearance also coincided with a crucial milestone in Tanvi's own life. On August 30, she was scheduled to appear for the NEET PG examination, an important step in her journey towards becoming a doctor. Despite the uncertainty and fear surrounding her parents' whereabouts, she went to the examination centre and sat for the test.

Looking back at the past month, Tanvi said much of what she had been doing was driven by the desire to make her parents proud. Taking responsibility for their affairs had made her realise just how much they had done for her.

“For the past 30 days, everything I have been doing has been solely to make my parents proud. I am just trying to protect everything my parents worked so hard for,” she said.

She also spoke fondly of her mother, describing her as the happiest person she knew. Her mother loved dressing up, taking pictures and bringing joy to those around her. For Tanvi, preserving her parents' memories has become an important part of navigating the uncertainty.

“I can never let these things go because I can never let my parents go. I have to always remember them and make sure everybody remembers them because they were such great people,” she said.

Beyond sharing her own ordeal, Tanvi used the video to reflect on the unpredictability of life and the importance of relationships. She urged people to spend more time with their parents, let go of grudges and build relationships where children feel comfortable discussing even difficult subjects.

“I want every parent to be transparent with their children about their bank accounts and financial situations. More than that, you need to be a friend to your child,” she said.

She also spoke about how a major personal tragedy can change one's perspective on everyday problems, making many of the things that once seemed significant feel inconsequential.

“When you experience a loss, especially the loss of a parent, you realise that everything else doesn't even matter,” she said.

In the video caption, Tanvi acknowledged the many emotions she had experienced over the past month, including fear, hope, anger, helplessness, exhaustion, guilt and gratitude.

There was much happening behind the updates she had been sharing online that people could not see. She wanted to document how she was feeling without pretending that everything was fine.

“I didn't make this video with a script or a plan. I just wanted to sit down and talk honestly, openly and without trying to make everything sound okay,” she wrote.

Tanvi also thanked everyone who had checked in, shared information, prayed, offered help or continued asking for updates, adding that the support meant more to her and her family than she could express.

“Please keep my parents, Anagha and Venkatram, in your thoughts,” she concluded.

Over a month after the disaster, at least 1,453 people had died and 5,285 remained unaccounted for, data from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) showed. The agency also said that 13,795 people had been rescued.- Ends