Even as a school boy, Raju Babu Shrestha had pictured that being the eldest son, he will be helping out his father and someday would fill his formidable shoes.

By Pinaki Roy

Raju Babu Shrestha

Director

Chitawon Co-E Nepal (P) Ltd

Hailing from a business family, life was not exactly a bed of roses for Raju Babu Shrestha till as they say, lady luck smiled on him. Despite working very hard and giving it all he had, the period from 1982-1988 was a difficult one for him and his family business, Chitawon Construction & Engineering Company Nepal (P) Ltd also known as Chitawon Co-E Nepal (P) Ltd. However, his marriage in 1988 changed his fortunes and there was no looking back ever since, says Shrestha. If someone told me that getting married will bring me luck, I would have married earlier, he adds tongue-in-cheek. 

Business runs in Shrestha's blood, his forefathers were from Gorkha and dealt in trading activities. But his father Laxman Babu Shrestha had different ideas in mind. And so, Chitawon Co-E Nepal (P) Ltd was registered as a proprietorship concern in 1966. Later, having proven its performance in various construction projects with excellent results, the company was promoted to class A Contractor in 1978. The Flagship Company has come a long way and today boasts of an impressive portfolio of companies including Manakamana Darshan (P) Ltd, Sagarmatha Power Company (P) Ltd, Nepal Ropeway Systems (P) Ltd, and Chitawon Milk (P) Ltd. Shrestha holds the position of Director in all these companies.

He fondly remembers his early days in Chitwan when though life was difficult due to lack of transportation; he still enjoyed his bicycle rides in the forested terrain. While in middle school, he would accompany his father and visit various construction sites for irrigation canals, roads, and dams. That was the seed period as Shrestha precisely knew what he wanted to do in life when he was grown up enough. He could envisage that he will be helping out his father being the eldest son and someday would fill his formidable shoes. 

Shrestha came back to his birthplace Kathmandu to pursue High School as a boarder at Ananda Kuti Vidyapith. After graduating from High School, he wanted to study engineering but sacrificed his dream to help his father. Instead, he enrolled for a Bachelor of Science programme in Mathematics at Amrit Science Campus that would allow him more time for business. He started work while in college and gained hands-on experience which would come in handy for his future course in life. Bijayapur Irrigation Project in Pokhara was the first project I handled independently, he proudly states. A firm believer in making a contribution to the country's development, he has been instrumental in diversifying, mechanising and developing the family business. 

As a young boy, Shrestha was a tad shy when it came to making acquaintance with girls but never felt that he must have a girlfriend. Times have changed,he sighs. Always having led an orthodox and simple life, his was an arranged marriage. Proud of having fathered three beautiful daughters, he says he doesn't miss having a son, Today, the world has moved on. It's no longer considered a disadvantage not to have a son for an heir. He is confident that all his daughters will make him proud as they grow up. Like father, like daughter his eldest daughter is already on the right path, pursuing her Bachelor in Business Administration degree from Webster University. She is already taking an interest in business matters and shows signs of promise to hold the fort when the time comes.

Shrestha does not believe in showing off and hence lives an austere lifestyle. Glamour is not his forte. You will seldom see him wearing expensive suits unless he is attending a business conference or a formal occasion. He is clad in casual wear (read Jeans, T-Shirts, Working boots, Jackets) most of the time as his work involves field (on site) work. He is most comfortable when he is among friends or at an informal gathering as he doesn't have to worry too much about what he is wearing. Shrestha likes to call himself old-fashioned. A family man to the core, he draws inspiration from his wife, She always gives me positive vibes. Whenever he is short on motivation, he looks up to his father from whom he learnt the tricks of the trade. He has always been my role model, he says. 

Despite a busy schedule, Shrestha manages to find time to travel within Nepal as well as abroad. Whenever time permits, he sets along to tour a new destination, either with friends or family, in search of nature and adventure. He has already visited 50 districts in Nepal for work or purely on vacation. He has toured a host of foreign countries for business as well as leisure  United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, China, Austria, Italy, and Korea to name a few. His favourite cuisines include Korean, Japanese, and Chinese  he is only too happy that his favourite cuisines are available in some Kathmandu restaurants as well. Shrestha loves to cook as it helps him de-stress, keep healthy and relax. The best part is that my family loves my cooking too which makes me feel good, he chuckles.

You wonder if having achieved so much has made him complacent. On the contrary, Shrestha says that his job is far from finished. “I agree that when I think of my early days, I do feel I have achieved a great deal and am satisfied about the whole thing but it has also increased my obligations and responsibilities. To maintain the heights that we have reached is the current challenge, he explains. Shrestha says that wealth creation is not his sole objective. He has everything that a man can want in terms of material needs. He hopes that whatever he does, it should benefit the people of the country.

Not the one to rest on his past laurels, Shrestha has several projects up his sleeve. Expanding Cable Car services is one. After the highly successful Manakamana Cable Car that connects Kurintar in Chitwan with Manakamana in Gorkha, there are at least two similar projects in feasibility study phase presently. He is optimistic that the proposed Cable Car projects in Pokhara and Kalinchok (Dolakha), when completed, will facilitate tourism development in the respective areas. He also plans to set up an agricultural machinery and tools enterprise which will import to begin with and get into manufacturing in due course of time.  Chitawon Milk is another project that's close to his heart. The company produces skimmed milk powder, baby food, yogurt, butter, and ghee etc. He is hopeful that it will uplift professional cow farming and encourage milk farmers to produce more. This will benefit the economic condition of the farmers as well as the national economy.

As if he was not finished yet, Shrestha revealed another aspect of his personality  he is an Art Lover. He visits art exhibitions when he can and likes to collect Nepali art. He especially likes buying natural material and even designs them with help from his artist friend Shyam Lal Shrestha. When you step into his living room, you'll find it to be a work-of-art, literally. The ceiling has many blocks of Newari art, each of them symbolising a different meaning. Shrestha says he is very lucky to have a loving family as family binding is most important  it helps him remain grounded.