The Branch Also Blossoms

The Kumari Bank branch at Kumaripati (wonder why the head office wasn’t established here in the first place? – the location is so apt, at least in name.) is a great example to prove that even branches can blossom. Of course, what we are talking about right now is about the aesthetics of the place. How well it does financially is a matter which will be decided in course of due time. Or at least that is how things happen under normal circumstances, but then, things are far from normal at the moment. Without other investment sources, all the money, what remains of it in lucky hands, is going straight into bank coffers, or into purchasing shares of the same. So it is no surprise to hear what Sarita Shrestha, the Interior Designer who designed this particular place, says about the branch’s progress, “Right after its opening some months ago, customers started to flock in.”

Well, kudos to this most suitably placed branch of Kumari Bank, the headquarters of which is actually in Putali Sadak – that mass of shady-black glass and dirty-ruddy concrete one is accosted with on the corner of the road leading to Shanker Dev Campus. Perhaps the Kumaripati branch, the care that has gone to make it pleasing to the senses, is an act of redemption. Sarita Shrestha of Inscape, Kamaladi, whose work in their New Road branch obviously must have pleased the bankers, was assigned with the task of ensuring that the Kumaripati branch would be a place that would not only be efficiently planned, but that it would also be well adorned. Which is, of course, not to say that undue affectation was called for. No, on the contrary, what they were looking for was good taste. Why, it can be presumed, Sarita Shrestha’s expertise was sought - for the lady is as well known for her proclivity for refined designs as she is for her lofty stature.

Opening out onto the main road, the branch is a small affair that nevertheless, is compensated for by having three floors. The public face on the ground floor has been, without having to say so, the centre of Sarita’s focus. And even if space is limited, she has been ingenuous enough to lay emphasis on openness which, besides giving a more expansive impression, also serves to lend a touch of transparency to visitors. The meticulously made false ceiling with its strategically placed arrangement of soft lighting, the floors marbled in subdued colour and the competent looking counters, matching the others in colour and hue, bestows on the whole an atmosphere of synchronicity and harmony. A glass enclosed area near the counters serves as, it can be said, both a private as well as an open office, which does not in any way encroach on the already limited floor area. Here it can be assumed that even if business is undoubtedly flourishing, the bank perhaps does not foresee the kind of sweat reeking rush one sees in the more busier locations. Thus, the Kumaripati branch’s main place of business is not really equipped to handle bigger crowds than say, a dozen or so at a time who, due to the tasteful décor that also includes standard touches of brass as is the norm in most banks, would certainly find it a pleasant environment in which to conduct their business.

A flight of stairs leads downstairs to the basement as does another up to the offices. One cannot but help appreciate the nature of the stairs, made as they are of wood and, comfortably (and relatively) broad in context to the constrained surroundings. The basement is quite bare, containing the vault with its thick steel door at one end, and a small partition in one corner that has a couple of instruments which, according to Sarita, constitute the back up arrangement of bank records. Upstairs, on the first floor, are situated the manager’s office as well as cubicles for other staff along with a tiny pantry and a common bathroom. The branch honcho’s abode is, no doubt, meant to impress and imbibe confidence in even the more doubtful customers. Therefore, it is as expected, comfortably furnished with a green rug on the floor, a painting – green hued – to complement the rug, and plush black sofas in front of the large desk. Here, it should be noted that various paintings hang besides the stairs and on the ground floor that are the works of ‘lesser noticed artists’ according to the designer. And, here, one is tempted to say that perhaps, more discernment rather than only, empathy, would have served the designer’s objective better in case she was looking for canvases that would be more eye catching and more well appreciated.

On the whole, Sarita Shrestha has applied considerable skill in creating a cozy environment that should do the bank proud. She herself appears to be pleased with her work and says, “Actually, even if available space was limited, I believe that such conditions make the task more challenging. And ultimately, more satisfying.” One thing though, is a cause for displeasure with her, “It pains me to see the discrepancy created by the hanging of various official credentials on the wall behind the counter. They look so out of place and not at all in tune with the whole but I have been told that the bank has to keep those always in view – it is a government requirement.”

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