By Sujan Tiwari
Shashi Ram Bhandary, CEO of Kathmandu Housing and Leasing Company and Nirvana Country Club Health and Golf Resort in Dharan vividly remembers his first summer job while studying in the US. Working in the kitchen of the Marriott Hotel, he had a tough time cutting onions for a few hours, with tears in his eyes. That was when he was noticed by a Manager in the hotel and taught him how to cut onions without hurting the eyes, by soaking the onions in water for some time before cutting them. He told Bhandary that there were two ways to do anything, the right way and the wrong way. “This was the lesson I learnt for life, that things should be done the right way, and it didn’t just apply to onions,” says Bhandary.
When he was in Nepal for a vacation once, he went to the coffee shop in Annapurna Hotel and he wasn’t satisfied with the service there. So he left a note saying ‘the service wasn’t up to par’. To his surprise, he was called the very next day by the hotel and was offered a job. He didn’t want to join at first as he was on a vacation, but finally accepted the offer. “I took the job as a challenge. I was hired as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager. I worked there for two years,” recollects Bhandary. But he wasn’t going to be satisfied with a job in a hotel; he had other plans in the back of his head.
Once he went trekking to Upper Manang and realized the shortage of food and supplies there. That was the moment that decided his life. He came up with an ambitious plan of designing a hotel that was self sustained, with its own food and energy production. “I dreamt of a hotel that was dependent upon only a few products from outside. I thought of producing vegetables, rearing cows for dairy products and manure for energy and fertilizers,” says Bhandary. He wanted to experiment with the idea, the idea of a self sustainable hotel. Nirvana Country Club is the result of the same model. It has its own farm, a dairy and has the largest bio-gas plant in eastern Nepal. About 30 per cent of the required energy is produced by the Resort itself. It also produces dairy products like cream and butter, organic herbs and vegetables.
But Nirvana Country Club was nothing like it is today when Bhandary first acquired the property back in 2000. When he bought the property, he says it was in complete ruins, with land, some structures and a pasture that is now the golf course of Nirvana. To start with, Bhandary brought some consultants from India. After their survey, he was advised not to start the project as the consultants didn’t find the land feasible. “The property was in a very bad condition, it didn’t meet the needed threshold. Also, there were not enough flights to Dharan back then. But I had a gut feeling, and I took the challenge against all odds. Today I am so glad that I took the challenge despite the adversities,” says Bhandary proudly.
He started by literally sweeping the place clean. He renovated the structures, built the walls and developed the golf course. At present, Nirvana Country Club has a dairy with 50 cows, a 19\8 hole golf course, multi-cuisine restaurant, swimming pool, offers tennis and squash, provides yoga and meditation among other services. Also, there are 20 well furnished air conditioned bungalows with living, dining, kitchen and three bedrooms each. “In the last 12 years, I have entirely transformed the place from what it initially was. It is a complete turnaround,” says Bhandary.
Early Life
Born in Kamaladi, Kathmandu in 1962 to Suna Bhandary and Late Banshi Ram Bhandary, he had five elder sisters before him. Bhandary says he was one of the first Nepali students to go to Lincoln School. He remembers cycling all around the valley with his friends, most of whom were from other countries. “I enjoyed a childhood without any worries as my family was quite well off. Everything was provided for us. I was lucky to be born in a big joint family with a good reputation and background. Bhandarys of Kamaldi were known by all in Kathmandu,” says Bhandary. Bhandary studied in Lincoln School from Kindergarten to 8th grade, and did his SLC from Anandakuti School. After that, he went to US for his further studies, he joined Gaithersburg High School in Maryland and graduated from high school there.
After completing high school, he started working for Marriott Hotel as a summer job, as all the students in the US worked in summers. “I actually didn’t need to work for money, but I followed the American tradition. I was living with relatives at that time. I wanted to be independent, so I moved out and started to work,” remembers Bhandary. He says he worked right from the bottom, doing dishes and other forms of lowly work. Later, he became a supervisor and finally a manager in Marriott Hawaii. He worked for Marriott for seven years and later did his graduation in Hotel Management from US.
Has was sent to US by his family to study medicine, but he loved dealing with people and loved service business. After his first summer job, he ended up studying hotel management. He didn’t reveal this to his family at first and so had to earn his own money. Bhandary believes this decision made him independent as he started working. “I didn’t have any specific aim, but I wanted to fly planes as a child, and I still want to,” says Bhandary.
Family
Bhandary married with Kalpana Bhandary at the age of 21. Once when he was in Pokhara, he caught the eyes of Kalpana on a boat, and says he was instantly attracted to her. He went home and told his mother about the girl he saw, and their family arranged the rest. They met and got along well, and eventually got married. “My marriage was the biggest turning point in my life. I felt more responsible after I got married,” says Bhandary. Kalpana Bhandary is now the MD of Nirvana Country Club. According to Bhandary, he really wanted to be together with his spouse, and he kept her together, even at work. The couple has been blessed with two sons Rishikesh and Raghu.
The Personal Side
As a youngster, Bhandary grew up listening to rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and The Who. Now, he says he wants to spend time quietly.Inside, Bhandary says he is a very spiritual person, and loves to read, especially books about spiritual development. “Lately, I want to uncover the spiritual side of my own self. I want to know what my purpose in the world is, and I try to figure it out through meditation. I really want to be at peace,” he says. Bhandary is also a disciple of Shankaracharya. As he was brought up in a religious family, he liked to listen to prabachans religious-philosophical discourse as a child. “I found the words of wise men interesting from the beginning. After I read Yoga Vasistha, it completely turned around my life. It taught me that everything that exists is an illusion, and everything else is the working of mind. I was so influenced by it and entered into spirituality. Then, I started to look at life from a spiritual point of view, says Bhandary.
Pastime
Bhandary has been an avid animal lover since his childhood, and owns eight Tibetan mastiffs and one Alsatian, has a few barking deers in his farm and keeps his Japanese Spitz Casper with him wherever he goes. He drinks very rarely, as he says it disturbs the spiritual balance. Whenever free, Bhandary likes to cook and equally enjoys eating, and loves Khichadi, his all time favourite food. He lives mostly in Dharan, and travels frequently. His hobbies include playing golf, going for long drives and travelling. He says he is outside the country at least once a month, and has been to US, India, Europe, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries.
Bhandary believes one needs to be determined and has to possess a will-do attitude to succeed. “One has to be commanding and friendly at the same time, has to have a balance of both. Also, we should be able to bring out the good in people,” he says. Bhandary says he is content with his life, as has no regrets. “I am living the life I wanted, married the women I wanted, I have done something for the country and am blessed with good children. There is nothing more I could have wanted,” says Bhandary.
According to Bhandary, things should always be done the right way and it will be done as there won’t be many obstacles. “Determination and good intentions are needed, it can really help you progress. It is not that hard to start a business and succeed in Nepal. No one needs to leave the country in pursuit of success. Things can be done right here, we just have to figure out the right way,” says he. For the future, Bhandary has plans of making Nirvana Country Club completely self sustainable and wants to open a Golf Academy. And if things favour him, he wants to learn to fly.
