Dipendra Gurung first came into media attention with the launch of Being Human in Nepal. After doing a little research on him, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by what I discovered. An engineer who was actively involved with the initiation and launch of probably the grandest store opening the Capital had ever seen. Princess Aasha Raje Gaewkward (of Vadodara, India) and NRN President Shesh Ghale were the first customers of the Being Human Store which had a queue of people patiently waiting outside.

Then I came to know that he was involved in convincing Mika Singh to perform in Nepal as there were complications in the last minute. After seeing him rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names of Nepal (we’re not talking celebrities here, we mean the likes of the Deputy Prime Minister), we had to know more.

After a couple of phone conversations and reappointments, we finally got the chance to meet up for an interview in person. Half expecting to meet a flamboyant tin god, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a warm handshake and a wide smile. As we got to talking, it turned out Dipendra was not at all what I had perceived to be. Young, ambitious and already making a mark, I was surprised at the subtle and humble nature of Dipendra Gurung.

Here’s something that you might have not known. Apparently, Mika Singh was not certain of coming to Nepal to perform in Nepal till the last minute, jeopardizing the entire concert. However, thanks to Dipendra Gurung and ABCDe Inc.’s persuasions, he was flown in to Nepal on the day of the show, and he rocked the city. Chairman and Managing Director of ABCDe Inc., Dipendra Gurung shares with us their plan of an invasion; the likes of which we’ve never seen before.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Till date, I have been lived in Nepal, Australia, Singapore and India. Nowadays, I spend most of my time in Mumbai and Nepal. When I was in Australia, I did my engineering from Flinders University, Adelaide. Later, I became part of the Global Young Leaders Academy (GYLA) and am currently their coordinator for Asia Pacific. and spend most of my time in Mumbai and Nepal.

ABCDe. Inc., the very name of the company sounds extremely interesting. How did the name come into fruition?

Actually, ABCDe is an acronym for ‘A Boy Can Do everything’. The company owes its existence to the belief that a boy can achieve anything he sets his mind to. “Innovation with Passion”, that is our motto.

Who are the key people involved in the company? (We did a little research on who these people were, and we were pretty surprised)

The company comprises of young and dynamic people who are working together despite being in different places in the world. We have Aunia O’Bryne(USA), Magali Cerecas(Global Young Leaders Association), Nicholas Pandey (Director of IFAWPCA and Executive Director of Kalika Group) , Siddharth Koirala (Bollywood actor and brother of Manisha Koirala), Nirvik Khanal (son of former prime minister Jhal Nath Khanal), Er. Chintan Poudel, Rahul Mahara (son of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) politician Krishna Bahadur Mahara), Bibek B Rawal (son of former governor Tilak Rawal), Amelia Rose Hillary (Goodwill Ambassador of Nepal), Kiran KC ,Paras Mani Pokharel ( President off NRN Japan), Kul Acharya (Former President of NRN UK),Purna Hamal (NRN Europe Coordinator) , Raju Thapa (UK based business tycoon), Jiben Shrez (ANZ bank, Australia), Er. Trible Naharki (Kiewit Corporation, USA), Dr. Adhya Shree Karki (daughter of CIAA chief Lok Man Singh Karki), Shambhav Sirohiya (from Kantipur Media) and me.

What is the main vision and motive of ABCDe Inc.?

The main core of the company is rooted to the motif of making Nepal a better place to live in. As you might have noticed, the people involved in ABCDe Inc. are not all present in Nepal. We are working in our individual ways all to help develop Nepal via ABCDe Inc. The company will be involved in anything we can get our hands on in Nepal, and we’ll be taking things to the next level.

What are the areas that ABCDe is involved in? Tell us about your involvement in the initiation of Being Human. Being Human is a small venture of ABCDe Inc.; it’s just the tip of the iceberg. We are involved in various sectors including entertainment, infrastructural development, lifestyle development, charity etc.

Apart from ABCDe, are there any other areas you are involved in?

ABCDe Inc. has many many things it is involved in, all to catalyze the development of Nepal. One of our biggest ventures is the Panchakanya hydropower project. It is the biggest private sector hydropower project (111mw) and is located in Landruk Ghandruk of Kaski District. This should be a definite step forward in “lighting up” Nepal.

Give us a sneak peak of the future plans in the pipeline of ABCDe Inc?

We have plans of tying up with Hidden Treasures to get involved in the Miss Nepal Pageants. ABCDe Inc. will also introduce the Gold’s Gym Franchise to Nepal, which caters to disabled people as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. We’re also starting Durbar Luxury Cinemas soon.

Hmm, that sounds interesting. Tell us more.

Durbar Luxury Cinemas is going to be a gold class luxury cinema. It’s something like The Hoyt Group’s endeavors in Australia, but this is going to be the only one located in a heritage palace: Lal Durbar. It will feature the latest 4K projection, 9:1 Dolby Digital, recliner seats, personalized 5 star hospitality along with a wide range of gourmet food and varieties of drinks.

Who do you look up to?

My father.

Do you consider yourself more of an engineer or a business man?

I am an entrepreneur with the mind set of an engineer.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE…

What would you say is your strongest trait?

Passion

How important of a role does grooming and etiquette play in your life?

It is important, but I tend to stick to the simple basics.

What do you like to splurge on?

Latest gizmo and gadgets.

Which is the most valuable thing you own?

I don’t know, maybe this watch. (By the way, he was wearing a Rolex Oyster)