Pawan Kumar Golyan's journey as a businessman took a defining turn when his doctor advised him to relocate to a cooler place. That led him to Kathmandu and all his ventures since then have been successful. 

By Gaurav Aryal

Pawan Kumar Golyan

Chairman

Golyan Group of Industries

Like most heirs of business families, Pawan Kumar Golyan too sought his future in managing the family-run business, a textile industry. However, with time, Golyan went on diversifying.  He is currently the Chairman of Golyan Group of Industries. While Reliance Spinning Mill (RSM) is the flagship company of the group, it also has institutions such as NMB Bank, Westar Properties, Atlanta Trading, City Properties, Dhanalaxmi Synthetics, Himali Pashmina Industry, Shivam Plastic Industries and Makalu Cashmere are among others. Golyan says, Our flagship company, RSM alone registers an annual turnover of three to four billion rupees.

Golyan was born in Rangeli, Biratnagar and spend his childhood there. After appearing for his School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations, he started work at the Shah Industry, one of the units within his family business. I started my career when I was only 16-years-old and became a full-fledged business person by 22, he proudly states. The industry closed down after the establishment of the spinning mill. He remembers his early days at the industry, There were around 600 workers at that time. It was not a smooth ride all along. However, the learning experience there was great and has always helped me.

Golyan continued to work through his college days. I used to attend classes in the morning and look after the business mainly during the day, he reminisces. He completed his B com from Mahendra Morang Campus, Biratnagar and has been involved in business full time ever since. He did not find time to pursue further studies. Not that he had the inclination either. Once I was full-fledged into business, I lost interest in studies, he says nonchalantly.

Going to cinema was a favourite pastime those days. Golyan recalls that Biratnagar used to be a place where there were no restaurants and clubs. There were limited options for merry-making and hangouts. He chuckles, We used to go to Dharan just to watch movies.His journey as a businessman took a defining turn when his doctor advised him to relocate to a cooler place. He suffered from dry eyes disease. To escape from the scorching heat of Biratnagar, Kathmandu proved to be a cool haven for him. Moving to Kathmandu largely helped business, he reveals. It reaped benefits for him to move to the capital city as a series of activities took place since. First, the establishment of RSM happened. In the subsequent years, Golyan started expanding into other industries and businesses. And, as luck would have it, the businesses turned out to be successful ventures in due time.

Establishment of RSM was probably the most proud moment of my life, he happily says. Setting up an industry worth one billion rupees 15 years ago was a massive proposition. Today, Golyan personally has one billion rupees worth of shares in the industry along with his equal partner Shashikant Agrawal. Presently, the industry exports its products to Turkey, Bangladesh and India. Among these countries, India is the largest market with 80 per cent of the total exports ending up there. He says that the thread produced at RSM is supplied to almost all Nepali textile industries. He is particularly pleased that the market prospects have improved appreciably in the last four months.

RSM currently has 3000 employees. It has a management team of professionals which takes care of the day-to-day management while Golyan has continued to take interest in the company's future. He reveals, Among all my companies, RSM is very close to my heart as I was attached with the textile business for a very long time. His other unit Shivam Plastic Industry manufactures woven sacks while Dhanalaxmi Synthetics produces threads with melt spinning. Westar Properties, the housing company, has two projects under construction at the moment. The group also has its investment in the banking and insurance sectors.

They say slow and steady wins the race. Golyan is a living example. I moved my family business ahead step-by-step. There was no rush and I never expected any overnight miracles, he shares. He says that he credits his success to continuing his father's honest virtues in business and the faith on Goddess Durga. When it comes to human resource management, he believes that trust is the most important aspect. Therefore, he believes in trusting his employees and giving them responsibilities based on their respective capacities. Over 5000 employees work for his various companies. He believes in healthy discussions to mitigate problems. Golyan does not like yes men He reasons, I may be the Chairman but that does not make me perfect. So, everything that I say need not come into effect.He believes that it's not the individual who is important. The company or the institution is more important as the destinies of thousands of stakeholders are attached with it. He believes in enhancing the skills of his employees to develop a sense of ownership in them.

He hates the Nepali trend of following successful businesses blindly. In my belief, it is important to study a business meticulously before venturing into it, he suggests. Imitating successful businesses does not guarantee success, working with optimism and dedication does, he says. Golyan painfully recounts the time when he almost left his business on his eldest son's demise. I was shattered and lost all my hopes. I saw no reason to continue. But one of my colleagues reasoned that I don't have the right to leave the livelihood of thousands of workers in lurch,he says.

According to Golyan, the four pillars that matter in his life are business, personal life, social life and personal time. I try to balance these as much as possible. I keep myself completely free from all business matters at least one day in a week. That day is for my family, he declares. He also manages 10 to 15 days twice a year for travelling with his family and friends. New Zealand is one of his much loved destinations. He tries to apply this on his employees too. So, he has the provision of forced holidays for them. A holiday rejuvenates people and also helps us realise their importance during their absence, he explains.

I love to sleep as much as possible. Sometimes I don't wake up until midday, he jokes. He fondly remembers the days when he used to play badminton and cricket, That was a long time ago. These days, I practice yoga to stay fit. A movie buff, he also enjoys listening to music. Moderately brand conscious, Golyan prefers quality over brand names. At 52, he is already a veteran of 30 years in business. You ask his future plans and he philosophises, I have not looked at day-to-day business for the last 10 years. But I don't intend to retire completely. He wants to begin philanthropy in his son Jayanta's name. He plans to adopt a remote village with a population of 800 to 1200 residents and sponsor their health and education. Instead of giving them money, I will help them become self reliant by providing them with different skills and probably buy their produce,he says.

If the pilot project attains success, Golyan plans to expand this model to other villages. I am beginning the project from this year. And I would dedicate time for it just as I do for my industries, he expresses. He added that though it is a difficult and thankless job, he wants to do so for his inner satisfaction. Golyan has no regrets in life except his inability to save his son. He treats his nephews as his own children and wants to see them become successful in life. 

Personal side

-   Loves to sleep as much as possible

-   Listens to soft and soothing music

-   Used to play badminton and cricket

-   Does not read books at all

-   Resigned from the post of CNI Vice President as he hates double standard behaviour

-   Not tech-savvy

-   Moderately brand conscious

-   Drives Honda Accord

-   Loves to wear Canali suits