Born in March 1950 in Malawi to Laxmi and Prabhu Rama, he was one among five brothers. Feeling the need for quality education, in 1954, Manhar was sent to Sarona, Navsari, where his grandparents lived. The verdant greens and the Purna river were an idyllic atmosphere. He plucked cotton, harvested peanuts, worked in a paddy field and rode bullock carts – he surely was enjoying himself there.
An intelligent child that he was, he generally topped his classes. Walking down the memory lane, he recollects his memories of stealthily eating sugar or making chikki (an Indian sweet made of jaggery, peanuts and coconut) with his friends, playing gilli danda, cricket and kabaddi. As he grew, his interest veered toward civil engineering; he earned a degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, and landed a job with Navsari Water Supply Department. Working there, he realized he didn’t feel too energetic about his work. He took a break – to understand himself, listen to himself and know what his heart yearned for. He knew, however, what he wanted to do next… “Meet my parents, obviously,” he says with a smile about a fact that changed the equation for him!
Turning Point
Life took a “lovely turn”, as he calls it, when he was flying to the US for his postgraduation in civil engineering after meeting his parents in Africa. “It was time to explore! But this country tested me. Finding a fixed source of income, a job was a lot more difficult than I had imagined back then.” Fortunately, Manhar and his brother, Hasmukhbhai, started a small motel business. Manhar’s wife, Surekha, lent the much-needed helping hand. He landed a job with the Public Works Department in Pomona and focused on his academic work at California State Polytechnic University.
Manhar realized the booming prospects in the hospitality business and was soon joined by their elder brother, Jayantibhai, to form the JHM Group. The name is evident of the three entrepreneurial brothers, Jayanti, Hasmukh and Manhar (JHM Hotels). What started as a small effort soon blossomed and over the last 45 years, it has owned and operated over 100 hotels such as Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, Courtyard, Radisson, Holiday Inn and Hilton.
JHM is now better known as Auro Hotels. To diversify and expand his wings, he has now created a construction division within Auro to provide design and construction expertise which offers holistic service to other developers in the industry including operations.
The meteoric rise does not mean that Manhar didn’t face failures. “See, failures are necessary to help shape a person,” he feels. He has learnt a lot from the challenges and hurdles he has overcome. He quotes Albert Einstein often, “If you have never failed, you have never really tried anything new.”
“A lot of youth follow the trend instead of the heart. In fact, they are forced into it by their parents. Make a profession in something that ignites passion and don’t just blindly follow what others say. You are more than just some trending social media hashtags. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick which is when most people lose faith. But this is also the time when the only thing that will keep you going is your love for what you do and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Following your heart, however, will need courage.”
Leading with Examples
He feels the five values that are essential for success are integrity, self-confidence, ethics, spirituality and principles. With these ingrained, one seldom goes wrong. Add to these the qualities like honesty, sincerity, hard-working and dependability, which Manhar feels have been his leitmotif, one is bound to come up trumps in life.
Following what he preaches, he has allowed his children, Vinay and Sima, to pursue their own paths but has also ensured inculcating traditional Indian values along with practical values of life.
Vinay, a graduate of Cornell in Hotel Administration, shoulders his father’s legacy and responsibilities. He has set up JHM Interstate Management company in Gurugram. He has also received Developer of the Year awards from the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP), the commercial real-estate development association. Besides being a hotelier, he is now the CEO of Mandala holdings and is a Franchisor of Lime Mexican Grill restaurant chain, which was rated the sixth best restaurant in Orlando. Recently, he has been featured in the Entrepreneur magazine.
Sima received her master’s in Public Health from Emory University. She has worked at Center for Disease Control (CDC) in HIV prevention and international governments for over 15 years in areas of health and national defence. She has co-authored numerous articles, winning many awards for her work. After working for CDC, she started working as a behavior scientist, with Northrop Grumman, the largest defense contractor in the world.
Manhar says that his family is his strength and support. Surekha has always been with him, sharing his responsibilities at the motel when he worked at Pomona City Hall or attended his postgraduation night classes.
Totally in awe of nature, Manhar loves to visit national parks, though he finds time for understanding people better as he enjoys the best company at social gatherings, weddings, parties, visiting friends, etc.
The Joy of Serving
He has served as Chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the largest hospitality owners’ body. AAHOA him recognized for his community service by honoring him with the Cecil B Day Community Service Award 2022.
In 2005, he spearheaded AAHOA’s governance model and strategic plan process to lay the groundwork for it to prosper and grow. He also formed a young professional committee to encourage the members’ second generation to join family businesses and make a career of it. He also advocated for the members to play an active role in community work and get involved in the political process at local, state and national levels.
He currently serves on the Advisory Council of Hampton Inn by Hilton; the Council of Marriott Hotels; the Board of Directors of the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Hospitality Association. He is also on the board of the University of Central Florida, the second-largest university in the US. He has been a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) since 1983 and a charter member of a Certified Tour Professional (CTP) since 1986.
Manhar’s service-minded devotion saw him serve as President of the Vedic Center of Greenville, South Carolina, and headed a task force in charge of building a temple. He was the Chairman of the India Dance Festival for seven years in Greenville.
The Rama family built a school and a water purification plant in Sarona. The family also contributed to the design and development of a children’s park and Rotary Eye Hospital in India.
He also set up the Auro University in Gujarat as a progressive center for integral learning and leadership where mind, body and spirit are aligned and prepared to embark on a journey of lifelong enrichment for both, the individual and the community. It offers degrees in business study, tourism and hospitality management and computer application.
He has provided the schools with needed furniture, clean water, toilets, etc, along with electricity that is lacking in the village in Africa where he was born. He has built around 200 homes for underprivileged workers in Sarona.
JHM’s 25th anniversary was celebrated in 1998 by recognizing those who contributed to the growth of the company. The family also set up a Rama Scholarship Fund for Asian American and minority students at premier hospitality management schools including Cornell University.
While all through this, even though he has not sought them, several honors have come his way. In 2012, Manhar was honored with South Carolina’s Hotelier of the Year by the Hospitality Association of South California. He also received Cecil Day Community Service Award for his strong commitment to community service. The company was also felicitated with the Outstanding Contribution Award for its outstanding contribution to Marriott.
“Do your bit, trust in the Divine. Leave the result to Him.” He says, “Adversity, more than smooth sailing, is the key to success as it teaches one to grow strong.”