Nepal, April 2 -- HOM KARKI IN KATHMANDU &

SANTOSH SINGH IN MAHOTTARI, APRIL 1

In the midst of sturdy concrete houses in Ramgopalpur Municipality-7 of Mahottari stands a modest dwelling enclosed by bamboo fencing on a tiny patch of land. Seated in the front courtyard, 50-year-old Somshila Devi Sah stares blankly. She is indifferent to the comings and goings around her; her world has been frozen for over two years.

"My wife, Somshila, wants to speak to no one. It has been over two years since she last laughed," says her husband, Birendra Sah, aged 52. "She has lost her appetite. She cannot sleep through the night. Her body is wasting away from exhaustion, yet when we take her to the doctors, they find no physical disease. All of this is...