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Born into a simple, farming family in Chitwan, Jiba Lamichhane has seen his stock rise exponentially in the world.Born into a simple, farming family in Chitwan, Jiba Lamichhane has seen his stock rise exponentially in the world. Now a business magnate with financial interests in Nepal, Russia and Germany (among other countries), Lamichhane, an avid traveller, describes being able to travel the seven seas as an unexpected upside to his many business interests. With three decades of travels under his belt, he is currently in Nepal to launch his maiden book, Sarsarti Sansar—a travel memoir. In this interview with Sanjit Pradhananga, Lamichhane talks about his forthcoming book, the inspiration behind it and his encounters with Nepali expats over the decades. Excerpts:
Your first book, Sarsarti Sansar, is a travel memoir. Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the book.
I believe that travelling is innate to human beings and that everybody, by nature, loves seeing new places and experiencing new things. I too have been an avid traveller from a very young age. When I was a student in the USSR, I made it a point to save what little money I had at the time and travel during my summer and winter breaks; even if it was me alone. Once I graduated, my business and my involvement in the NRN movement also gave me a lot of opportunities to travel. Then eventually, I also began taking vacations with my family. So these four contexts have allowed me to travel to many places, and I have tried to capture the moments I spent in these various places in the book. That being said, I am not a well-seasoned writer and I am not trying to get at any grand philosophical revelation through the book; it just encapsulates my individual experiences and ‘feelings’ that these different places evoked.
The book covers nearly three decades of your travels. How hard was it to dip into your memories, particularly the earliest ones?
I have always been a fastidious note-taker. Everywhere I travel, regardless of the context; I diligently take notes in my diary, or take a moment to write out my impressions of the places and people I encounter. Back in the day, this was nothing more than a hobby, but when I decided to put together this book, I had meticulous notes that I could work with, which helped me recall not just the destinations but also the different feelings they evoked.
Have you always been interested in literature and writing?
Yes, I have always retained a fascination with literature, right from my school days. I read BP Koirala and Laxmi Prasad Devkota religiously when growing up. I also read Taranath Sharma, Krishna Dhakal, and Durba Chandra Gautam’s travel memoirs extensively. Then eventually, because I lived in Russia for so long, I was able to immerse myself in the rich world of Russian literature. It was a joy to finally be able to read and enjoy writers like Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Maxim Gorky in the original Russian.
You mentioned that you have travelled in four different contexts: as a student, as a business owner, as part of the NRN movement and with your family. Which form of travelling have you enjoyed the most?
They all have their different charms. For instance, travelling while a student was very difficult and there were days when I would visit a place by day and travel on trains by night so that I wouldn’t have to pay for lodging. Those days are so memorable but I can’t do that now even if I wanted to. In the same way, all the other travels during different phases of my life have their own memories and their own charm.
Would it be fair to say that this is a memoir not just of the different places that you have been to, but also the people that you have met, particularly Nepalis working abroad?
Definitely. Through my travels, I have been able to meet so many Nepalis living in so many different cities—some successful and some struggling. One thing that I have noticed through my travels is that the current breed of Nepali expats is very enterprising and is willing to take risks. If a few decades ago you’d find Nepalis working in businesses owned by Indian or Pakistani migrants, now they own businesses and are continually looking to expand and grow.
Why do you think that has happened?
The youth today are willing to take risks. Nepalis traditionally were very attached to security and had a job-seeking mentality. They were content with nine-to-five jobs. But the young Nepalis today are very restless, which is a wonderful thing. They are continually looking to grow, to break down barriers. For example, when I first went to Tokyo in 2002, I had heard about this one restaurant that was owned by a Nepali, so I hunted the place down so I could see it for myself. On my last visit to the city, I was informed that there are 5,000 restaurants owned by Nepalis in Japan today. That in itself says a lot about how Nepalis are now flourishing abroad. In a few decades time, I predict that Nepal will benefit tremendously because of its enterprising expats.
Why was now the right time to publish your travel memoir?
I’ve always toyed with the idea, but now that I have considerably more time on my hands, I could finally do it. In recent years, I have written for Nepali publications and have written about my experiences extensively on social media. My friends and acquaintances read these writings and egged me on to contemplate compiling them in one place, which now I have done through Sarsarti Sansar.
What do you hope a reader extrapolates from your book?
My aim with the book was not to pass on any grand revelation, so there is no “moral of the story” per se. But through my travels and encounters with different
people, there are definitely ‘lessons’ that a reader could extrapolate on their own. But more than anything, I always remember the quote: “Life is a book, if you live in just one place all your life, your read only one page.” Hopefully the book will be able to reawaken the travelbug in the readers.
Any plans for another edition, perhaps one about your travels through Nepal?
Not immediately. I have touched upon 29 different places in the 29 chapters of this book. I had originally had compiled 42 chapters, but I reduced it to its current form. So, technically, I have 13 chapters of a book lying around already, but let’s see how things go!
Sarsarti Sansar will hit shelves around the country on December 10.