Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “Let him that would move the world move himself.”
For Hemal Khatri, 39, this quote aptly sums up his life and dreams.
Originally from the Indian subcontinent, Khatri and his family moved to Fiji when he was 16. Although he missed his homeland, he was excited about the prospect of traveling and experiencing life in a new place.
“When I boarded the plane, I was very happy because it was my first trip overseas,” he said.
Initially, settling in a foreign country seemed disquieting to the young Khatri. He had to contend with unfamiliar surroundings, strange faces, new food, and a different culture.
“I remember telling my dad, ‘No, no dad, I want to go back to India because this is not my cup of tea.’”
However, as time went on, Khatri’s initial hesitation subsided. He got used to the people of the friendly North, formed new relationships, made close friends, and attended Holy Family Secondary School.
“I started to wear a sulu which was fun for me,” he said.
After high school, he studied business and computing at the Fiji Institute of Technology (now the Fiji National University).
“I am quite business-minded and I was into computers, so I completed that,” he said.
At the age of 26, Khatri entertained the idea of entrepreneurship and eventually opened an internet café in the middle of Labasa town.
“I was the second person to open an internet café in Labasa, and it was just across from FIT, so I got a lot of business.”
Gaining experience and entrepreneurial acumen, he then tried his luck with a restaurant venture, opening it just three shops away from his internet café.
“So, I hired some staff and slowly business picked up. I had a friend who helped me run the internet shop while I ran the restaurant.”
After getting married in 2014, he closed down his businesses and moved to Suva, drawn by bigger dreams. He worked in various fields, including marketing, information technology, graphic design, and retail.
When COVID struck in 2019, Khatri borrowed a friend’s camera, and from then on, his love of photography bloomed.
Eventually, Hemal Khatri took a chance and registered his own photography and cinematography business – Special Moments Photography & Cinematography and Photography Studio.
“Photography was just a hobby for me, but I figured that I could do more with it.”
Far from realizing his full potential, Khatri feels there’s no limit to his business dreams. With passion and self-belief, his destiny is certainly beyond the skies. Only time will tell where his passion will lead him next.