Having been a management graduate and actively associated in the inception of the Management Association of Nepal (MAN), he now advocates for universal access to reproductive health services and commodity security in his capacity as the chief of the Commodity Security Branch of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
He has a strong voice even for hardened firebrand politicians, as was evident during his commanding presentation at the recent three-day regional conference on Advocating Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services and Commodity Security held at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza in Kathmandu. But he is miles away from politics.
He started his life in earnest from Banaras and now he works in New York.
Jagdish Upadhyay’s life has been a story of contrasts. From marrying a Punjabi girl against the wishes of his conservative mother who had doted on her youngest child, to eventually joining the UNFPA as a health consultant after doing well as a management professional in his early career, his life has never flowed with the currents.
Born on June 14, 1953 to a Brahmin family in Sisneri of Lubhu in Lalitpur, Upadhyay joined the then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation in the capacity of a seventh level marketing manager immediately after completing his MBA in 1975. After working for five years in the airlines, he worked for the Indian multinational company Raunak Group of Industries for two years.
He joined Nepal CRS Company as its managing director in 1987. But within two years, he migrated to Canada. “My in-laws had settled in Canada, and we first went there to visit them and intended to return,” Upadhyay recalls.
But his wife Renu fell ill and had to stay there for a little longer. The children, in the meanwhile, liked the place and started to do well in studies.
“We had problems educating our children as there weren’t many options like now in Kathmandu. Our son, born in 1976, was studying in Modern School, Delhi, while the daughter, born in ’79, was at St Mary’s,” he explained his reasons for migration.
“In fact, I had returned alone and stayed here for six months. But I eventually went back to Canada, feeling bored and being away from my family,” he adds.
Career shift
He already had a brush with the field of reproductive health during his stint in Nepal CRS Company, and joined the University of Manitoba to study public health after migrating to Canada.“I was immediately offered a job by the UNFPA after I completed my M. Sc. in 1995, and I joined it as a technical advisor,” he talks of the start of his love affair with reproductive health.
He is now in his fourth year as a Director (D1 level), and is close to promotion to D2 level which, he says, is the highest position at the United Nations services one can achieve through normal service. “After D2, every UN staff up to the Secretary General is a political appointee,” he explains.
Global perspectives
He feels sad to be away from Nepal but takes pride in being able to contribute in his own way.
“I miss my friends and family but I’m happy to be able to contribute at the global level,” he says.
“I’m basically focused in Africa. The situation there is much worse than here. A life is a life everywhere, and I take immense satisfaction in being involved in saving women’s lives. It’s not necessary that you must always work within the confines of your own country,” he argues.
“Though I’ve relinquished my Nepali citizenship, I make it a point to visit Nepal whenever I am in the region on my work-related visits,” he mentions. He has visited almost every developing country in the world and seen many countries change for the better during his visits in the 14-year stint with the UNFPA.
“Ghana and Ethiopia are doing well in the health sector as well as economically in the last decade or so. Vietnam and Mongolia are also doing very well. Sri Lanka has been excellent in health and education, and now with the end of terrorism, will do even better,” he points out examples for Nepal to follow, and says political stability and dedicated leadership are must for development.
Returning to Nepal
He wants to come back to Nepal after retirement. “My wife loves Nepal. In fact, she prefers Nepal to India on several issues. My son and daughter also want to be in Nepal,” he mentions.
He points out the recent return of drained brains to India and feels Nepal should also follow suit. “I’ve heard that their (India’s) senior leaders personally meet NRI professionals and request them to come to India. India has also made legal amendments to facilitate their return,” he says.
He says there are many young Nepali professionals doing exceptionally well abroad. “I may not be able to contribute much after my retirement, but these young professionals can make a difference if the government persuades them to return. It’s not just a case of money. They have immense love for Nepal and just have to be respected and made to feel important,” he believes.
“Every visiting prime minister to the United Nations General Assembly has talked to me about bringing Nepalis back to Nepal. But they have never implemented it,” he rues.
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