Something about me
कसैलाई हेरेर ब्याख्या गर्नु र छामेर ब्याख्या गर्नुमा निक्कै फरक हुन्छ । अझ बुझेर ब्याख्या गर्ने काम त मेरा लागि फलामको चिउरा चपाए सरहनै हो । अझै गाह्रो मलाई त्यतिखेर लाग्छ जब म आफ्नाबारेमा केही भन्नुपर्ने अवस्थामा पुग्छु । जिन्दगीका सबै पाटाहरु महत्वपूर्ण लाग्छन र सबै सामान्य लाग्छन् । कुन पक्षलाई पहिलो बनाउने र कुनलाई अन्तिम बनाउने भनेर जाँच्ने कुनै आधार नै भेट्दिन । त्यही पनि आफूलाई त चिन्नै पर्छ भन्ने अठोटले दवाव दिए झैँ लाग्छ । र अहिले त्यही निष्कर्षको जित भएको छ ।
२०२४ साल असार २४ गते काठमाण्डौको वटुमा जन्मिए पनि बाल्यकाल पुख्र्यौली थलो भक्तपुरको कटुञ्जेमै बित्यो । त्यतिबात्रै होइन जिन्दगीको उर्जाशिल युवाअवस्था र औपचारिक शिक्षाको विट मार्ने बेलासम्म कटुञ्जे मेरा लागि फराकिलो नै थियो । जब तीन जना छोराछोरीको दायित्व र सिंगो परिवारको अभिभाराले थिच्न थाल्यो मलाई पनि सहर पस्न मन लाग्यो । अहिले हाम्रो परिवार ललितपुरको भैँसेपाटीमा छ ।
भक्तपुरकै पद्म उच्च माध्यामिक विद्यालयबाट प्रवेशिका परीक्षा उत्तिर्ण गरेपछि बाँकी शिक्षा पुरा गर्न म काठमाण्डौँ हानिए । त्यतिखेर १० जोड दुइको चलन आइसकेको थिएन, त्यसकारण त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय अन्तर्गतका क्याम्पसमै अध्ययन गर्नुको विकल्प पनि थिएन । मैले त्यसै गरेँ, नेपाल कमर्श क्याम्पसमा प्रविणता प्रमाणपत्र तहमा छिरेँ र स्नातकोत्तर गरेर निस्किएँ । पछि समय सापेक्ष हुनुपर्छ भन्ने लाग्यो काठमाण्डौ विश्वविद्यालयबाट व्यवस्थापन संकायमै स्नातकोत्तर गरेँ । मेरो औपचारिक शिक्षाको यात्रा यहीँ पुगेर टुंगिएको छ ।
त्यसअघि पनि जागिर नखाएको त होइन, तर जब २०४७ सालमा बैदेशिक लगानीको नेपाल ग्रिण्डलेज बैंकमा काम सुरु गरे त्यसैलाई यो जिन्दगीको कोशेढुंगा मान्छु । ग्रिण्डलेज बैंकको नाम फेरिएर अहिले स्ट्यान्डर्ड चार्टर्ड बैंक भएको छ । परिक्षणकालिन कर्मचारीका रुपमा बैंकिङ्ग जीवन सुरु गरेको म करिब ३ वर्षपछि ग्रिण्डलेज बैंक छोड्दा बरिष्ठ सुपरभाइजर भइसकेको थिएँ । यसलाई, म स्वयम्ले सानो समयको ठूलो उपलब्धी मान्छु । त्यतिखेर म टे«जरी विभागमा काम गर्थेँ, ट्रेजरी विभाग नेपालको बैंकिङ्ग इतिहासमा नयाँ थियो ।
२०४९ सालमा जब म हिमालयन बैंकसँग आवद्ध हुन पुगेँ, यसले भर्खरै बामे सर्दै थियो । पाकिस्तानको हबिब बैंकसँग सहकार्य गरेर अघि बढिरहेको हिमालयन बैंकसँगको मेरो सहकार्य झण्डै १२ बर्षसम्म भयो । ट्रेजरी म्यानेजर र म्यानेजर अप्रेसन्स हुँदै बिभिन्न शाखा प्रमुखसम्मको जिम्मेवारी मलाई हिमालयन बैंकले नै दियो । जब म हिमालयन बैंकबाट निस्किन खोज्दै थिएँ त्यतिखेर प्रबन्धकको जिम्मेवारीमा थिएँ । काठमाण्डौ बाहिरको जागिरे जीवन कस्तो हुन्छ मलाई हिमालयन बैंकले नै सिकायो । शाखा प्रमुखका रुपमा म विराटनगर पनि पुगेको थिएँ ।
हिमालयन बैंक छोडेपछिका २ वर्ष ७ महिना मैले नेपाल बैंकमा बिताएँ । अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय सहयोगमा बैंकका चलिरहेको वित्तिय सुधार कार्यक्रमका लागि म सहितको टिम करारमा नेपाल बैंक छिरेको थियो । विशेष भूमिका टे«जरी शाखामै भए पनि नीति निमार्ण र बैंकको समग्र वित्तिय सुधारका काममा मेरो सहभागिता रहन्थ्यो ।
२०६४ सालमा सिटिजन्स् बैंकसँग आबद्ध हुन पुगेँ । बैंकका नयाँ नयाँ शाखाहरु खोल्ने, आन्तरिक नीति तथा नियमावालीहरु बनाउने, शाखाहरुको ब्यवस्थापन गर्ने जस्ता जिम्मेवारी सम्हाल्नका लागि मलाई बरिष्ठ प्रबन्धक बनाइएको थियो । त्यतिखेर म सम्पत्ति व्यवस्थापन समितिको संयोजक समेत थिएँ । करिब ७ वर्ष सिटिजन्स् बैंकमा बिताएपछि अब बैंकप्रतिको मोह विस्तार हटिरहेको थियो । त्यसैले २०६९ सालमा बैंक छोड्ने निर्णय गरँे । त्यतिखेर मैले बैंकमात्रै होइन, सिंगो बैंकिङ्ग जीवन नै त्यागेको थिएँ । त्यसैको फलस्वरुपः केही समय पछि म नागरिक दैनिकसँग आबद्ध हुन पुगेँ ।
यद्यपी वित्तिय संस्थाहरुका बारेमा आफूले जानेको ज्ञान भने विभिन्न तालिम तथा लेखहरुमार्फत बाँडिरहेको छु ।
पेशागत जिन्दगी फरक कुरा हो, व्यक्तिगत शोख पुरा गर्ने तलतल अर्कै हुँदो रहेछ । त्यही व्यक्तिगत शोखले मलाई फोटोग्राफर बनाएको छ । विभिन्न ठाउँ विशेषगरी मठमन्दिरहरुमा जानु र त्यहाँको फोटो खिच्नु जत्तिको आनन्द अरु कुरामा पाउन छोेडेको छु । मेरो त्यही शोखको परिणाम हो ुनेपालका प्रत्येक स्थल, धार्मिक स्थलु । यसका साथै साहित्यतिरको विशेष रुचिका कारण मञ्जरी उपन्यास र गीतसंगीतको रुचिका कारण मञ्जरी एल्वम् निकालेको छु । पेशा, पैसा र प्यास मेरो जीवनको अर्को कथा हो ।
आजसम्म देखिएको राजु नेपाल यतिमात्रै हो । तर नदेखिएका जीवनका अनेक पाटाहरु हुन्छन् ती कुरा बाँडौँ कि यसै रहस्यमै रहन दिउँ भन्ने दोधार हुन्छ । परिस्थितिले मलाई ज्योतिषी पनि बनाउन सक्छ, जोगी पनि बनाउन सक्छ वा अरु केहि । वर्तमानमा भने भविष्यका यस्तै संभावनाहरुको नजरअन्दाज गर्दै आफ्नै सुर बेसुरमा हिँडिरहेको एक आम यात्रु हुँ म ।
I, Raju Nepal, born and raised in small town near Kathmandu named Katunje, Bhaktapur did not stop me from achieving what people born with silver spoon on their mouth achieve. Having lived in Bhaktapur all my life, I completed my schooling from a local government school – Shree Padma Higher Secondary School. I joined Nepal Commerce Campus, Tribhuvan University, then one and only University of Nepal, at the heart of the Kathmandu which is about 9 Miles from my home, for my intermediate (equivalent to 11 and 12 ) as well as higher studies in the year 1982. Despite studying in a poor government School and four more years in Government College, it was my potential and hard work that I could complete most of it with the flying colors. After completing my graduation, which was 10+4 years of education at that time, I started working and upon completion of almost two decade long working experience, I joined Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) to do my Masters in Business Administration (Executive) in the year 2006.
I started my career at the age of 26 in the year 1990 working in a foreign bank, Nepal Grindlays Bank Limited (now Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited), which came into operation in the year 1987 and was one of the very few Joint Venture Banks established in Nepal. I joined the bank as a probationary assistant (Level One) and reached the position of senior supervisor (Level Four) within a short span of two years. I used to look after the Treasury department independently with 5 staff member under me. Treasury Department which I led was one of the first Treasury Departments in the banking history of Nepal and I was one of the first dealers of Nepal to have dealing limit at that time.
With the establishment of another Joint Venture bank, Himalayan Bank Limited, Joint Venture with Habib Bank Limited of Pakistan, I was offered to look after several departments and joined the bank in the capacity of an officer in December, 1992. I worked under various departments and branches in the bank. I worked as a Treasury Manager, Manager Operations, Biratnagar Branch, Head of Finance Department, Head of Administration Department and Internal Audit Head during my tenure in the bank. Within a period of 3 years, I was able to climb up to the Managerial position of the bank.
During late 1990s, when two government owned banks were found to be in a bad shape, their Balance Sheet size was still more than 50% of the whole country, Government of Nepal and Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal, started reviewing the functions of these two banks and decided to restructure them. Hence, with the support of World Bank and Department for International Devlopment (DFID) whole Management of the bank was shuffled and new positions were created under restructuring project. The project was given to one American Consultancy firm named International Business & Technical Consultants (IBTCI). In the process of reforming and restructuring, I was offered as one of the consultant to head Treasury Department of one the bank, Nepal Bank Limited as the Chief Treasury Manager. This project was funded by World Bank and DFID jointly. There were about 8 consultants to run a largest and ailing bank of Nepal with the help of untrained staff with lots of Union Background. My major achievement during the project was the Treasury Room that was established in the bank, which was one of the leading dealing rooms of Nepal today. Similarly various policies, manuals and guidelines were designed, approved and implemented during the same period under my term with the bank. The decisions taken at that time were ruled by each department head of the bank under the restructuring program and decisions taken in my department were also solely ruled by me during the project.
After the completion of the project in Nepal Bank Limited, I joined Citizens Bank International Limited from the inception of the bank in the year 2007 in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer. Major responsibilities as a Chief Operating Officer included Treasury Department, new branch opening, branch management, policies and manual preparation and implementation, compliance of rules, financial analysis and forecast and budgeting. I am also a member of Assets Liability Committee (ALCO), Executive Committee, Purchasing Committee and IT Steering Committee. Being the executive member of the bank, all the major decisions of the bank comprises of my consultations and opinions. I Left banking in 2013.
Moreover I tried exploring my skills in various other occupations like trainings, writing articles in leading national dailies, traveling and photography to name a few.
Apart from my successful career as a banker, I have my interest in gadgets, photography and communicating with people. With my collection of gadgets, which includes almost all the latest gadgets in the world, I can clearly display my interest. However, I have special fascination with the leading gadget brand – Apple -- in terms of gadget collection. Similarly, my new passion in life, photography has given me a new path to explore life through the lens of my camera. I have recently started this passion and special inclination towards beautiful landscapes, Jatra (a type of traditional street festival conducted by certain community on periodical basis in Nepal) and Hindu temples. To display my interest in professional photography I have registered and updated my personal website which is www.rajunepal.com. About my interest in communicating with people, I have developed the skill gradually over the period of time and by this age, I think I am one person in banking sector who have public relation with people in all the sectors of Nepal.
I have travelled major part of Nepal. I have done with East west, hills and mountains (not climbing) and short trekking of Nepal. There are 75 districts of Nepal, out of which I have already travelled more than 60 of them. I have photo collection of major landscapes and almost 70 percent of major Hindu temples of Nepal. Similarly I have travelled various part of the world. I have been to the USA four times, for trainings and for leisure. I have visited several states of the USA. I have also travelled Europe, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Main land China, Turkey, Pakistan, Major part of the India and so on. These travels were mainly for trainings and for holiday.
Born in a poor developing nation like Nepal has never stopped me from exploring and experiencing my desires and dreams and living in capital city of the country has given me opportunities to grow and develop both in my personal and professional life.
