Kul Man Ghising
Kul Man Ghising, an unsung hero of Nepal, has rightly shown light to the country and its people. He had contributed majorly with his role as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). He solved the load-shedding (massive powercuts) problem our country was suffering for decades. Nepal even suffered from power-cut to up to 18 hours/day which seemed unimaginable now.
Born on 25th November 1970 in Bethan village of Ramechhap District in Eastern Nepal, spent his primary level school and went to Duhu Secondary School at his village. He then moved to Kathmandu and went to Bal Sewa Secondary School in Jhochhe where he studied 7th grade onwards. He further completed his S.L.C. (a School Leaving Certificate) from Amar Adarsh Secondary School and moved on to Amrit Science College for the Intermediate Degree.
Personal Life
Kul Man was born in a very sophisticated family and his parents never forced him to do anything. So, sooner after acquiring his Intermediate Degree, he applied for a scholarship at the Regional Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur, India where he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation in Electrical Engineering, Kul Man upon returning to his homeland applied for a Civil Servant job at a Ministry, Civil Aviation Department and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). He chose the latter as a platform because of his academic ability. He also did his post-graduation in power system engineering from Pulchowk Engineering College layer. Kul Man also holds a Masters in Business Management Degree from the Ace Institute of Management.
Kul Man Ghising married Deepa Tamang Ghising and credits his wife for being able to work with full enthusiasm, confidence, and energy. The couple has two sons; Pasang and Pemba Ghising; both in their early teens.
Nepal Electricity Authority
Kul Man was appointed as the Managing Director of NEA on 14th September 2016. Before the appointment, he had already served NEA for over two decades. He was the Project Chief of Rahughat Hydroelectricity Project and before that, he was MD of the Chilime Hydroelectricity Company. In an interview following his appointment, he mentioned that eliminating load shedding would be one of his main focuses. But still, there were major speculations about him being unsuccessful just like his predecessors as the general population was certain about the internal problems within the state power utility. However, having 22 years of experience already provided him professional knowledge on transmission, power generation, and distribution of hydroelectricity. He maximized his skills and utilized the available resources in such a way that load shedding ended within few months of his appointment as an MD. NEA was supposedly in the loss of RS 9000 million in 16 years during the load-shedding period which got covered in 3 years after the tenure of Mr. Ghising.
Despite his selfless contribution, he fell prey to a major controversy where he was alleged of misappropriation in funds of LED bulb import from India. He retaliated that by holding a press conference and brushed off all his allegations with much-needed proof. He broke down into tears for being accused of corruption and said that he constantly made an effort to fight with corrupted officials to end load shedding in Nepal. He further added that he would have actually earned in millions had he let the load shedding hours increased. That statement went viral on social media and the hashtag #Iamwithkulmanghising trended on every social media platform in his support.
His estimated salary is approximately Rs 50-70 thousand per month. He has received several awards, like, GOGO Foundation Award 2016, Kantipur Icon 2018 and Personality of the Year Award, etc.
Retirement from NEA
Kul Man Ghising announced retirement as an Md of NEA on the 14th of September. That saddened all netizens throughout while they were hoping for his reappointment as an MD for his commendable tenure. It is no joke that he put a decade-long load shedding to an end and turn the institution suffering loss into a profit-earning one. Again the hashtags like #thankyoukulmanghising and #wewantkulmanghising were trending even more in social media. People also made street protests in his favour and also in a fear that his early retirement would push the nation back to the same dark phase.
Reappointment at NEA
After Sher Bhadur Deuba succeeded as 42nd Prime Minister of Nepal, he reappointed Kulman Ghising as the MD of NEA. Following the cabinet’s decision, the Energy Ministry is preparing to hand Ghising his appointment letter on the 11-August-2021. He replaced Hitendra Dev Shakya, who is now transferred to the Energy Ministry.
References
- https://kathmandupost.com/national/2019/02/15/kulman-ghising-the-man-who-gave-us-light
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kul_Man_Ghising
- https://www.nepalitrends.com/kulman-ghising-biography/
- https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/four-year-tenure-of-kulman-ghising-ends
- https://www.collegesnepal.com/personalities/unsung-national-hero-of-nepal-kulman-ghising/
