KATHMANDU: The alleys of Ason and Indrachowk were never seen empty. These places have been a shopping hub for the locals and people around as everything is available in these areas. However after the 7.6 earthquake that hit the nation on April 25, this shopping destination saw a lot of changes that wasn’t seen in earlier years. Wooden/metal frames’ support When the April 25 quake struck, most people anticipated the narrow alleys of Ason and Indrachowk to turn into piles of rubble because of the old houses there. Fortunately, the houses are still standing despite developing cracks. And these buildings that house shops offering varieties of items are supported by wooden and metal frames making you think twice before you decide to shop here. But the shopkeepers are sitting under those houses continuing their business. Not all of them are confident enough though, like Gita Khanal, a shopkeeper selling umbrella near the Annapurna Temple. “It is scary to sit under such structures as the aftershocks keep coming. And the buildings around can collapse anytime.” Despite the risk, vendors like Shanti Basnet and Basanti Syangden have started operating their shops in a tilted house, supported by wooden poles. They say it is their compulsion to conduct business from this place as they can’t sit in other areas of the City. “The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office will confiscate my goods if I start selling the items on footpaths,” shared Basnet. Family responsibility is another factor that has made these shopkeepers keep going. Among them are Devi Gupta and her husband Ganesh Prasad Gupta. The couple set up their shop in Ason 20 years ago. They can’t stop continuing their business here as they have to take care of their three children. Sale of plants and seeds Walking around the Annapurna Temple area, you would see varieties of flower and fruit plants arranged in rows. Post quake, the shopkeepers selling these items didn’t continue their business for several days here. Aasha Kaji Maharjan, who sells plants and seeds at Ason is one of them. “I closed my shop for four days after the April 25 earthquake because I was afraid. But post May 12 aftershock, I closed the shop just for one day and opened it the next day.” Though the shopkeepers are back, business is not as good as it used to be earlier. “The sale of plants and seeds has drastically gone down. People opted for rooftop gardening before. Now, people fear living upstairs these days and there is no point in gardening, thus reducing the sales. The flower pots have also broken,” Maharjan added. Harm in curio items The number of both local and foreign shoppers has reduced in the area. Obviously, it is the effect of the earthquake and it has hit the curio shopkeepers hard among others. “There used to be a good sale of items like khukuri, wooden masks, puppets, Nepali traditional handicrafts and so on before the earthquake. But not a single customer has bought anything yet,” informed shopkeeper Suman Pradhan on June 13 afternoon. Similar is the plight of Dipendra Khanal, who sells Nepali tee-shirts with prints of gumbas and texts like ‘I love Nepal’ and ‘Kathmandu’. He feels the earthquake has done much harm to his business. “We are still staying in the cracked houses fearing for our lives but there are no customers here. There is no point in opening the shop and staying here in fear,” he shared. Deserted shopping hub The crowded streets of Ason and Indrachowk seemed much spacious than before — it was easier to walk freely on the afternoon of June 13 as only a few people were walking in the streets. Some shopkeepers were taking a nap and some seemed busy with their gadgets — either listening to music or playing games. Nor you could find the porters shouting at you to clear the way for them. Khanal revealed that there were even very few people in this area immediately after the quake. “We closed our shops as life is important for us. But even after more than a month, people still fear visiting these places because of the narrow alleys and old houses here.” Many people left the Capital post quake, fearing that “anything” could happen here. Among them were some shopkeepers of Ason — they went to their homes in India. The Gupta family was one of them. Meanwhile, Pankaj Rauniar and Rajesh Rauniar — who sell clothing items — also left the Capital one week after the quake as “I felt anything can happen here and left the place. I returned only after a month” as per Rajesh. With life becoming normal, the deserted streets of Ason and Indrachowk are coming alive again. However, the customers still fear going to these places. Sharmila Danuwar and Ganga Danuwar still fear to visit these places because of the old houses there. The sisters, busy buying shoes in one of the stores explained, “We were going to visit our sister in Kalimati through this route. So, we just stopped and started shopping. We are shopping in our locality in Sinamangal as these items are available there too. We won’t come here to shop anytime soon,” shared Sharmila. However, with the passage of the time the streets are becoming crowded as it is seen that time heals everything.