Basant Chaudhary
Managing Director
Chaudhary Group (CG)
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An introvert, humble, kind hearted, simple and down to earth Basant Chaudhary inherited simplicity from his father and a compassionate heart from his mother.
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Basant Chaudhary often asks himself what he would be if not a business person. The possibilities might have been as infinite as the majestic skies. But the fact remains that he is one of the elite entrepreneurs of our time in this country, having started from a small business that he inherited from his father.
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Although not a very big business enthusiast to begin with in his early days, the compulsion of being born in the business family led him to continue the family legacy. Today, he is the Managing Director of Chaudhary Group (CG), a multinational company with more than 80 companies with a widely diversified portfolio that includes agro based industries, automobiles, health, education, electronics, bank and financial institutions, energy and real estate to name a few.
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“As far as I can remember, during my childhood, our business wasn’t as big as todayâ€, he recalls his past. He went to a government school and was always an average student.
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Young Basant used to get just 25 paisa per day as his pocket expense. He remembers the Fridays when the school used to get over at 2 pm and the school bus would leave only at 5 pm waiting for the teachers. He used to walk all the way back home as he could not afford the bus fare and it was too tiresome to wait for the school bus.
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On one such day, a particular incident showed that he has always been a man with a kind heart and benevolent feelings. As he was waiting for a bus in Basantapur, he witnessed a wounded cow. Overwhelmed by its suffering, he spent his entire school fee for the treatment of that animal without any further thoughts. And when he later confessed how he actually spent his school fee to his parents, he was acclaimed for his “good jobâ€.
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After completing his SLC, he was not sent abroad for his studies not because his parents couldn’t afford it but because of the love and affection that his parents had for him. He is a graduate in Commerce.
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He was just 16-years-old when he first stepped into the business world. He joined his family-owned store, Arun Emporium. “I used to stand behind the counter and wait for customers and pack goods. I even worked as a cashier,†he says. The small business established about a century ago by his grandfather has now taken the shape of a large conglomerate.
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An introvert, humble, kind hearted, simple and down to earth Basant Chaudhary says he inherited simplicity from his father and a compassionate heart from his mother. “My father is 90-years-old now and I have never seen somebody so down-to-earth and simple. We lost our mother 12 years ago but I think I have inherited the kindness in me from the most compassionate heart she had.†He says his father never had any expectations regarding the massive goals in business and higher earnings from it. “Don’t ever cheat anybody for your benefit. There are many ways to do business but earn your money being honest,†he quotes his father.
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Today, despite all the achievements he has had in the business, he says he is not a business person in the true sense of the term. “I don’t have the thinking mind of a business person and I don’t think the way a business person should think. At times I am very unreasonable in taking business decisions. That is not the way to do business. I have been managing and doing business somehow but I am not a true businessman,†he admits.
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Besides the family business, he ventured into something that gave him immense pleasure. He established an advertising agency called Group Three some 35 years ago when there were hardly any of them. He also opened a recording studio, the second in the country after the one owned by Radio Nepal. He brought a commercial artist from Bombay when there were no computers. The logo of Lumbini Trust was designed by his agency. “That was my first independent project,†he proudly says. Then he entered into the media and started a colour news magazine in 1984 named ‘The Realm’.
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“After the sixth issue, the government couldn’t really cope with the critical articles we used to carry. I was forced to close down the magazine,†he recalls the hard times. However, his desire to be part of the media fraternity was not over yet. He soon jumped into publishing a film magazine named ‘Urbashi’ which was popular during its days. The change in the country’s political situation brought about a lot of transformations. He saw the country being open for everybody and then ‘Urbashi’ too was closed. ‘The Independent’, a weekly English newspaper was in the market soon after.
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The three Chaudhary brothers hold their companies as per their diversified interests. CG is the big banner under which everyone works but every brother has his own area of interest and business. For Basant Chaudhary, business attached to people and community has always been of primary focus. “My interest is more on agriculture, health and education. That is how I want to associate myself and work for the community,†he explains. At the moment, he has a dozen-and-a-half companies that provide direct employment to 1,500 people whom he consider his own family.
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For him, success is not about the size of the conglomerate, a big empire, big office or any of the desired luxuries. He states, “I would rate my success depending on the level of honesty I show in my business and to my people. At the end of the day, it is important for me to sleep peacefully at night.†He feels that nobody wants to differentiate between honesty and dishonesty today and it is becoming a scarce factor in the business community. “The business has to be done with honesty. That is the fundamental I believe in. Honesty is gradually losing out as an integral component of business ethics and I don’t want to be part of that practice. That is why I am different than others and my growth in business is limited.†He says his growth has always been slow but steady and he is content with it. “In my own eyes, I am very successful,†he adds.
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He believes Nepal can only succeed in service industry. “People are so caring and compassionate that they can be very successful in the service industry,†he clarifies. He opines that, for manufacturing industry, our market is very small where majority of raw materials have to be imported. So, that will never give an edge against the competitors in the outside world. “When it comes to service industry, no one can really beat us because of our nature and environment and Nepal will always do well in the service industry.â€
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He now spends fixed hours in his business. He thinks he is fortunate that his daughter and son-in-law are helping him. “All the CEOs that are there are very dynamic and honest people. I have people who are working in the company since the beginning, for three or four decades,†he reveals. When asked about his style of managing his staff, he says it is a close-knit-family kind of management. “We have amalgamated professional thinking with traditional and honest working environment. We have the best possible new technology involvement supported by traditional values,†he described. “My mantra is honesty, honesty and more honesty,†he adds.
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He thinks challenges are part of life and one needs to face them. “You have to have belief in yourself and have faith in what you are doing. At the end of the day, I believe in god because nothing happens without his wish,†he states.
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“To succeed in whatever you are doing, you have to have three things - a clear vision, a well defined strategy and determination and commitment. Having only the vision has no meaning unless you have a supportive plan to turn it into reality. The most essential aspect is the utter determination to carry out the plan. If you have vision, work plan and dedication you are bound to attain success,†he shares.
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He doesn’t carry his business affairs home and vice-versa. He says, “I respect both the aspects very much and have a different way of looking at the two.â€
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Getting involved in any kind of humanitarian activity is his passion. “It gives me a lot of inner satisfaction and peace of mind,†he reveals. He has also worked for NGOs since 1976. He has been actively involved in philanthropy for 35 years now. He has also worked for Social Service National Coordination Council and Pashupati Area Development Trust. He has his own charity institution Sahitya Kala Mandir which honours the best literary works. And he also runs a charity hospital in his parents’ name.
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Simple and humble, Basant Chaudhary loves poetry, music and literature. “Music keeps me going. It is the oxygen in my life,†he shares his passion. He loves semi-classical music. He also used to contribute articles to a number of newspapers. However, he has stopped it of late. “People simply can’t accept healthy criticism. They tend to take it personally so I have stopped writing these days.†He loves to read a lot. He has penned lyrics for his three albums namely ‘Maya Baljhechha’, ‘Timro Naam Ma’ and ‘Reflection of Love’. “I try to pen all my thoughts in the form of songs,†he says. He has recently launched his fourth album ‘Only Love’.
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Chaudhary claims he is a lazy person and has never been good at sports though he played football during his school days. He has broken his limbs twice. “I am only good in one game – video game,†he jokes. He loves watching movies at home and does not have the nerve for travelling.
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His mantra to be happy is, “Think positive and don’t try to harm others. Critically review a hard working day and meditate for 15 minutes at least.†In retrospect, he says he has nothing to regret. He believes he has not done anything wrong. “I am very happy with my life and whatever god has given to me,†he says. He is planning retirement within the next five years and immerse completely into his passion – the world of music.
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