--By Sujan Tiwari

 

Satya Narayan Keyal, Chairman of Keyal Group came to business from humble beginnings. About 25 years ago, he joined the not-so-substantial family business as a young boy. Through time, Keyal diversified it with strong focus on producing construction materials. Today, there are numerous industries and trading houses under the Group, and Keyal is still looking for opportune moments to further expand his portfolio.

 

Keyal’s grandfather, Late Gauri Shankar Keyal, founded the Group. “My grandfather started the business by establishing saw and rice mills and my father Late Gulab Rai Keyal further expanded the family business,” says Keyal, who has been continuously contributing to the Group’s growth by establishing new industries after joining it around 25 years ago.

 

Early Life

Born in 2018 BS in Birgunj to Late Gulab Rai Keyal and Parmeshwori Keyal, Keyal was the youngest of seven brothers.  He went to Shree Adarsh Prathamik School for his primary schooling, and later joined Tri Juddha High School. He did his I Sc from Thakur Ram Multiple campus, and completed his graduation (B Sc) from Delhi. “After B Sc, I wanted to become a doctor, but it was very hard to get admission in medical colleges in those days. Life had other plans for me, and I ended up becoming an industrialist,” says Keyal. 

 

He started his journey by working in a family-owned hardware outlet along with his brother. Initially, Keyal expanded the family hardware outlet to newer locations. Then he shifted attention to manufacturing business by establishing construction materials production industries. Keyal takes credit for opening all the industries under the Group. Later, he started importing various commodities. 

 

Present Status

The Birgunj based Group has many manufacturing units under its portfolio. Narayani Rolling Mills Pvt Ltd manufactures TMT steel rods and other steel products required for construction works. Star Cement Udhyog Pvt Ltd manufactures Shikhar and Arati cement brands, and Shree Krishna Steel Pvt Ltd manufactures metal pipes and other products. The group also has trading and importing unit that deals in hardware and electronics. In addition, the group also distributes hardware products through its outlet named Bikki Hardware. There are around 15 such hardware outlets around Nepal.

 

The major focus of the Group is in manufacturing steel products. Through its industries, the Group manufactures steel rods, flat square rods, angles,  black pipes and rolled sheets among other steel products. The Group has recently started importing food grains from India, Australia, Canada and other countries. The future endeavour of the group will be in housing sector and hospitality industry. The group has plans to start a small housing project within a few months and has acquired some land in Sanepa for it.

 

Personal Side

Keyal is married to Babita Keyal, and the couple has a son and daughter, Anuj and Nikita. On a regular day, Keyal gets up at 7 in the morning and goes for walk, does some yoga, and goes to office after breakfast. His hobbies include reading newspapers, and watching movies and TV.

 

Keyal says that no matter how busy he is, he always finds time for his family and for his children. He travels with his family a lot, and has been to many pilgrimages in India, and also been to Malaysia, Singapore and other countries. Keyal, a religious Marwari, abstains from meat and alcohol, and follows simple dietary routine. Keyal who is the past president of Rotary Club of Birgunj is also involved in various social activities in Birgunj. He donates to various temples and for religious causes.  

 

Keyal says that he is not an aggressive businessman, and does everything in moderation. According to him, he is completely satisfied with the business of his Group, and considers himself successful for what he has accomplished. “I live a very simple life, without any extravagance. My business has provided for that and I am happy for it. Moreover, my work has also given me respect and recognition. I feel I am successful for having all this,” says Keyal. 

 

Business Philosophies

According to Keyal, business environment is very volatile in Nepal, and factors that affect the businesses are beyond anyone’s control. “Many external factors have adverse effect on business, and people go out of business overnight.” He firmly believes that every businessman and entrepreneur must have meticulous knowledge of his business, and move ahead with extreme caution. 

 

“The easy availability of loans has made businessmen reckless, and they make reckless investments. You must have it in mind that every loan has to be paid back, so investments must be made watchfully,” says Keyal. He also advises to invest in industries, so that it helps in addressing the country’s requirements, help to create employment and thereby reduce the numbers of people going abroad for jobs.   

 

On investment, Keyal says he doesn’t invest haphazardly and only takes calculated risks. “I have seen many businesses and businessmen go down owing to random investments. I only take that much risk that I can bear. The higher you fly, the harder you fall. So I am very careful with my investments,” says a cautious Keyal. He says he does business in such a way that even if one of his endeavours fails, it doesn’t affect the entire Group. 

 

According to Keyal, the lack of constitution, political instability and labour problems are making businessmen hesitant to invest in huge projects. “We have investment plans, but are waiting for the investment environment to improve,” 

says Keyal.  

 

Epilogue

Keyal holds that the government should focus on industries, and give entrepreneurs the respect and status they deserve. “There is no motivation from the government, be it regarding taxes or labour issues or from the politicians themselves.” According to Keyal, industrialists are contributing to the state through employment generation and revenue, but there has been no regard to that from the government. “We industrialist are not here to offer donations, we are here to provide employment opportunities,” says Keyal.

 

Keyal aspires that someday the educational system of the country will be able to make everyone independent. “Higher education isn’t the sole requirement of the country. Education should be made mandatory, and everyone should be provided vocational training from school level so that everyone becomes financially independent,” he says. 

 

According to him, there is an urgent need for change in the mindset of all, including bureaucrats, politicians and common people. “Industrial development on a huge scale and improved education system can definitely trigger the growth of the country. The conditions are getting favourable lately, and we all can look forward for a prosperous Nepal,” says Keyal.