Gaurav’s Story

Childhood

Gaurav was born in a small town in the Indian Himalayas. He lived in a joint family home, shared with his parents, two older sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

The family had little in the way of possessions, but Gaurav’s childhood was a happy one, of shared experiences and learning. The children were expected to do chores to help their parents, who worked hard to feed them. Gaurav’s mother encouraged the kids to get up at 5am every day, a trait that has stuck with him and benefited him throughout his life. Some of the jobs he was responsible for as a boy included fetching water and animal feed, feeding the goats and cows, and helping his father with physical tasks like chopping wood.

Three of Gaurav’s uncles worked in Austria and sent money home, and one uncle was a school principal. His father, however, was not well educated and had to work hard as a farmer to put food on the table.

Gaurav was motivated to study hard so he wouldn’t have the same life his father did, and so that he could support his parents later in life. They wanted Gaurav to become a professional.

Along with his sisters, Gaurav walked four kilometres to school in the scorching sun and pouring rain. There were no buses, and it became a dream to one day buy a car and give his parents the experience of riding in one.

Studies have shown living in a shared family can give children an edge in life over those raised in a nuclear family, and Gaurav appreciates the upbringing he had. But it wasn’t always easy. The family lived in poverty. There were also some feuds, compromises, and sacrifices. Privacy was almost non-existent. In a joint family, a person has to put others’ needs first. But Gaurav believes these challenges and struggles made him into the person he is today.

Education

As a child, Gaurav discovered a Chinese proverb: “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner anywhere.”

His mother also said something similar: “Knowledge is the only thing that will not be stolen from us.”

Gaurav values learning, knowing that his parents never fully got the chance to get an education like he did. Even though his family was not rich, and the kids were not enrolled in good or famous schools, Gaurav was still given the opportunity to study.

In school, Gaurav and his siblings did not have the luxury of things. They did not always have new shoes. They were not given any money to take to school – only food to eat – and when Gaurav saw classmates buying nice meals he told himself he would get a good job and have those things in the coming years.

The school principal was Gaurav’s uncle, and he always walked with the kids to school and taught them a lot of wonderful and useful things about academics and about life. He would tell them stories and ask them to do mental calculations, remember formulae, and answer riddles. He also played games to help them learn English words. Gaurav was particularly interested in asking science questions. There was never a dull moment in going to school. Everything was filled with fun and enjoyment.

Gaurav got high scores in tests and performed well in school. He was shy, but he remembers one teacher saying he saw great potential in Gaurav. Those words helped Gaurav build his confidence, and he ended up helping tutor other classes and students who needed assistance. Each year he received recognition as a top student.

His parents knew Gaurav wanted to become a doctor and supported his dream, though they didn’t have the money for the studies. Gaurav wanted to help people heal and to save lives.

Gaurav applied to take a pre-medical test and had 45 days to prepare for it. The odds were undeniably against him – medical colleges in India followed the caste system and admitted very limited numbers. While he was preparing for the test, Gaurav barely left his room and studied all day and night, with his parents leaving food at the door. His uncle lent him books to study. Gaurav did well in the test but did not qualify for medical school. He did qualify for dental school, but becoming a dentist was not his dream.

It became clear that Gaurav would have to try and try again to reach his dreams.

Rising

Those jobs sustained Gaurav’s life in New Zealand, but he was ready for something more: success.

Thanks to his work in the supplement industry, Gaurav knew how to make tablet capsules and how to import and handle the raw product. He reached out to trading companies in India and started to plan his own business.

Gaurav was also accepted to study a Bachelor of Medical Imaging at CPIT. This was a highly sought-after course with limited entrants. He did well academically while also starting his own business – Botanic Healthcare.

The business began to boom, and Gaurav’s life started to change. He made the hard decision to end his career as a Medical Radiation Technologist and continue as an entrepreneur.

Around this time, Gaurav also became a licensed immigration advisor and launched Zealand Immigration to help people get Work Visas and Residence Visas in New Zealand.

Botanic Healthcare did well and expanded into other countries. As of 2022, Botanic Healthcare exports products to over 75 countries. Thanks to this success, Gaurav was able to launch other businesses and invest in other fields.

He was also able to give financial support to his family back home, especially when a family member needed healthcare or wanted to pursue education. He built his parents a mansion, and launched a tiling factory, which his father now oversees in his hometown.

All the jobs Gaurav did took a toll on his health, but he was able to get through the hardships and break free from poverty. He strongly believes great sacrifice can yield better results in the end.

Gaurav’s Own Family

At Zealand Immigration, Gaurav needed a good team of hardworking people to support him. In looking for someone to help run the business, he met the woman who stole his heart and became his wife – Rajni.

The couple got engaged on January 15, 2016, and got married on November 11 of the same year in a traditional ceremony in India. Together, they have an immigration business, and a healthcare supplements business operating in India, the USA, and New Zealand. They also bought a restaurant chain in New Zealand, which they have converted into a hot-selling franchise model. They launched the SONI Real Estate group and Christchurch Property Group (CPG). Soni Trusts and Soni Holdings have business interests in about 21 companies globally across the healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, property, construction, and IT industries.

Gaurav and Rajni are also the proud parents of a son and daughter, Tavish and Sargram, with a third child arriving in June 2022. Gaurav is proud to provide his children with an upbringing that is very different from his own. Family remains his main driving force, and inspires his business success.