Pun the Pilot

Narayan Singh Pun Chairman: Karnali Air (P) Ltd., Pun Air International Ltd.

Narayan Singh Pun is making headlines in politics now as the government representative in the negotiations with the Maoists. That role has somehow shadowed the businessman image of this helicopter pilot who retired from the Royal Nepal Army service in 1993 to pursue his own business visions first in partnership with others and later independently. But he says he has been equally speeding up with his business ventures now as with the political agenda.

Pun’s business vision is however different from what one expects from an ordinary businessman. “I do business to make money which I can share with others”, he summarizes his business philosophy, which matches with the ongoing rumours that he has been spending money quite liberally. In fact he corroborates those rumours and says that just in the recent days he has provided donations of Rs. 300,000 (Rs. 150,000 each for two campus buildings) in Baglung,  Rs. 500,000 for the five-victims of Myanglung,  Rs. 500,000 for the women’s programs in Chitwan and  Rs. 200,000 in Pokhara. It is also rumoured, though he denies them, that he has written off the helicopter service bills of his company Karnali Air for around Rs. 80 million each to former Prime Ministers Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba and almost equal amount to the present government.

But why does Pun spend money like that?

“That is the whole idea about earning money. You should share your money to earn more of it. And if you do not share it, what is the use of that money?”

Though Karnali Air is the company with which Pun is now identified, his forays into business started with Dynasty Aviation, the helicopter company he helped to set up as a joint venture between some Nepali and foreign investors. But he left the company very soon because, as he puts it, “they (the Nepali promoters) did not fulfil my conditions. I had not left my army job to be an employee in some private organization and to simply earn money. I had certain vision, but there was no chance to fulfil that vision from that company”.

Then Pun started up Nepal Airways Helicopter Services, but the same story as in Dynasty was repeated in this venture too. So he opened his own company, Manakamana Airways, with some partners. But again there were differences among the partners, though Pun does not like to explain the points of differences "as they are matters bygone", as he put it.

Then finally Karnali Airways was registered under his sole ownership. “It is operating successfully. So, it is better that I go single”, he says.

And the rumours as well as Pun’s own revelations about his generous donations are there to prove that his business is doing well. Then he is also about to start an international airline on his own. For this purpose the company, Pun Air International Ltd., is already registered. Tourism ministry's permission for international flights and the Air Operating Certificate (AOC) from the CAAN are awaited. On his part Pun expects to send the airline operational within April, if everything goes as expected.

Necon Experience

In his business life of some ten years, Pun also tried to rescue the ailing Necon Air by putting in Rs. 87.5 million into it as share investment and assuming the position of the Chairman of the company. But he left the company within four months though his Rs. 87.5 million is still tied up with the company. “I joined the company because they sought my help. And I helped because it was the first aviation sector company of the country with share investment from the general people, and hence it deserved some help.”

But why did he leave the company so quickly? “Because the directors of the company could not fulfil their commitment”, he says, adding, “They had to invest certain amount of money themselves in proportion to what I had invested. But they did not do that."

Fundings

How did Pun arrange the finance to fund his business ventures? “Money is not a problem, if you have the business idea’, he replies. “I’ve no money, but I’m getting aircraft and I’m getting hundreds of millions of rupees as bank loan as well for the forthcoming international airline.” According to him, he is getting the craft from Ansett Worlwide, the aircraft leasing company of Australia. The initial finance to start his first business venture was however arranged by selling his Vitara car for a sum of Rs. 1.2 million, he informs. The subsequent expansions were financed through internally generated funds and bank loans.

Pun has completed Intermediate of Science and is at present privately pursuing the third year Bachelor of Arts course under Tribhuvan University with intention to complete MA in economics. Thus he is a simple technician when compared to people with high-sounding degrees, but Pun is full of ideas about how to develop Nepali economy.

How does he get those ideas? “By constant studies”, he says and the well-stocked book shelves on his study room corroborate his claim. But how does he manage time? “That is what management is all about, managing time”, he replies. “I manage time for politics as well as for my business and for studies and the family.” The trick lies in the age-old maxim of “Early to bed, early to rise”. Pun goes to bed as early as 9 PM if possible and gets up as early as 4 AM. Thus the morning is for studies. He claims to be a voracious reader who reads anything related to wide range of subjects from politics, economics and international relations to business management, sociology and law.

Giving some glimpse about his economic ideas, Pun says “Though competent economists have become Finance Ministers of the country and I have no doubt about their academic capabilities, I feel that there has been a lack of a concrete policy which would be suitable to the peculiar conditions of Nepal.” To prove his point he draws your attention to the fact that though the country has completed 45 years of planned economic development, poverty has not been eradicated. “I don’t think it should take more than 8 or 10 years for the eradication of poverty from the country”.

For economic development of the country, Pun regards two things as the fundamental necessities: “economically competent government and favourable international circumstances”. More importantly, the need for the development should be felt by the society. When there is such need felt by the society as a whole, entrepreneurs will automatically come forward to fulfill the need. That will be facilitated only when there is urbanization which is needed to boost demand for the goods and services on the one hand and make it easier to arrange the infrastructure, according to Pun’s view. So, better have jungles and national parks on the hill tops, and bring all the people to the flat lands and settle them there in small and big urban centres.

But right now Pun’s attention is on the peace process though he is also writing a book on conflict management and negotiation. Though there are critics who are trying to find fault at every step of the ongoing peace process, Pun says he is going with the spirit of Arjun of Hindu epic Mahabharat who, when asked by his Guru about what he saw, said that he saw only the “eye” of the toy bird that his Guru had placed on the tree as the target. “My only attention is on delivering peace to the people. I don’t blame other people or care what they say”, explains this chief negotiator from the government in the talks with the Maoists.

That attitude of not caring about others, but concentrating on ownself, is reflected also in his response to his brethren from the Janajati communities when they complain of Brahmanism. “There used to be a lot of noise against Brahmanism. Now that has reduced because of my efforts to convince Janajati people. My point is: simply complaining against Brahmins is not going to help, we have to improve ourselves first”. He applies the same principle when asked to comment about the complaint of Nepalis against India’s behaviour to Nepal. “You can’t blame the others for what you are. You have to be able to maneuver within the limitations of the situation.”

Then, how does Pun like to identify himself? Politician, businessman, social worker?

His simple answer is: “I’m a patriot. I’m in many fields because I think I can contribute a bit in every field."