MEET THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF POTATO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY

Study Abroad...charm is continue...Photo:tv.com

Meet the self-declared and self-promoted education consultant!

An interview with Mr. Jay Nepal Samosa, the managing director of Potato International Education Consultancy (PIEC)

It is my pleasure to take the interview of a very promising education consultant of Pokhara, Nepal. He is famous education consultant in the country, but unfortunately, only a few people know him. He says that many education consultants envy of his success. ‘I cannot do more except feeling some pity on them. They can never come up to my skill and qualifications’ he said during the interview.
 Today, in this interview, we will try to know why and how Mr. Jay Nepal Samosa is the best education consultant of the country and we will also try to know what is his secret of success. So, let’s speak with Mr. Jay Nepal Samosa.

By LB THAPA

You are welcome to this interview.

Thank you very much for coming to my education consultancy and taking my interview.

So many attractive names are available to name an education consultancy. But you chose Potato International Education Consultancy. Why Potato, sir…any special reason?

Yes, you have asked a very good question. I had spent nearly 3 months to select a suitable name for my consultancy. After then I come to the conclusion that no name can be better than potato. I am impressed with the features of Potato and now potato is the brand name of our education consultancy. First thing first, potato is among a few vegetables that are found all over the world. Similarly, I do also want the branches of Potato International Education Consultancy to spread as many cities as possible…like potatoes. Moreover, several delicacies can be made of potatoes. Similarly, my consultancy will also provide varieties of services for the students. My aim is that once students come to my consultancy, I will trap them. Last but not the least, in India Lalo had risen to fame and power due to close proximity of his name Aloo=Laloo.   

Your surname is quite misleading. Samosa! What samosa..I mean what type of…sorry…I mean what kind of samosa! I have never come across of this type of surname.

Don’t be panic. I will tell you about my surname, Samosa. After having selected the name of my education consultancy, Potato International Education, Consultancy, I was worried whether I will succeed or not. During that time, I had been to India to meet one of my relatives. There in India someone suggested me to meet NIRMAL BABA. He is popular to find a solution of every problem.

I described my problem to NIRMAL BABA. As a solution of my problem, he told me to eat at least 15 samosa and distribute 500 samosa among the friends. Then NIRMAL BABA told me to change my surname as well. “Always introduce yourself with the surname samosa. And in the center of the logo of your education consultancy there should be the picture of a samosa. “Samosa is the solution of your every problem,” said NIRMAL BABA.  JAY SAMOSA, JAY NIRMAL BABA.

Was there an immediate effect on your business after eating 15 samosas?

You mean what was the immediate effect on my business, after eating 15 samosas. Yes, I experienced two effects after eating 15 samosas. The first immediate effect was that I got severe diarrhea, as I could not digest 15 samosas. The diarrhea lasted for 15 days.

That means one samosa caused diarrhea for one day!

Yes, you may be right. After 15 days, my diarrhea got better as a result, my arse stopped singing any more jagg songs of 1970s. God is witness, sometimes even I would be scared of those terrible sounds my arse produced nonstop. Sometimes, it was as if a machine gun was on burst firing mode. In the end, by the grace of Nirmal Baba my angry arse became silent.   

Oh, you had terrible experience!

Yes, you may be right. Anyway, now I enjoy complete peace.

On what basis can you say that you are the best education consultant? There are already so many highly qualified education consultants in the country.

Yes, this is an open truth that I am the best education consultant in the country and I cannot see anyone equal to me. The kind of education qualification other consultants have has little value in education consultancy business today. That is not the real qualification…to say the least. You need a different type of qualification to be successful in the business of education consultancy. And I have that education.

To make it understandable about my expertise I have to tell you about an incident that had a tremendous impact on my professional career. I think it is necessary to tell you that incident.

Definitely, I will listen to you, sir.

As a young student, for the first time, I applied for the UK. I joined Amazing Bright Future Career Education Consultancy in Pokhara. I met all requirements. From documentation, interview preparation and so on and so forth. I was sure for the success, but in the end, I was denied a visa for the UK. I was nervous but still hopeful.

For the next time, I changed the consultancy and applied for the USA. This time I joined Wonderful Education Consultancy in Pokhara. I made a few new documents, attended interview preparation from Khadka Bahadur Sarpakota, a renowned interview preparation specialist for the US. Later, I came to know that Mr. Khadka Bahadur Sarpakota had also been denied a student visa for the US. Anyway, I booked a date for the interview and soon I found myself in the US embassy for the interview.

The VISA officer asked me several questions, which I answered comfortably. Truth has it that he could not ask me any question that could trouble me. When interview was over, the VISA officer paused and looked at me mysteriously. Perhaps he was speechless due to my outstanding spoken skill. He smiled…and this was the signal that he would congratulate me anytime soon. He said, ‘Thanks for the interview but I cannot give you a study visa’.

I could not believe what I heard. How he could deny a visa for me when my interview was so good. When I asked a reason for denying the visa, he said I would not return to Nepal.

I was furious and almost out of control. Had there not a thick glass between us, I would have pulled him out of his chair and thrash him nicely. ‘How dare you say that I will not return to my country’? I yelled at him. Are you a VISA officer or an astrologer? You are not here to make predictions about people’s future. How can you say whether a student will return to Nepal or not? Out of 10 students, you give visa, 8 students don’t return to Nepal. Then how your prediction is correct.

I wanted to speak more but security guards dragged me out of the US embassy and thrown me on the busy road. These %$#@!~& US embassy VISA wala, they should better sit at the pavement of Ratnapark and tell the future of pedestrians. These @#$%^&*()%$#@........

Sir, actually if..will you…to..but.. sir..Listen to me, you…sir!

Don’t interrupt me when I am speaking…I am not done. Let me complete what I want to say. You have come to my office to take my interview and you don’t allow me to speak. You Rishi Dhamala type of journalist…

I am not interrupting you, sir. But you should mind your language. Please go ahead.

Why I should mind my language when Sher Bahadur Deuba does not mind his language…who I’m. Anyway, where I was?

Sir, you said that you were dragged out of the US embassy and thrown on the road like a bag full of garbage.

Oh, yes. Now I remember everything. I was angry when the US embassy rejected a student visa for me. They acted more like astrologers, not like visa officers. And you see how they treated me, like a bag full of garbage. I think the US embassy has employed astrologers not the qualified visa officers.

I wreathed in anger for a couple of days after then I put myself on self-recovery mode then in a few days, I was ok. I then applied for New Zealand. This time I joined Tortoise Super Fast Education Consultancy in Pokhara. Not a bad country for study abroad after all New Zealand is the land of Edmund Hillary, a friend of Nepal who conquered Mt. Everest along with Tenzing Norge Sherpa. Thinking of the friendly ties of Nepal with New Zealand I was sure of getting a study visa for New Zealand. But to my utter dismay, New Zealand also refused to give me a study visa.

Sir, what was the reason of not giving you a study visa for New Zealand?

How I can tell you the reason. Even I don’t know the reason. This time I was refused for no reason.

It means No Reason was the reason of not giving you the study visa.

Yes, you may be right.

Sir, after then what happened?

Due to frustration, I even thought of joining Dr. Baburam Bhattarai’s party and do politics. Then I realized that education consultancy is not less good than politics. The ultimate success in life is making money. It does not matter how you make money, but it matters that you have money or not. So, I dropped the idea of joining politics and stuck to my original idea of opening an education consultancy.

I prepared myself for yet another country and this time it was Ireland. Documents were submitted and I was waiting for receiving a student visa…but then Tsunami came.

What! Tsunami that also in Nepal. How this is possible, sir! Nepal is a landlocked country!

Shut up! You Rishi Dhamala type of journalist. I don’t mean that type of Tsunami. I mean much unexpected thing happened with me.

Oh, sorry, Sir. I misunderstood. Ireland also rejected you for the student visa!

No, No, not. The college I had applied was blacklisted and the senior college executives had fled with students tuition fees. And when I went to the Tortoise Super Fast Education Consultancy to confirm whether the news was right then what I saw….

Sir, what you saw?

I saw there was a big padlock dangling on the main door of the education consultancy. The owner of the consultancy had already fled and there was almost nothing inside the consultancy. I was helpless, hopeless and legless.

What? Legless!? What happened to your legs, sir?

Shut up! You Rishi Dhamala type of journalist. I mean I felt as if I did not have my legs to hold my weight, because I was shocked. You don’t understand anything…who made you journalist.

Oh, sorry, sir. I misunderstood. Anyway, after then?

Then I applied for Japan. While preparing for Japan study visa, it was entirely a new experience for me. I studied Japanese language and later I prepared all necessary documents to submit the Japanese embassy. Ohayo Gojaimas…Koni Chuwa…I could speak Japanese well. Sometimes, I could speak so fluent and so good that even my instructor could not understand my Japanese.

Amazing, sir. But how is it possible that you speak Japanese but your instructor could not understand?

Shut up, you Rishi Dhamala type of journalist. You don’t understand anything. How my Japanese instructor can understand my Japanese when I myself could not understand what I spoke. Don’t interrupt me before I am done.

Oh, sorry, sir. Please continue.

Ok. Since my spoken Japanese was amazing, I was very optimistic about the success. But…what is this?

Sir, now what happened?

I was denied a student visa for Japan as well.

Oh, very sad, sir! What was the reason for not giving you a study visa for Japan?

I think during the interview I became very emotional and I spoke freely and emotionally.

It is good that you spoke freely. Isn’t it, sir? They should have given you visa.

Actually, I spoke emotionally and then I realized, only after looking at the distorted face of the interviewer that I was speaking in Nepali. I was supposed to speak in Japanese only. I did not know when I switched off Japanese and switched on to Nepali. Before I came to realize that I was speaking in Nepali, it was too late.

Oh, very bad, sir. It was really a blunder. Did you continue applying for other countries for the student visa?

No, I stopped. Enough is enough. In the mean time, an incident took place and that was a big turning point in my life. In the mid of night I w………

Sir, what was that turning point?

I said a number of times that don’t disturb me while speaking. You Rishi Dhamala type of journalist…you never understand.

Oh, sorry, sir. Please continue…

In the mid of one night, I was in deep slumber (sleep). In my dream, I saw deity Manakamana. As you know, she has the power of fulfilling all the wishes of her devotees. The deity emerged out of the dense fog and stood right in front of me. She smiled at me and made a gesture to sit down on the floor. I obeyed her order and sat on the floor.  

In the mean time, I noticed that Manakamana deity, who always mounts on a tigress, but she was on a he buffalo. It was beyond my understanding. I could not restrain my curiosity and asked why she was not on a tigress, her vehicle. Upon this she felt little uneasy but said, ‘Actually Mr. Yamraj has taken my vehicle (tigress) and left his vehicle (he buffalo) with me. He should have returned my vehicle a week ago but still he is out of contact.

“Ok, forget that. Let me tell you that why I appeared in your dream”, said deity and continued. “My suggestion for you is that now you should stop applying for student visa. You have already attained enough gyan (knowledge) of rejections. Almost all popular countries have rejected you. At this moment of time, you have become the most rejected man on this planet earth. That’s why now you are qualified to open an education consultancy.

After saying that the deity disappeared and I woke up. It was 7 o’clock in the morning and my pet dog was licking my face. Now I have been licensed by none other than deity Manakamana to jump into the education consultancy business.

You have opened Potato International Education Consultancy for about one year. But, in less than one year you have a car. How is this possible?

Good question. I actually hailed from Aloo chor, Syangja. It is a pl……..

Sir, I think it is Aroo Chour not Aloo chor.

Yes, yes. You may be right. I came with a jhola (bag) with me to Pokhara. Many of my friends even today call me Jhole. Well, I did not mind because I did not have any mind at that time. Later, I tried my hands in different professions, but I failed miserably until I opened this education consultancy. Literarily speaking, in education consultancy, money showers from all directions. But you should know how to grab and pocket it.

How to do that, sir?

Don’t be impatient, I will reveal the secret. You take processing charge, interview preparation charge, documentation charge, test preparation charge, after visa also you can ask for little donation, and college gives you commission that is extra.

If students don’t have cash to show the bank balance, then you can deposit your money and take healthy 3% interest from them. In case they don’t get visa and reapply then again they have to pay some charges. You see these students are like milking cow. You can milk them until their parents get cardiac arrest (heart attack). I think now you have understood how juicy business is this.

You can see the growing popularity of education consultancy in Nepal. In the past there used to be more beauty parlors in Nepal, but today there are more education consultancies than beauty parlors.

Now interview is over because some potatoes are coming.

Potatoes are coming! Sir, how potatoes can come!

You don’t understand anything…you Rishi Dhamala type of journalist. Some students are coming to my office. They are my potatoes. They will apply for Australia for sure.

Thank you very much for reading this article. I hope you liked this article. I will be glad if you take little time and make a comment about this article. Your comment is highly appreciated.

 

LB Thapa is a freelance writer and author.

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