Kathmandu. Damodari Poudel has made her mark as a courageous woman in the life insurance sector. She is an agent by profession. She is currently the agency manager at the Kawasoti branch of Citizen Life. Damodari is one of the women who has been doing well in insurance. Although she does not go far, she often travels from her village to Narayanghat to get insurance. She travels to provide insurance through people she is connected to and knows, even if it is just to spread insurance awareness. She said that even though she goes to every place she goes with the goal of providing insurance, insurance is not available from every place. ‘Insuring is not just a big deal,’ she said, ‘Understanding, learning and raising awareness about insurance is also a big deal.’
Born in 2033 BS in Harkapur, Gaundakot Municipality-12, Damodari had a happy childhood. Since her father was a grain merchant (rice, corn, wheat, etc.) in Narayanghat, she did not feel the need for anything during her childhood.
Damodari received a good education at a young age. She studied up to SLC. Damodari got married in 2050 BS at the young age of 17. After marriage, Damodari, who lived a normal life, had a child. After that, she continued to work as a tailor while raising her child. She ran her tailoring shop for 26 years. She not only did tailoring but also provided training. Through this training, she gave many people the opportunity to become self-employed.
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## In 2064 BS, her husband, who had gone abroad for foreign employment, died within 14 months. Then a big storm struck Damodari’s life. Now all the responsibilities of her two children and the family fell on her shoulders. What greater blow could there be for Damodari, who was also working and providing employment to others?
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## Damodari, who was devastated by the loss of her husband, then dared to move forward with the thought that she should do something for her children, even if it was for them. How could she not dare? She had nothing but the responsibility of her two sons and daughters and the entire debt of sending her husband abroad. Then, Damodari, who had been running a sewing and cutting shop for 26 years, found it difficult to make a living, so she opened a new shop called a Puja Samagri and Utensil Shop along with a tailor. She also hired employees and did good business in that shop. She ran that shop for 11 years.
The sons and daughters grew up. Now Damodari also had the hope that some easy days would come and that her sons and daughters would do something. There was talk of Damodari’s son going abroad and they had gone to Narayanghat to send him abroad. ‘Life is a game of fate, one thunderbolt after another hit me,’ she said, ‘I had also been hoping that happy days would come. My son was in the process of going abroad. We had gone to Narayanghat for the same work. My son had a sudden accident. He came to Kathmandu for his treatment. The expenses were also high, but one of my father’s legs had to be amputated. I was in a lot of pain, not only because I didn’t have a husband. On top of that, I had to lose my son’s leg. Then the doctor advised that if it was better for my son, he should lose his leg, and finally, after a long period of treatment, I took my son home. However, that was also the reason that affected my business. Unable to pay the high rent in the shop that had been closed for a long time, I sold all the goods and left the shop. After that, I only operated a pottery shop.’
Damodari entered the insurance sector from Nepal Life in 2064 BS. Damodari obtained an agent’s license after learning about insurance from her friend Kamala Bhandari. She worked at Nepal Life only when she had time. She insured only 6-7 people in that company. Later, after her friend Bhandari died in an accident, Damodari did not want to go to Nepal Life and even gave up working.
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## Then, Damodari, who was enjoying her own pottery shop business, was again urged by her friend Parvati Acharya, who had studied with her, to enter the insurance sector. Damodari, who was feeling discouraged and thinking, “I won’t do it anymore,” was once again encouraged by her friend Parvati to move forward in the insurance sector. Parvati came to Damodari’s house and said, “The insurance sector is good. Working as an agent will be very good for me and the future of the insurer will be assured. I will become financially strong from the aspect of social service. Come, there is an even better job for you.’
Damodari’s friends Parvati and Kawasoti’s branch manager came to her house and started explaining insurance. They explained the company, policies, bonuses, and product features to Damodari. Then, Damodari liked everything about Citizen Life and said ‘yes’. Then, she got a license in 2075 BS and started working.
Damodari got her first insurance policy for a brother she knew, worth Rs 4 million. When she went to pay for that insurance, she took the branch manager with her. Because Damodari, who had just joined Citizen Life, needed help. In the following days, Damodari did a good job. She worked hard to pay for insurance, more tomorrow than today and the day after tomorrow. As she got rewards for her hard work, she became more motivated and felt that she could do something in this profession.
In Damodari’s opinion, being an agent is a very good profession. ‘After joining this profession, you become financially strong, and I also liked this profession because you don’t have to depend on others,’ she said, ‘You can earn as much as you can. The work you do by paying taxes to the government is very good. It is a profession that sells words of trust, so it is good because it is a profession that sells policies by speaking well and selling the truth about the company. It is a very good profession for women. It is excellent for women as they can do everything with time, including home, family, farming, and children.’
Damodari has built her home by working as an agent. ‘I have managed my family’s daily life. Even while running my business, I am earning a good income from the insurance agent profession,’ she said. ‘Even when I go to get insurance, they say it is bad due to their misleading activities and understanding of insurance, but when I explain to them properly what insurance is like, they understand. No matter where I go for insurance, I pay as much as I can and come back with insurance. I think luck has been with me, and I have been very good since entering the insurance sector.’
Damodari says that it is not just about getting insurance. “After getting insurance, you should follow up with your insured from time to time.” Reminding you to pay the premium, if you do, then there will be no insurance surrender,’ she said, ‘It is good for the insured to pay the premium on time. Therefore, once the insurance is taken out, the agent must follow up. ‘
Damodari says that insurance is important for everyone. ‘Insurance stands as a guardian for the poor and those who do not have money. Even a small amount of insurance provides great protection,’ she said, ‘Insurance is about continuing to participate financially by yourself and after you. Insurance is the main basis for saving. Insurance is very important for the common man.’
In Damodari’s opinion, a successful insurance agent must have qualities such as patience, hard work, honesty, tolerance, ability to pay insurance, and not getting angry. Damodari told those who want to join the agent profession, “If you want to earn money and become financially strong and have a sense of serving the society, then join the insurance agent profession. This profession has good income. It is also a profession of serving the society. Serving others is religion. The only profession that earns income while serving others is the agent profession. Since you can earn a lot of money without investment and can do it in your free time, it is much better to do this profession without sitting at home.”
Damodari has been performing well in the insurance agent profession. She has been able to meet every target given by the company. So far, she has received awards for completing various schemes given by the company, including Diamond Club twice and Hero of the Month. She has also succeeded in becoming a member of MDRT 3 times.
