AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It's been more than a week since devastating floods in Nepal killed at least a thousand people. Nepali groups in North Texas continue to grieve the loss of friends and family, but they're also determined to help their home country, which is considered the crown jewel of the Himalayas. Priscilla Rice from member station KERA has this report from Plano, Texas.
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PRISCILLA RICE, BYLINE: The scent of incense, sitar music and chants fill the Mystic Mandala Meditation Center. Some of the people come to pray here every week, but this time, they're here for a different reason - grieving the tremendous loss their home country just experienced.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Let's come together and sing for Nepal. (Singing in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing in non-English language).
RICE: Some here are still waiting to hear about the fate of their friends, family members, neighbors and news about affected communities. Others aren't Nepali, but came to show support and help raise money. The flash floods and mudslides devastated dozens of communities. And aside from the death toll, there are more than 4,000 people missing. About 22,000 people of Nepali origin live in the North Texas area, the largest Nepali population in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center. Vijay Moksha is the founder of the meditation center and says people have been trickling in.
VIJAY MOKSHA: So I feel that from last week, before the tragedy happened, people have a deeper understanding that - wait - my life is worth something.
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RICE: Musician Ustad Tari Khan, widely recognized as one of the top tabla players in the world, came to the center to play some of his original compositions. He offered his music as a prayer for healing.
USTAD TARI KHAN: I'm so sad, very sad. And also help people, this is very good. It's really, really good things about everybody. And everybody, they have to help to them.
RICE: Dipesh Raj Pandey grew up in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and has lived in Texas for over two decades. He still has family living in Nepal. All of them are accounted for after the flooding, but he's still hurting. Many of his friends lost their families. He speaks about the beauty of his country, a place he describes as having towering mountains, hills and flatlands where crops grow.
DIPESH RAJ PANDEY: If I try to explain to you what Nepal is, it's almost like trying to explain chocolate to somebody that hasn't eaten chocolate. How do you explain what chocolate is? You'd have to try it.
RICE: He was happy with the full house that showed up to the fundraiser to help Nepal's prime minister's disaster relief fund and is grateful for those who are helping across borders to send aid to Nepal.
PANDEY: Nepalese community, of course, they are doing what they can, but seeing that the whole world coming together gives me hope in humanity.
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RICE: While in Nepal, the death toll continues to rise, in the Dallas area, several organizations, including various religious faiths, are organizing vigils, memorials and fundraisers to help their motherland. I'm Priscilla Rice in Dallas.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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