This almost feels like a letter to those of you who read this blog post. We are very deeply affected by the tragic consequences of the earthquake in Nepal on 25 April 2015. As the news keeps coming in of increasing loss of lives, the number has increased to almost 5,000, and it is still being counted. The earthquake not only shook Nepal but neighbouring India as well.This is the land we consider almost our own due to our shared culture and open border. Our stories are similar and growing up we hear tales of brave Nepali people: of Sherpas and Gurkhas and all Nepalis, affectionately called ‘Kanchas’ (boys) and ‘Kanchis’ (girls) and their kukhri (Nepali dagger) wielding ways and their oh so charming smiles.

When I last visited Nepal years ago in 1996, I was a student and saw the beauty of the mountain kingdom with romantic eyes. Kathmandu was a site to behold, its beautiful Thamel district appeared a calmer version of various parts of India. Nestled in the Himalayas, Pokhara and Kathmandu cast a spell on us that remains to this day. We made friends in these places we hope to go back and meet again. I have been planning to revisit the beautiful land of brave people with my children so they may see the magic of this land firsthand and hopefully carry beautiful memories of it too.

However, with tragedy unfolding in the wake of the earthquake and numerous stories of personal loss still coming in, we know in our hearts that the immediate need is to help in the aftermath of this tragedy. We would like to do our bit to help in whatever way possible. Therefore we have decided to donate  proceeds of sales of the Indian Street range to various charities trying to coordinate and help in the rescue and rehabilitation efforts in Nepal. We plan to keep supporting them through this for the foreseeable future. http://www.redcross.org.uk/nepalearthquake http://blogs.unicef.org.uk/category/countries/nepal/ Unicef says almost 1 million children need help due to this earthquake within Nepal. http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us/emergencies/nepal-earthquake All images of Nepal used in this post are courtesy of Nitty Gritty Images who visited Nepal earlier on in the year. The images are heartfelt and touching and we have used these with their permission.