# Serving People, Shaping Cities: A Life for All | Mr Chiri Babu Maharjan | TEDxPremier Intl School Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYccRPpUvBU Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/xYccRPpUvBU Generated: 2025-12-02T15:39:56.034+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan recounts his early life in Nepal, detailing the extreme poverty he experienced, including having to walk barefoot to school and failing Sanskrit exams, which ultimately motivated him to pursue a career in social services and public trust, leading him to become a successful Mayor. **Key Points:** - The speaker, Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan, grew up in extreme poverty in Phulchowk, Kathmandu, Nepal, lacking shoes and having only 100 Rupees (approximately 2024 equivalent of $0.75 USD) when he received a second prize in a competition. - He failed his Sanskrit examination, which was mandatory for advancement, prompting him to dedicate himself to working for the nation and people. - His early work involved serving the community as a junior clerk at Tribhuvan International Airport and later working on public service projects like establishing libraries and free clinics. - Maharjan emphasizes the principle from the Bhagavad Gita, 'Karmanyevadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana' (You have the right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action), as a guiding philosophy. - He recounts that he was a consistently top student (scoring 50/60 in SLC exams) but struggled with English, which was considered a difficult subject then. - He notes that the economic situation was poor, forcing him and his siblings to walk barefoot to school, but this hardship fostered a strong work ethic. - His ultimate goal became to do jobs that are 'trustworthy' and 'doable' for the nation and its people, which he achieved by becoming the Mayor. ![Screenshot at 00:04: Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan walks onto the stage at the TEDxPremier Intl School event, dressed in a blue suit and traditional Nepali topi, preparing to deliver his motivational talk.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/xYccRPpUvBU/00-00-04.png) **Context:** This video features a TEDx talk delivered by Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan at TEDxPremier Intl School. Maharjan shares personal anecdotes from his challenging childhood in Nepal, contrasting his early struggles with poverty and academic difficulties (like failing Sanskrit) against his later success in public service, culminating in his role as Mayor. He frames his journey using philosophical principles, particularly the concept of focusing on duty (karma) without attachment to results. ## Detailed Analysis Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan opens his talk by greeting the audience in Nepali ('Jojo Lappa') and setting a tone of humble gratitude. He immediately introduces a key life lesson derived from the Bhagavad Gita: 'Karmanyevadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana' (You have the right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action), emphasizing that one should focus on the work itself, not the expected outcome. He contrasts his current position with his difficult past, noting he was born in Phulchowk, Kathmandu, and grew up extremely poor; he never expected results when working hard. He recounts specific hardships, such as having to walk barefoot to school and receiving only 100 Rupees for winning a second prize in a competition around 2026/2027 (likely referring to a Nepali calendar year). He also mentions failing Sanskrit, despite being a top student (scoring 50/60 in SLC exams), but succeeding in English later, which he found very difficult at the time. This challenging background fueled his desire to serve. He worked for 18 years as a junior clerk at Tribhuvan International Airport while simultaneously working on social projects like establishing libraries and free clinics. He states that the best practice is to do the job honestly and transparently, and he uses the anecdote of the Mayor of a city asking him about his best practices to illustrate his point: that the best practice is simply to do the job, not just talk about it. He concludes by stating that his subsequent success came from focusing on trustworthy work for the nation and the people. ### Introduction and Guiding Philosophy - Greeting the audience with 'Jojo Lappa' - Citing the Bhagavad Gita: 'Do your job, don't expect results' - Stating his work must be trustworthy and doable for the nation. ### Early Hardships - Born in Phulchowk, Kathmandu - Lived in extreme poverty, walking barefoot to school - Failed Sanskrit exam despite scoring 50/60 in SLC exams - Received only 100 Rupees prize money. ### Career Progression - Worked 18 years as a junior clerk at Tribhuvan International Airport - Simultaneously established free clinics and libraries - Later became the Mayor. ### Key Lesson - Explaining that any job, whether it is administrative (like the Mayor's duties) or service-oriented, must be done honestly, transparently, and with sincerity. ### Conclusion - Summarizing that his success stemmed from focusing on the action itself, leading to happiness and positive results for the community. ![Screenshot at 00:05: Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan is introduced on stage at the TEDx event, identified by the lower third graphic.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/xYccRPpUvBU/00-00-05.png) ![Screenshot at 00:17: Speaker gestures while explaining his early life struggles, emphasizing the core message of dedication to duty.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/xYccRPpUvBU/00-00-17.png) ![Screenshot at 00:31: Maharjan quotes the Bhagavad Gita principle: 'Karmanyevadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana' \(Focus on the action, not the result\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/xYccRPpUvBU/00-00-31.png) ![Screenshot at 01:14: Speaker describes the sadness of his father passing away when he was only 4.5 years old.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/xYccRPpUvBU/00-01-14.png) ![Screenshot at 06:00: Speaker smiles and gestures while wrapping up his main points about work ethic and honesty.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/xYccRPpUvBU/00-06-00.png)