NEPAL’S RIVERS OF SORROW, AND MINE

byDerwin Pereira
September 6, 2026

An Aerial view shows debris and mud covering settlements following flash floods on August 28, 2026 in DevGhat village, Nepal.Ritesh Shukla—Getty Images

Whose wrath is this?
Who descends from sacred
heights to kill mere
mortals whose only sin
was being born?

There’s a village
I saw on glossy
pages once.
Clutching a hill,
It yet lay
complete,
nestled in itself:
infant and old,
all one in toothless age,
the young carrying
the weight of breath today
to the horizon’s love,
and the day after’s rage.
The skies ranged above.
In between,
laughing lips and
smiling eyes claimed
their place in time.
An ancient mountain
guarded Nepal like a shrine.

Then came the floods.
Time ceased. So many
Nepals are gone.
The kisses of lovers now
stink of the corpses
of children yet unborn.
The waters have left
Nepal undone.

But not me.
Once I saw Nepal
through me. Today
I see myself through
the Nepalese me.
I have become you,
Nepal.

So, fight, just
as I write.

Nepal, you must live
even as I do.
Your prodigal villages
will return to you.

Derwin Pereira

If journalism is the first draft of history, it was a desire to write the second draft that brought Derwin Pereira from journalism to political consultancy, which probes trends, events and personalities more deeply that journalism could allow. An award-winning journalist at The Straits Times, Derwin rose to the position of Bureau Chief in Indonesia and then the United States. Some of the key personalities he has interviewed include all Indonesian presidents since the fall of Suharto, former US President George W Bush and former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

While building intimate contacts in the antechambers of Indonesia’s political and corporate corridors of power, Derwin realised that he could do so much more than write for a general audience. He could instead advise clients on how to benefit from the drivers of change in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. This led to the genesis of Pereira International in 2010.

Derwin’s insights on regional affairs have since been sought after by many Asian leaders. He maintains those relationships to this day, allowing him to stay up to date on policy matters and giving him exclusive access to vital information.

Derwin, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, specialises in strategic communications and business consultancy in Asia providing clients with expert advice and consultancy.

Apart from leading a team that produces research papers on market trends and political developments, Derwin is at the forefront of Asia-related programmes such as the CSIS-Derwin Pereira Southeast Asia Dialogue at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS and is a member of the Advisory Board for Southeast Asia Studies at CSIS. He has also established a Derwin Pereira scholarship programme at the business school of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

Combining academic knowledge, journalistic practice and a consultant’s keen eye for the elusive political or economic detail, Derwin continues to work on the second draft of history.