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Basant Chaudhary


Basant Chaudhary (born April 3, 1957) is a Nepalese industrialist, philanthropist-statesman and writer. He is the chairman of Bhuramal Lunkarandas Conglomerate (BLC), a conglomerate that consists of 15 companies ranging from healthcare services to education, agri-businesses, infrastructure, FMCG and packaging.

Besides his business interests, Chaudhary is a prolific writer, widely published in Nepali and Hindi. Ever since his first music album, ‘Maya Baljhechha’, released in 1999, made its mark in the literary world, poet-lyricist Chaudhary has seven prose/poetry compilations and nine music albums/videos that he has created lyrics for.

Chaudhary is a public figure and statesman in Nepal with varied social and diplomatic interests.

Early life and education
Chaudhary was born in Kathmandu, Nepal as the son of Lunkaran Das and Ganga Devi Chaudhary. He was raised in Kathmandu with his two brothers, Binod and Arun Chaudhary and sister, Kusum.

His grandfather, Bhuramal Chaudhary, was a textile trader and owned a small textile store. His father transformed the store to Arun Emporium which is considered to be Nepal’s first department store. Chaudhary worked at the family’s business even as a young man, through school and college. Basant Chaudhary began his education at Kathmandu’s Adarsha Vidya Mandir School. He passed school from DMPS, Sanothimi in 1974.

His draw towards social service took early wings, when at the young age of 21 he was appointed President of the Leo Club, Kathmandu and a year later was appointed member of the Social Services National Co-ordination Council (SSNC) by the late King Birendra.

He is married to Meena (m.1979) and they have a daughter, Megha.

Literary ventures
Besides being a leading member of Nepal’s business community, Chaudhary is predominantly a writer, lyricist and poet. Basant Chaudhary started penning his poetry sometime in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. What began as private outpourings, were first released publicly only in 1999 in his first music album, ‘Maya Baljhechha’.

Since then, Chaudhary penned 7 prose/poetry compilations and 9 music albums/videos featuring top artistes from the Hindi and Nepali music and film industries.

List of works
Basant Chaudhary used the medium of Global Poetry Journeys or Vishwa Kavya Yatras to spread his poetry across the world, primarily targeting the Nepali Diasporas. He began with New York, USA, in 2012, since covering London, Dubai, Baltimore, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, Gangtok, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Pokhara, Sydney.

To promote the appreciation and recognition of writers and literature, Chaudhary has established the Shree Lunkarandas Ganga Devi Chaudhary Academy for Arts and Literature in 1995 to honor and felicitate personalities dedicated to development and promotion of arts and literature in Nepal.

Business and industry
Strongly inspired by his father and grandfather, Chaudhary has carried forth the tradition of ethical business with strong focus on developing and contributing to the economy of his home country, Nepal.

His endeavors in the early years centered more on off-beat ventures rather than the traditional family business activities; he pioneered Nepal’s first advertising agency, Group Three (insert year), and floated weekly newspapers, The Mountain Tribune (1988) and The Independent (1990), that were oriented more towards features and opinion. He also launched a popular film magazine, Urvashi (1988).

With a division of responsibilities within the family business in 1989, Chaudhary became solely responsible for Mahalaxmi Maida Mills and Pashupati Biscuit Industries. He further expanded his enterprise to all the ventures listed below, bringing all of these together under the BLC (Bhuramal Lunkarandas Conglomerate) umbrella in 2016.

Healthcare services
The passion to serve humanity and alleviate the plight of the ordinary Nepalese who had to travel overseas at great expense to get treatment for various ailments prompted Chaudhary to step into the healthcare services domain and establish Nepal’s first comprehensive cardiac hospital, Norvic, in Kathmandu on April 14, 1994. Norvic has evolved over time to become Nepal’s premier technologically advanced, super-specialty hospital.

The affiliated Norvic Institute of Nursing Education aims at creating a pool of trained nursing professionals for the community at large.

Another venture, Shree Lunkarandas – Ganga Devi Chaudhary Charity Hospital exclusively serves the deprived community in Sunsari, Nepal with basic healthcare and diagnostic facilities.

Philanthropy
The Basant Chaudhary Foundation (BCF) is the primary arm to provide ongoing support to needy and meritorious students. The Foundation donated Rs. 5.1 Million to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund in the aftermath of the 2015 devastating earthquake that rocked Nepal. Medical supplies, foodstuffs and tarpaulins worth Rs. 2.5 million were provided to earthquake victims in Nuwakot, Dhading, Sankhu and Sindhupalchowk. The Foundation has also provided 1,000 cartoons of high-energy biscuits, produced by Shree Pashupati Biscuits Industries, worth Rs. 1.29 million; health services, worth Rs. 2 million, and medical supplies, worth Rs. 1.7 million, from Norvic International Hospital.

Shree Lunkarandas – Ganga Devi Chaudhary Charity Hospital serves the deprived community in Sunsari, Nepal with basic healthcare and diagnostic facilities.

Social interests
Basant Chaudhary is a man of varied interests. Widely regarded as a true statesman, he has complemented his philanthropic, business and literary endeavors with service to society both within and across the boundaries of the mountain kingdom that is his base.

As Member Secretary of Pasupati Area Development Trust (2003-XXXX) Chaudhary worked to initiate the Ten Year Development Master Plan to develop this Holy site as a major destination for Religious Tourism.

Chaudhary was appointed Honorary Consul General to the Kingdom of Morocco in 2007 and continues to date to represent Nepal-Morocco trade and social ties.

To promote literature, a passion that he actively pursues, Chaudhary has established the Shree Lunkarandas Ganga Devi Chaudhary Academy for Arts and Literature in 1995 to honor and felicitate personalities dedicated to development and promotion of arts and literature in Nepal.

Chaudhary is an active member of the Agrawal Sewa Kendra, an organization that works to maintain the ethnicity of the Marwari community residing in Kathmandu.