All about the heart

Ajay Mohunram comes from an upstanding and educated yet down-to-earth family. The Get it first met him when we did an article on the Mohunram family, which was organized by Ajay as a tribute to his dynamic and hardworking father, Dan Mohunram. The Get it caught up with him to find out about comfortable living in Vryheid…

Ajay, a hard worker and go-getter, has never been handed anything on a silver platter by his father and was taught from a young age to work very hard for what he has. “All you need to do is live with enthusiasm, cheerfulness, sincerity & honesty. These are just a few weapons in the armory of positive attitudes. Attitudes separate the winner from the loser, the whet from the chaff”.

Ajay is the owner of the successful Glasfit and Xpanda franchises in Vryheid. “I started off working for my father as one of his labourers. I had to sometimes even sleep inside the shop on the floor for the first few months when the Vryheid branch opened. We worked very long and hard hours, but my father was adamant that we know what it is like to be at the bottom before we work our way up to the top.

“What inspires me everyday is the fact that I am an able human being who can wake up each morning and thank God for His divine grace upon myself, my family and friends. The fact that I have such a wonderful, united family and friends around me is thanks enough to look forward to each day. The ability to wake up each morning and know that I have a wonderful wife. Nita and our adorable little champ, my son Jival by my side is inspirational to me too.” Nita and Ajay were acquainted for the first time at Nita’s home. Ajay was busy with a glass installation at her family home. Her grandmother, the most senior member of the family still said to her, “Go ‘chauff’ that young nice man out there”. Nita got talking to him, he took one look at her and he knew that this was the woman for him. After exchanging phone numbers, they kept in contact and one night after an eight hour conversation in the middle of winter and after Ajay singing Aladdin’s “I can show you the world”, he won her heart.

“The fact that I am able to support my family and provide a comfortable home for them overwhelms me, remembering again how my parents’ struggle has gotten me to where I am today. Their will to give us only the best in life has allowed me to follow suit and do the same for my wife and son too. The will to wake up each morning and know that I have two businesses, Glasfit and Xpanda Vryheid to run and manage and a unique service to provide to my community and surrounding areas inspires me to move forward in life. Knowing that every customer leaves with a smile on his face at the end of each working day is what makes my wife Nita and I strive to achieve and set higher goals in life. To follow in my parents’ footsteps and be the best at everything I can be in every aspect of my life gives me the will to go on. It takes courage to be positively inspired everyday regardless of the difficulties that may lie ahead”.

What is your motto in life?
“My motto in life is to always stay focused in every endeavour of my life, especially my business and personal life. I have seen many successful people that have risen to success and have fallen just as fast, just by losing focus. Live life one day at a time. Be truthful in everything you do, the truth shall set you free. Do small things greatly, and in the process you will be so busy that you won’t have time for stress or strain. Always look at long term goals, put them into practice and work hard to achieve them is the best advice I received throughout my growing years”.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
“Whew, that’s a tough one! Considering that South Africa and the world are licking their wounds after the recession, it’s hard to foresee that far into the future as to where I will be in 2020. However I do have long term plans of minimizing as much debt as I possibly can from now till then and while I am young and be able to do so. This has always been my priority in life so as not to tarnish generations of the good “MOHUNRAM” name and reputation that my forefathers, grandparents and parents have upheld with an iron fist throughout the years. I would also like to hope that new business venture opportunities come knocking on my door as I have planned for the future.

My wife Nita and I strive to look at new ideas that are unique and inventive. We have gone a step further at Glasfit and can now boast a competent team of fitters that specialize in frameless shower doors. I tend to always look towards keeping up with the times so as not to bore people with the usual Mr. Jones next door type products. We try to diversify and keep up with the ever-demanding trends of today’s society that are very lifestyle orientated. Our businesses, Glasfit and Xpanda, have definitely come a long way since their inception in December 2001. We have the full support of our local public, which we would like to say thanks to. It is through placing their trust in us that we have come this far and are still going strong. Thank you once again to all our loyal customers.

Living in KZN definitely has positive advantages and influence in my life as a whole. The serenity of the inland lifestyle compared to the rat race in the cities with bumper to bumper traffic and noise pollution does not fare well with me. I like the peace and quiet of living in Vryheid and knowing that our families are an hour’s drive away gives us the opportunity of keeping in touch with them more often. Our area is so rich with natural surroundings like game reserves, natural spring water spa’s and outdoor living opportunities, people actually flock fortunate enough to live everyday as a holiday maker would.

Share more about your passion, singing, with us and what your ultimate dream entails…
When I was much younger, I had a natural talent of loving to sing (especially Hindi songs) in front of a few people every now and then. It was only after people complimented me that I realized this is something I would like to pursue in the future. However, our dreams and passions don’t always turn out the way we perceive them to. I still like singing on a very novice level. Had there been more facilities available to partake so as to enhance my skills. I would grab the opportunity with the blink of an eye. I don’t have any regrets, however, as I believe that each person’s fate is sealed from the day they were born, I suppose I just have to strap on my seatbelt and enjoy the ride!

Favourite holiday destination?
It would have to be Disney Land in Orlando. This has been a wish ever since my parents have went and came back, and secondly now that my wife Nita and I have a son, we would like to also take him on a holiday of a lifetime that every child dreams about. We have to definitely work a lot harder to achieve this dream, and that’s what we have set out to do.

“All you need to do is live with enthusiasm, cheerfulness, sincerity and honest. These are just a few weapons in the armory of positive attitudes. Attitude separate the winner from the loser, the wheat from the chaff.”” - Ajay