Raj Maharjan.

Who.

Father of two children, husband, son and brother of four sisters
Disruptor of the status quo
Town Planner by profession; founder of iSolutionsnz.com
Born and bred in Kathmandu, Nepal
Educated in Nepal (Bsc), Denmark (Msc) and New Zealand (MSc)
Raising family and permanently residing in Auckland, New Zealand
Active advocate of the matter of wider interest to the Nepalis
Speaker of the right cause irrespective of (un)popular opinion
Incumbent President of the New Zealand Nepal Chamber of Commerce. Board Member of Henderson Intermediate School and Waitākere College. Formerly held governance and advisory roles in a wide-range of organisations.
Avid reader of classical literature

ABout.

What am I up to these days?

Initiating the discourse that we need to take action to raise the profile of Nepalis in New Zealand

What will I be doing in 10 years from now?

Pursuing the dream of raising the profile of Nepalis around the world wherever they live

Where have I been?

Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, India, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden

FAQ

THE WHS

What is my most valued possession - Family
What is one thing I wish I could do - write a book
How do I describe my nature -Emotional
What do I think is the key to succeed in business - Network
What do I think is the secret to success in life - Discipline
What I am good at - Connecting people
What I am worst at - Closing a business deal
What is one thing I think everyone should aim to do - Influence from where you are
What is one thing I think everyone should stop to do - Make petty excuses
Who I think we should look up to succeed in life - Yourself. Take self-responsibility
Why Town Planning and why New Zealand - Both were more a chance, and a necessity than by choice
What gives me goosebumps - Music
When I was growing up, want did I want to be - Initially aeronautical engineer, then software engineer
What do I remember most about my childhood in Kathmandu, and why - The river hisa khusi, because that was my playground
What was my favourite activity when I was a child - flying kites; I flew kites until my eyes popped out of the sockets
Why did you not settle in Denmark? You were there in 2002 - Weather and language
What one word would I get rid of from the dictionary - Busy
What I think I would be doing if not in a professional field - Politics
What I think is the best attribute one can have - empathy
What I think is the best attitude one can have - hunger to learn
What I think is the best aptitude - curiosity
What I think is the worst excuse ever - ‘I’m busy’
What I think is the worst attitude one can have - ‘I know everything’
What I think is the worst aptitude one can have - not listening

LIKES & DISLIKES

My favourite band - Radiohead
Books I find fascinating - Iliad by Homer and the Chinese Classic ‘The Three Kingdoms’
Favourite authours - Victor Hugo and Leo Tolstoy
Favourite netflix flick - Narcos
Favourite movie - Lord of the Rings (I watch this every time on a long air travel)
Favourite sport - Football
My worst regret - Not learning to swim

THIS OR THAT

Fame or fortune - Neither. People, rather
Poetry or Prose - Poetry
Momo or daal bhat - Daal bhat power, 24 hour
Nepal or New Zealand - can’t do one; has to be both
Mac or Windows - Mac
Apple or Android - Android
Beer or Whisky - I don’t drink now; when I did - Beer
Coca-cola or Pepsi - Coca-cola
Maccas or BK - BK
Tea or coffee - Coffee
Flat White or Mocha - Mocha
Netflix or book - Book

ETC...

Give us a few words of wisdom - ‘Aim high’. ‘Be confident, but not rude’. ‘Respect people’
One wishful thinking I have - Build leaders of tomorrow
One addiction I can’t do with - Coffee the first thing in the morning
My best life decision - Getting married and having children
Person who influenced me the most - late Ujwal Thapa aka The Maverick who changed not only me but the way politics is approached in Nepal
One thing people can do without - lyang lyang (dilly dallying). ‘Oh man, just do it now’
Something makes me cry all the time every instance it occurs - Sad and haunting background music in movies literally chokes me
Happy place - reading a book
Something that happens so very often and freaks me out - Synchronicity and The Murphy’s Law
Criticism I often get - ‘He comes like a storm and leaves like a dry river’
My answer to the above criticism - ‘I am either there or not’. ‘You are either pregnant or not pregnant; there is nothing called half pregnant’.
If not New Zealand, where would you be - Nepal. Overseas - the USA
I wish I knew how to - Meditate
I avoid - toxic people
I’m attracted by - intelligent people
I respect - honesty
I value - time
I get annoyed by - taken for granted
I hate - procrastination and excuses