What does it really take to leave Nepal, start from somewhere new, and build a career or business in the UAE?
Behind every Nepalese professional and entrepreneur in the Emirates, there is a journey—often filled with struggle, uncertainty, learning, persistence and transformation.
These are exactly the kinds of stories that Vikas Bhargava, an author who has written more than 50 books on various subjects, is now working to document through his upcoming book, Everest to Emirates.
I’m Shekhar Chapagain, and I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Vikas Bhargava for a special interview about the vision behind this book, why he chose to document the Nepalese community in the UAE, and how Nepalese professionals and entrepreneurs can potentially become part of the project while the book is still being written.
What Is Everest to Emirates?
Everest to Emirates is not simply a book about Nepal or the UAE.
At the heart of the project are people and their journeys.
The book plans to feature the stories of more than 50 Nepalese individuals who came from Nepal and went on to establish their careers, businesses and professional lives in the UAE.
Some may have arrived in the UAE with very little.
Some may have started in junior or entry-level positions.
Some gradually moved into management and leadership.
Others took the risk of becoming entrepreneurs and building their own businesses.
Different beginnings. Different struggles. Different achievements.
But one thing connects them:
Their journey from Nepal to the Emirates.
Why Is Vikas Bhargava Writing This Book?
This was one of the questions I particularly wanted to explore during my conversation with Vikas Bhargava.
Vikas is an Indian author with more than 50 books to his credit, covering various subjects, including projects with concepts similar to Everest to Emirates.
So naturally, I wanted to understand:
Why Nepal? Why the Nepalese community? And why now?
During our interview, we discuss what attracted him to these stories, his vision for Everest to Emirates, and what he hopes the book will ultimately represent.
The conversation also explores something bigger than the publication itself—the importance of documenting the journeys of people who left their home country and built something meaningful abroad.
More Than 50 Nepalese Journeys in One Book
One of the most exciting elements of Everest to Emirates is the plan to feature more than 50 Nepalese personalities from the UAE.
And these stories should not only be about where someone is today.
The real story is often where they started.
What was their first job in the UAE?
What challenges did they face?
How did they survive their difficult years?
What opportunities changed their lives?
How did they develop their skills?
When did they decide to start a business or change their career?
What mistakes did they make?
And what can the next generation of Nepalese learn from those experiences?
These are the stories that can turn a book from a collection of profiles into something genuinely valuable for future generations.
The Book Is Still Being Written — You Can Potentially Be Part of It
An important point we discussed during the interview is that Everest to Emirates is currently in the writing phase.
That means the project is still developing, and more Nepalese stories can potentially become part of the book.
If you are a Nepalese professional, entrepreneur, business owner or community contributor who came from Nepal and built a meaningful journey in the UAE, this could be an opportunity to have your experience documented.
And you don’t necessarily need to be famous.
A powerful story isn’t defined only by your current job title, company size or financial success.
Sometimes the strongest story is:
“I started here, I struggled through this, I learned these lessons, and this is where I am today.”
That journey can inspire someone else.
Why We Need to Document Nepalese Stories in the UAE
The Nepalese presence in the UAE has grown significantly over the years.
But how much of that history are we actually documenting?
There are Nepalese who arrived decades ago and gradually built successful careers.
There are entrepreneurs who started businesses from scratch.
There are professionals who moved from entry-level positions into senior leadership.
There are people contributing to education, hospitality, banking, technology, media, healthcare, tourism, community development and many other sectors.
Yet many of their stories remain only within their personal circles.
If we don’t document them today, a valuable part of our community’s history may eventually disappear.
That is why I believe projects like Everest to Emirates can have significance beyond the individuals featured in them.
They can become a record of how a generation of Nepalese came to the UAE, adapted, struggled, grew and contributed.
My Interview With Vikas Bhargava
In this special conversation, I, Shekhar Chapagain, interview Vikas Bhargava about the idea and vision behind Everest to Emirates.
We discuss his journey as an author of more than 50 books, why he decided to work on a project centred around Nepalese people in the UAE, what kind of individuals and stories he wants to feature, and how the book is being developed.
We also discuss the opportunity for other Nepalese professionals and entrepreneurs to potentially participate while the project is still in its writing stage.
If you are a Nepalese professional, entrepreneur or business owner in the UAE, this is a conversation worth watching.
Not simply because you may recognise some of the journeys being discussed.
But because your own journey may also be worth documenting.
Could You Be One of the Stories?
Think about your own UAE journey.
Where did you start?
What did you have when you first arrived?
What challenges did you overcome?
Where are you today?
And most importantly:
Could your experience teach or inspire another Nepalese person who is just beginning their journey?
If the answer is yes, perhaps your story deserves to be told.
Everest to Emirates is still being written.
And this could be an opportunity for more Nepalese voices from the UAE to become part of it.
From Everest to Emirates, every journey has a beginning. Some journeys deserve to become history.