--By Sujan Tiwari

 

Om Rajbhandary, Executive Chairman of Brihat Group and Chairman of Comfort Housing is a long-familiar name in Nepali real estate sector. Many may find it hard to believe that one of the most prominent developers and the pioneer of community housing in Nepal actually started his career as Medical Representative. Rajbhandary, a promoter of planned urbanization has conquered a lot in the real estate sector, and has a lot more up his sleeve.

 

Rajbhandary, a real estate expert, developer and builder and pioneer of community living in Nepal doesn’t like to be known only as a businessman. “I am not just working for my business, I am working for the betterment of entire real estate sector of Nepal,” says Rajbhandary. Rajbhandary, over the years, has made enormous contribution for the professional management of the sector. Brihat Group has been publishing a newsletter for the last six years to educate and aware the people about the sector and about its market. Rajbhandary was the first person to work as a Real Estate Faculty Member of Ace Institute of Management and in Apex College. He has taught Real Estate, an optional subject to MBA and BBA students in these colleges. 

 

Rajbhandary has been promoting real estate, infrastructure and urbanization through presentations in various national and international programmes. He is also the Visiting Speaker of Thai Real Estate School of Business, and is regarded as a key speaker in Asia-Pacific region. He was also the first to introduce Real Estate Marketing Agent Course in Nepal in 2009 to generate certified real estate marketing agents. At present, Brihat Group has produced more than a hundred such agents.  He has played a major role in many fairs and expos, and has been the coordinator of various real estate exhibitions. Rajbhandary has also addressed the issue of the sector in the government, and is always coordinating with government authorities and international agencies like IFC and IMF for improving the sector. 

 

The Genesis

Surprisingly, Rajbhandary started his career as a Medical Representative for a company called Winthrop in the year 1984. Soon, he was promoted to District Sales Manager. He left the job in 1992, when he was further promoted and had to go to India. “I always wanted to work in my own country and become an entrepreneur. So I left the job after nine years,” said Rajbhandary. His experience in Winthrob taught him corporate culture, and he also learnt a lot about administration. Back in his head , he had plans of doing his own business. In the same year, he, with five other partners, started CE Constructions. The company then started dealing with construction business, successfully carrying out government and private construction projects. 

 

The first project of CE Constructions was the installation of transmission line in Lumbini. Other major projects accomplished by the company in the following decade include Gokarna Golf Resort, Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM), Sagarmatha Chaudhary Eye Hospital in Lahan, Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital in Butwal, Buddha Maya Garden Hotel at Lumbini and extended portion of B and B Hospital among others.

 

 After a decade of its inception, CE Constructions was a popular name in Nepali market. Around the same time, Rajbhandary came up with the concept of community housing, which was a relatively new concept in Nepal back then. In the year 2001, he started the construction of Comfort Housing with the concept of community living. “It was started with the concept of providing customers with stand-alone housing units with property ownership, infrastructure and amenities,” explained Rajbhandary. But like any new idea, his idea of community living wasn’t readily accepted in the market. It took some time for the market to get used to the new concept. 

 

There were 76 houses in his first Comfort Housing Community Living project at Sitapaila, and it took him two years to sell all the houses. Within the two years’ time, the concept gradually picked up, and his second such project at Budhanilkantha was completely booked in two days, and sold within six months. “This proved that the market has slowly accepted the concept of community living. We were encouraged by this, and constructed even more such housings,” says Rajbhandary.  The popularity and credibility of the housing grew so much that the next Comfort Housing project at Ichhangu had to be sold with lottery system.  

 

Going Beyond

According to Rajbhandary, he is committed to enhance the quality of life of Nepalis. “For this, we had to go beyond Kathmandu. So we searched for good locations, and constructed our fourth Comfort Housing in Dharan,” says he. At the same time, Rajbhandary again started something new, the idea of Vertical Community Living or apartments. Then he constructed The Comfort Housing (TCH) Tower-2 at Lazimpat which was ready by year 2006. It also was a huge success as all the apartments were sold out in a single day. In 2007, TCH Tower-3 was ready. “There were 41 apartments, and for that we received 350 applications. That too was sold with lottery system,” says he. For the sale of his next two ventures TCH Community Living at Thaiba and TCH Tower-4 at Sitapaila, potential buyers were informed three months in prior.  The demand was so high that these two properties also had to be sold on lottery basis. 

 

As Comfort Housing only concentrated on community living houses and apartments, Rajbhandary thought of constructing other housing structures like senior housing, rental housing, environment friendly housing and low cost housing among others. “To move on further with this, I started Brihat Investments Pvt Ltd in the year 2008,” says he. According to him, Brihat Investments was started to promote real estate investment, entrepreneurship and marketing. Under the company, he constructed first environment-friendly community living with the theme of eco-urbanization at Ramkot. These houses have eco-friendly features like UV protected windows, reduced use of wood, rain water conservation, solar street lights and proper disposal of household wastes among others. There are 76 units in the community, and 30 units are handed over and 18 units are already occupied. Brihat Group now has four companies under it, Brihat Investments Pvt Ltd, Brihat Developers and Builders Pvt Ltd, Swayambhu Hotels and Apartments Pvt Ltd and Pioneer Developers and Builders Pvt Ltd. 

 

Early Life

Rajbhandary was born in 2019 BS in Yangal of Kathmandu to Late Bishnu Bahadur Rajbhandary and Narayan Devi Rajbhandary. Growing up, he was very close with his grandfather Bhairab Bahadur Rajbhandary. He is the youngest among two sisters and a brother. He did his schooling from Laboratory School till grade 8, and did his SLC from Viswa Niketan School. He did his Intermediate and Bachelor degree in science from Amrit Science Campus.

 

Present and Future

After the recession in housing sector about four years back, there have been some issues in lending and project financing. According to Rajbhandary, Nepal still has deficit of housing, but owing to the increased price of land, huge housing projects are not a possibility for now. “To cope with this problem, we have come up with the idea of cluster housing. There are only houses in cluster housing without other infrastructures and community facilities,” explains Rajbhandary. He is launching three such projects in Kathmandu within 2014. 

 

In the future, Rajbhandary wants to develop the core city area of Kathmandu as a safe shelter to reduce the risk of earthquakes. He also wants to transform the area with better management in terms of transportation, sanitation and ventilation. Rajbhandary is also in favour of conserving our cultural heritages.  He also wants to develop new towns to adjust with the growing population, and has dreams of bringing a public limited company for housing sector. “I want planned urbanization to foster, not only in Kathmandu but all over Nepal,” says the ambitious builder. 

 

Personal Side

Rajbhandary married Purnima Rajbhandary in the year 2050 BS. “My wife has an enormous contribution towards my success. We are very compatible with each other, and enjoy a very friendly and happy relation,” says he.  She is an MBA graduate, also the CEO of Brihat Investments. The couple is blessed with a son Brihat, and under his name, the entire group is established. He is doing his engineering in Canada, and Rajbhandary wants his son to support his business with newer technologies, and take it to newer heights.   

 

He says he is a very helpful person with a light heart, and is popular among his friends, family and acquaintances. He considers leadership and eloquence among his strengths, and advocates independence and freedom of decision making. “I believe in god, and respect my ancestors. I pay respect to the both every morning before I have my breakfast,” says the faithful man. Besides his work, he is busy socializing. He loves travelling, listening to music and loves gadgets. Rajbhandary doesn’t want to splurge on cars, and drives a Kia Sportage and Ford Classic. 

 

Afterword

A strong believer of entrepreneurship, Rajbhandary is contented with the fact that he has contributed to the nation through his constructions and employment. “As our country is in political transition, the society has expectations form business leaders like us. We should be responsible towards the society,” says he. According to him, knowledge is not a private property, and all should transform knowledge for the better good of society and country.   

 

Involvements

• Founding Chairman and Promoter, CE Constructions 

• Director, Ace School

• Board Member, Industrial Promotion Board, Department of Industries 

• Board Member, Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board

• Executive Committee Member, FNCCI

• Coordinator, Urban Development Forum, FNCCI

• Third Vice President, Nepal Land and Housing Developers’ Association 

• National Team Member, Habitat for Humanity International 

• Member, Canada Nepal Business Executive Committee 

• Lifetime Special Member, Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce of Industry (CACCI)

• Executive Committee Member, SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCI)

• Administrative Director/General Secretary, Hospice Nepal

• Senior Vice President/Fund Raising Committee Coordinator, Nepal Ambulance Service

• Chairperson-Vocational Service Project, Rotary Club of Kasthamandap