Giving up a career abroad to return home not always a smooth transition

Hi everyone. I’m Marty Logan. Thank you for clicking on this episode of Nepal Now: On the Move, where we speak with some of the huge number of people leaving – and occasionally returning – to this country wedged between India and China.

Bharat Adhikari is another former migrant worker who returned to live in Nepal, but his story could hardly be more different than Sushma’s, who we heard from in a previous episode. I chatted recently with Bharat at the Himal Media studio in Patan Dhoka. 

After more than a decade working in the retail sector in the Persian Gulf countries of Oman and Dubai, Bharat and his family decided it was time to come home. He describes the aha! moment when he returned home from work one day and realized that his mother and daughter had almost everything that money could buy to make them happy living overseas – but not a community. 

Bharat broke the news to his boss in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the man suggested he was crazy. But Bharat insisted that it was the best thing for his ageing mother and young daughter, and finally convinced him (although today he still gets offers from his former employer in Dubai to return). 

Aside from the decision to leave his successful career in exchange for society and culture in Nepal, what I find interesting about Bharat’s story is that his first venture here failed. Well not exactly – he gave up on starting a new business when he realized that he would have to ingratiate himself with government officials. Bharat understood then that having worked only in Gulf countries, he needed to be operating within a disciplined system. Luckily he’s now found it in his new job. 

Please listen now to my conversation with Bharat Adhikari. 

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Music by audionautix.com.

Thank you to Himal Media in Patan Dhoka for the use of their studio.

Transcript

00:00:00 Marty

Hi everyone. I'm Marty Logan. Thank you for clicking on this episode of Nepal Now: On the Move, where we speak with some of the huge number of people leaving, and occasionally returning, to this country wedged between India and China.

00:00:16 Marty

Bharat Adhikari is another former migrant worker who returned to live in Nepal.

00:00:22 Marty

But his story could hardly be more different than Sushma's, who we heard from in our previous episode.

00:00:29 Marty

I chatted recently with Bharat at the Himal Media Studio in Patten Doka.

00:00:34 Marty

After more than a decade working in the retail sector in the Persian Gulf, countries of Oman and Dubai, Bharat and his family decided it was time to come home.

00:00:45 Marty

He describes the aha! moment when he returned home from work one day and realised that his mother and daughter had almost everything that money could buy to make them happy living overseas.

00:00:58 Marty

But not a community.

00:01:01 Marty

Bharat broke the news to his boss in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the man suggested he was crazy.

00:01:11 Marty

But Bharat insisted that it was the best thing for his ageing mother and young daughter and finally convinced him.

00:01:19 Marty

Although today he still gets offers from his former employer in Dubai to return.

00:01:26 Marty

Aside from the decision to leave his successful career in exchange for society and culture in Nepal, what I find interesting about Bharat’s story is that his first venture here failed.

00:01:38 Marty

Well, not exactly – he gave up on starting a new business when he realised that he would have to ingratiate himself with government officials.

00:01:48 Marty

But had understood then that having worked only in Gulf countries, he needed to be operating within a disciplined system.

00:01:57 Marty

Luckily, he's now found it in his new job.

00:02:01 Marty

Please listen now to my conversation with Bharat Adikari.

00:02:06 Marty

Bharat Adhikari, welcome to Nepal Now: On the Move.

00:02:09 Bharat Adhikari

Thank you very much, Mr. Martin.

00:02:12 Marty

I'm very happy to see you here. We're going to talk about today, mainly your migration to Oman country in the Middle East. Of course, your career there, your work there for a number of years. Your return to Nepal, like many Nepalese or more and more Nepalese I think are are coming back to the country after their migration experience and looking for a way to work here, to use the experience that they've gained. But before we get into all of that, tell me a little bit about where in Nepal you were born and where you grew up and went to school.

00:02:46 Bharat Adhikari

Actually I born in Nepal, Gandaki Province and Tanahu District. Village name is Achal jour and I grew up there. My study he was continuing in Bandipur, Notre Dame School. Then after I finished my SLC from Damauli, Satyavati. Then then my college started in Chitwan, Narayanghad, which is Balkumari College and I completed my bachelor degree in TU from Chitwan. Then I came to Kathmandu.

00:03:28 Bharat Adhikari

Then I started hunting, you know, going abroad for migrant employment. As as other Nepali youth did.

00:03:37 Marty

Great. Thank you. That was very concise. So when you finished your studies did you know already that you wanted to go abroad or was it something that just came up as you were looking for? You know, your first job and your first experience?

00:03:54 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, actually, you know, when I finished my bachelor degree at that time, there was a civil war in Nepal and it just they came in agreement in peace. The the country situation is very worst in terms of getting the new job and then there was no choice, you know. So then I applied to go abroad as a migrant.

00:04:19 Marty

OK. And so we know you ended up in Oman, the country on the Arabian Peninsula, was that a particular destination you had in mind? Or was it just the best opportunity that came up at the time?

00:04:33 Bharat Adhikari

At the time, wherever we can find the the opportunity, we will apply blindly as majority of Nepalese youth, those who are planning to go abroad. They simply apply. They will. They they were not aware of the company profile. They were not aware of the job description. Nothing you know, same like me also. So I applied randomly to one of one or three manpower — those who are recruiting the people to go abroad. So they called me for interview and then luckily you know I got twice or thrice interview and I succeeded to pass and to go abroad. By the way, I didn't go first to Oman.

00:05:18 Bharat Adhikari

I selected and then I went to Dubai and in Dubai I got the training and then I shifted to Oman.

00:05:25 Marty

And and so at this point you're finished your studies, you're young, you're enthusiastic and looking for adventure, I think was probably part of it as well as earning money.

00:05:38 Marty

But were you not worried about leaving Nepal and, you know, leaving your family, leaving all of that behind and going to a completely different culture, where the main language obviously is not Nepali or or even English.

00:05:52 Bharat Adhikari

You know, I'm from middle class family. My family are a farmer, so obviously on that period we really need the money. Everyone need the money to survive. And here there are, as I said, there are just finished the civil war and the the things are destroyed at that time. The opportunity was very less. Going. To Europe and America for either the study or for the employment, there was very less opportunities at the time. So there were. There were no choice rather than Arabian Peninsula.

00:06:26 Marty

OK, I see. I see. Yeah. So then first in Dubai, then you moved to Oman. Tell me about Oman. What was it like when you arrived? Was it a good job that you had from the beginning? Because obviously you stayed there for a while.

00:06:40 Bharat Adhikari

2008 but I I have been selected around in January, February and I went to Dubai as as a sales associate. I didn't know the the company profile. I just knew that from the manpower and the interviewer that you are in the sales associate.

00:07:00 Bharat Adhikari

I can say at the time I'm quite a lucky guy.

00:07:04 Bharat Adhikari

So in Dubai, when I arrived and it was quite a good company and the brand is quite luxurious brand, the company was the White company, London. Until six months there was probationary period at that time I was in Mall of Emirates, I was working in one of the outlet. Then after finishing probation, and I I work hard with with the, you know, discipline, honesty, and my management team has absorbed me.

00:07:33 Bharat Adhikari

And they announced that there is a vacancy in Oman as sales supervisor.

00:07:41 Bharat Adhikari

Then they ask me whether you want to go or man we have this, this vacancy. They saw me some potential. And then of course, if I get the opportunity, why not? And I read about the Oman. It's very good place. It's a neighbouring country of Dubai actually. So then after 8-9 month having staying in Dubai in Mall of Emirates. Then I shifted to Oman as a sales supervisor.

00:08:08 Bharat Adhikari

End of the 2008 I went there when I entered the Oman and when I started to work there then I started to think about to to build the career there. When you see the career, when you see your career in that field, then everything you will give for that.

00:08:26 Bharat Adhikari

In 2010, you know, at that period there was this economic crisis, so that that crisis has happened to Middle East also all over Europe.

00:08:36 Bharat Adhikari

So so in 2010, the mall management has, you know, announced one competition between the outlet, there are 190 outlets on that city centre. The outlet who will do the sales growth versus last year, that outlet will get the, you know, gift or award or prizes.

00:08:58 Bharat Adhikari

Then then I feel that that competition is actually for me and my team.

00:09:04 Marty

So at that time you were in charge of this particular store, yeah?

00:09:07 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, I was in charge on that particular store. It motivated me also. Let's grab this contest. Then we can move forward. Then we work together. There are 8 members in the team in total, so I'm leading to them. Also we all team were organised and we focused on that performance and then luckily we won that prize. We have sales growth of 193 percentage versus last year.

00:09:38 Marty

Wow, that's very impressive.

00:09:40 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah. And then we we were very happy and the mall management has interviewed like like this way on the news times of Oman and you know, national news and suddenly suddenly the things are turning out.

00:09:57 Marty

Right, everything is looking very good for you. Your career is moving along as you'd kind of dreamt it would.

00:10:02 Bharat Adhikari

Exactly. Exactly. So we all are encouraged and the the amount of like equivalent to 10,000 dirham is for store in charge, manager, and 10,000 dirhams for the staff — they have announced the gift voucher of that amount. So at that time the amount was very huge.

00:10:20 Marty

How much money, would that be in Nepali rupees or US dollars?

00:10:23 Bharat Adhikari

In Nepali rupees 10,000 dhiram at that time was 3 or 2.5 lakhs at that time. Yeah.

00:10:29 Marty

That is a lot of money, so three ₹250,000 to ₹300,000 roughly OK.

00:10:33 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, yeah, the the result of hard work, discipline and all, all those things, so that in spired me to build my career. Then from that day, you know, it was published all over, the people knows me. Which store won that competition? The White Company. Who was the manager? My name was definitely there. And then I again motivated with the passion of working with the the sales, the passion of doing customer service, it helps everywhere to me,I earn the respect. I knew how to work with the team. So these things makes me to work more years in the retail.

00:11:20 Marty

And did you feel like you were doing something that you were meant to do something that maybe you didn't know before you started, but when you got to this point you realise that. Wow, this is something that I am just naturally really good at that fulfils me. Was it like that?

00:11:39 Bharat Adhikari

Yes. When something's touch you by heart and it really gives you something in your future. And then if you see the career there then it it becomes naturally also.

00:11:53 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah. And then you know, passion and the the hard work and the honesty is is the key of the making the career as as as my experience.

00:12:04 Bharat Adhikari

Because product knowledge, other things we can get it. But the honesty, discipline, punctuality, attitude, we never get it. It has to come by your inner heart — that is most important thing I learned during that period of my migration employment.

00:12:21 Marty

Great. And so from there on, you continued going up, you continued being successful.

00:12:26 Marty

Well, at some point you took a break and came to Nepal and got married. I know that. Yeah, during these years, you were working in Oman, what year was that when you got married?

00:12:35 Bharat Adhikari

2008. Between 2008 and 2010, in that period.

00:12:41 Marty

OK, OK. Yeah. So your career is going very well. And then after some years you make a big decision.

00:12:49 Marty

So tell me about that.

00:12:51 Bharat Adhikari

And the things were going well and we family were there in Oman in 2011 and then 2012. I started to think let let me grab the opportunity to other company. Yeah. And I was almost four years working the same company.

00:13:08 Bharat Adhikari

And you know the the human nature is there. People doesn't want to stay in one place always. So I tried for opportunity in 2012 and where my wife was also there. And my wife also midwife nurse actually in her profession. So we both are very busy.

00:13:26 Bharat Adhikari

Then fortunately, I got the opportunity to, you know, in another company as a higher position with the higher facilities. It was H&M brand. So from 2012 to 2020 end of 20, I have been associated with the H&M in Middle East then.

00:13:46 Bharat Adhikari

Life was going on and we got a daughter in 2017 and we all family. My mother was there with me. All family were there. Comfortable life was there.

00:13:58 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, in 2018, we decided, my wife and me, we decided let's move to Nepal. We not decided, we we discussed.

00:14:13 Bharat Adhikari

Because we feel that one day we have to go, we cannot stay forever here. Because for my old mother, because of my daughter, we need to give her better study in our own country.

00:14:29 Bharat Adhikari

And then we discuss and one day, when me and my wife came from the job at at the night my mother and daughter was waiting to us, and I realised that I just noted only today, but for the long years they are doing the same things here.

00:14:50 Bharat Adhikari

In Dubai or in Oman in Middle East, to be very honestly, there is very luxury life, comfortable life, you have everything there. But for my mother and for my daughter, they they don't have what they have in Nepal.

00:15:07 Bharat Adhikari

It's it's, it pains us. You know, there are two things we can make them happy to enjoy them. One is in the mall, big malls. We can take for enjoy and another one is beach, ocean, sea beach. Nothing more than that because it's very hot outside.

00:15:27 Bharat Adhikari

More important, what we feel at the time, is we have to give proper socialism to our our daughter.

00:15:35 Marty

Socialisation.

00:15:36 Bharat Adhikari

Sorry. Socialisation. What? What me and my wife got from our parents.

00:15:42 Marty

Right, so you're providing this very comfortable and like you say, even luxurious life. Yeah. But you realise that at the end of the day when you come home they're in a way, bored, and they're just really missing you. Yeah, because they don't really have a community around them. And since you and your wife and the two of them, and like you say, these very particular places, you can go and things you can do, but there's not that whole Nepali community and society.

00:15:59 Bharat Adhikari

Yes.

00:16:00 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah.

00:16:12 Marty

That they would have when if they came here? 

00:16:17 Bharat Adhikari

Yes, and until when you will be there? And another important thing is my wife wants to do further study. Also in Nepal. She has already masters in health and education and she wants to continue in M Phil and PhD also. So she is continuing now so and in between 2000 to 15 to 2020 I was associated with NRN  — non-resident Nepali community. In 2015 there was an earthquake in Nepal and it every Nepalese feel very you know how to help Nepal when we are in abroad. So at that time I have very closely associate with an RN.

00:16:58 Bharat Adhikari

And after that, I am executive member. I was in the beginning and then I get in youth coordinator as a position and then I have ended as a secretary.

00:17:07 Bharat Adhikari

And we work very closely to the embassy for the for the needed people, you know, in Nepal in other occasion also between 2015 to 2020.

00:17:20 Marty

What year was it when you made the decision? Was it 2020 that you finally decided after talking about this with your family for so much that, yes, OK, we're going to go back this year.

00:17:32 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, 2018, we discussed and we decided to go and we we checked the you know the entry online for my wife's admission for the for the for the further study and then in 2018 end I think we came I came for vacation and they came permanently, my whole family. And then my wife got admitted here. And they started to living in Nepal. 

00:17:58 Bharat Adhikari

And we were decided after 2020, I will also permanently I will back to Nepal. And then according to the plan I came, I resigned and I came. I returned to Nepal.

00:18:11 Marty

OK. And I have to ask you because obviously you're sharing all of this with people you're working with, all other Nepalese living in Dubai, in Oman. How did people react when you said you were going back?

00:18:23 Bharat Adhikari

I went to Oman and within next day there was locked down. Luckily I reached there and then we will we continue. I continue. Then at that period lot of people, you know lost their job due to the pandemic. So when I gave my resignation to my my company, my boss, he was telling me that you are mad to give the resign in this period, many people are losing the job in this time and how dare you do these things are you are you? Are you serious? He ask me twice? Yes. You know the decision was made and the family already back to Nepal and my mother is getting old.

00:19:05 Bharat Adhikari

And daughter is growing up, so at this time we need to be with family, no matter of the rest of the things. So that was our decision and I convinced him because he also feel that ultimately what, wherever you will go, whatever you do, ultimately you need the family in your whole life.

00:19:25 Marty

OK. And so you've returned in 2020 here. Did life go as you imagined it would go?

00:19:33 Bharat Adhikari

Actually, not so easy. You know, here at the time, the pandemic was just finished and the life is quite struggled here.

00:19:44 Bharat Adhikari

Because you know more than 12 years, I I I have been working in abroad and you know that there is very good system law and everything is organised. There is no chance to do, you know, undisciplined things. So my my 12 years career what I learned was there and when I back suddenly here it is quite difficult to adjust in this. You know, environment here, there were challenges. There were a lot of challenges.

00:20:14 Marty

OK, OK, we we can talk about that. And what about your daughter? She was 7 at the time, no.

00:20:19 Bharat Adhikari

Now she is getting 8.

00:20:20 Marty

Now eight. So then 20/20, she would have been four, about four years. Yeah. Did she adjust quickly?

00:20:30 Bharat Adhikari

Not easy because due to the climate and other things, also, it's not easy. But she gradually grabbed it.

00:20:40 Marty

Right. And your mother? No problem. Obviously, she's coming home. Yes.

00:20:41 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah. Yeah. Mother is more than happy, you know, because she is from the farmer background and she loves to be here and growing. Growing up the vegetable for own need. So she is more than happy.

00:20:56 Marty

OK, OK. And so I from what I know about migration and the people who return, and there are quite a few who return, many of them want to start their own business. I think this is a dream of many people. I know, it's not easy. Some succeed, some do not. So when you came back also this is what you had in mind, right? Yeah.

00:21:16 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, I thought I will do some small business as per my experience, yeah. And we have planned we planned before we came here. But when you come here, when you come here, all the things are different than what you thought.

00:21:36 Bharat Adhikari

I have to share you. I have applied one company here to give to give me, you know the dealership in in my hometown Chitwan and Tanahu. And with seeing my my curriculum data and they gave me without any deposit the dealership for two districts. 

00:21:57 Bharat Adhikari

And I was very happy for it. But you know the the the registration process and other legal activities is very, very lengthy and you know the we need to beg the people who are in authority. But I did, I cannot continue that that business because of lot of challenges.

00:22:17 Bharat Adhikari

There I had experience of doing job. Doing job and doing own business is quite different. Yeah. So I I have to change completely.

00:22:26 Marty

Right, right.

00:22:31 Bharat Adhikari

Some people will will grab it, but I can't, you know, I'm investing the money and I'm registering from my money, so why should I beg to people to do my work?

00:22:46 Bharat Adhikari

So I I cannot tolerate such things. 

00:22:48 Marty

Right. So there was a lot of you needed to do a lot of kind of relationship building deal with different officials and get them on your side, you know.

00:22:50 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah.

00:22:55 Bharat Adhikari

Exactly.

00:23:00 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah, under the table it. It really hurts me because you know I work from the system.

00:23:07 Bharat Adhikari

But there are a lot of challenges and I I gave up that business.

00:23:13 Marty

And then you started looking around for other opportunities and found one quite quickly.

00:23:17 Bharat Adhikari

Yes.

00:23:20 Bharat Adhikari

I was not eagerly looking at that time period because I just came and then when I go to shop, you know, in a shopping centre or in in a small grocery shop or any other retail outlet, I feel that there is the gap of service.

00:23:37 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah. When I when I asked to some owner or some sales people, they are not respecting the customer. I feel like I get that pinch. You know where my background was. We are completely, we feel that the customer is a God of our business.

00:23:54 Bharat Adhikari

The retail is all about the customer service, you know Martin. Yeah, the people all have the product, but the gap is the service and delivering the result. So it pains. And then I feel that I have to you know, I have to explore my experience here in Nepal in some good organisation.

00:24:13 Bharat Adhikari

Then luckily I applied in in the website or the vacancy from the Salesberry and then they called me for the interview and then I started as an area manager on the grocery that Salesberry is a retail, one of the biggest, largest retail chain in Nepal, which has more than 35 stores. Then till now I'm working as an operation manager in Salesberry.

00:24:42 Marty

And how was that in terms of adjustment? I mean still you had very strong ideas about how things in retail should work. And I'm sure that in Salesberry, obviously there are some differences. Did it take you a long time to adjust? Or not really.

00:24:58 Bharat Adhikari

Actually my background was experience in retail fashion. Yeah, at H and M and the white company.

00:25:06 Bharat Adhikari

But Salesberry is completely FMCG, yeah, food and grocery, which is quite in, in terms of product, it is quite difficult to me to adjust. But you know my retail operation is same everywhere in the world. So product wise, I'm still learning from my, you know, my seniors, my CEO. 

00:25:25 Bharat Adhikari

And you know the things are quite different than there and here abroad, where I am, where we were working people will see the career they they will give everything to learn. But here the attrition rate, the people are moving, they didn't see the career here the young people because most of them are, as you know, that they are planning for abroad.

00:25:51 Marty

So you've got this job. You've adjusted. Sounds like it's going well, but I'm wondering, have you ever thought of going back? I know you said that you're still in touch with your former boss in Oman and he's asked you to go back. Have you ever given it a thought, or you've really closed the door on returning?

00:26:11 Bharat Adhikari

Actually, uh, there is no thought of returning or going back for again abroad. Yeah, in Dubai still they're approaching me. My boss is still there. He is approaching. If you like, we are opening the new outlet. If you want to come you are always welcome. But in my heart and our family you know we discussed and everything we finalised.

00:26:34 Bharat Adhikari

We will no more go abroad for employment.

00:26:38 Marty

OK, so despite some bumps in the road, let's say, when you return to Nepal, you're happy enough here that you don't want to go anywhere else.

00:26:47 Marty

And you mentioned also the young people who, you know, they might take a job, but they're always kind of looking for an opportunity, most of them outside of the country. It's almost like there's this feeling like you can't do it in Nepal. You can't go as high as you want to go or you can't really succeed or, you know, you can't make it in Nepal the way you could make it if you went outside of the country and so you have done that, you've gone outside of the country and now you're back.

00:27:19 Marty

Now that you're looking for people to work for you, how do you feel about young people who all want to leave Nepal and aren't willing to stay? Do you understand their situation? Do you think it's fine to let them go? We just need to encourage them to come back or the government should be doing more to stop them from going in the first place?

00:27:39 Bharat Adhikari

Yeah. Actually for youngsters, see abroad. You can go to get the knowledge and experience.

00:27:48 Bharat Adhikari

Once you get the knowledge and experience, you can come back Nepal and there are a lot of opportunities here. For example, I have experiencing in retail in international brand that is very important. Those who are planning to go, I will suggest them at least get some small experience here in Nepal.

00:28:08 Bharat Adhikari

In retail, we we are providing the excellent training on what is the service customer service. So you will get the experience here and then you can go.

00:28:19 Bharat Adhikari

And those who are working there as as an employee, get that experience and explore here. There are huge opportunities. But as honestly speaking still we don't have, you know, enough employment things here. We are very optimistic that we are getting it soon or it is in the plan.

00:28:39 Bharat Adhikari

But unfortunately still now, for the youngster there is no attractive package from the government. So those people who are planning to go, you can go there but work with the honesty, punctuality with the integrity. You will get a lot of things there. Money is not everything.

00:28:59 Marty

OK. Thank you very much for coming and telling us about your experiences and best of luck in the future.

00:29:06 Bharat Adhikari

Thank you very much Martin for giving this opportunity, sharing my experience in abroad.

00:29:13 Marty

Let me know what you thought of this episode. You can leave a comment on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, or e-mail me at nepalnowpod@gmail.com.

00:29:25 Marty

Next week, we'll post our second mini episode from the series we're calling Nepal now right now.

00:29:32 Marty

Check it out to hear what we're working on, what listeners are saying about the show and what's happening in the migration sphere.

00:29:39 Marty

I'll talk to you then.