Thiruvananthapuram, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
For Padma Shri awardee and architect G. Shankar, the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border have turned a last-minute decision to cancel his Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage into an anxious wait for news of people he knows.
Shankar was scheduled to undertake the pilgrimage with the Mohanji Foundation, travelling through the Himalayan route that was later hit by catastrophic flooding and debris flows. His itinerary included reaching Kathmandu on August 22, spending time at Manasarovar and Saga for acclimatisation before proceeding to Darchen.
However, Shankar and his wife cancelled the trip on August 21 after their son strongly urged them not to travel.
“There were 145 people in our group. Even after getting all the visas, I ultimately did not go. Finally, my son insisted that my wife and I should not go,” Shankar said in a Facebook post.
The cancellation has taken on added significance as more than 100 Indians are among those reported missing following the disaster, many of them pilgrims travelling towards Kailash Manasarovar.
Shankar said around 100 foreigners were part of his group. The first batch had already crossed into China and begun the parikrama around Mount Kailash, while he was scheduled to travel with the second batch.
The disaster struck on Wednesday after a massive surge of water, mud, rocks and debris swept through the Bhote Koshi corridor in Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border. The flash floods destroyed roads, bridges and other infrastructure and left hundreds of people unaccounted for.
Shankar, who has worked with agencies in Nepal and is familiar with the country’s terrain, said he was particularly concerned about people travelling through the region.
“I have not travelled, but I am anxious to know about what happened there,” he said.
His Facebook post ended with a simple plea: “Pray… for mercy.”
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