It takes gumption and self-belief to build a business behemoth with just $100 and also become a leading figure in the society. Not just business, he also took it on himself to build a strong love for people in his city. The values he lives by are attributes of his great character. His tale of success has taken up a lot of print space, and deservedly so. But behind the multi-faceted and courageous journey is a man rooted to simple beliefs and high ethics that have shone through in everything he has done as a businessman, a community leader, a philanthropist and a family head who has tried to weave teachings of ancient Indian civilisation in all his activities.
Om sahana vavatu, sahanau bhunaktu, Sahaviryamkarvavahai, Tejaswi navadhitamastu, Ma vidvisavahai... (may we all be protected, may we all be nourished, may we work together with great energy, may our intellect be sharpened, let there be no animosity among us....). This is Subhash’s favourite Rigveda shloka. His philosophy underscores his own actions and all that he initiates. He has been in Canada for close to 45 years now. “We are the first generation of immigrants in Montreal and have worked hard to change the landscape of this country. Whatever we earned here, we spent here and helped the country prosper. We did it unitedly.”
Snippets from early life
Following partition, Subhash’s family moved to India from Pakistan where his father, Chaman Lal Khanna, was a school principal. “Traditionally, we are an agriculture-prime family. My great great-grandfather, Malla Ram, and his brother, Dalla Ram, established this village in Pakistan – Kot Maldeo – over 350 years ago where the entire family lived and farmed. And then the doomed partition happened. My parents too had to leave behind everything and recreate everything from scratch.”
It wasn’t easy to find a job in those turbulent times, nor was finding a roof to seek shelter under. After a rather long hiatus, Chaman Lal eventually found a job in Sham Chaurasi, near Hoshiarpur (Punjab), where Subhash was born on 13 June 1956.
When Chaman Lal retired in 1960, the family moved to Rohtak (Haryana). “It was closer to Delhi where two of my elder brothers were studying engineering. I grew up in Rohtak, graduating from the Jat High School where my name always featured on the merit list.”
Subhash would take ample advantage of being the youngest among nine siblings. “Undoubtedly, I was the pampered one,” Subhash smiles as he remembers his younger days. “If I needed ₹10, I would manage getting ₹40 or more by sweet-talking my way through an elder brother, then my father, then mother and then sister-in-law.” Pampering did not mean there was no discipline. “My father had his ways of teaching us a lesson. He made us value commitment duty. While he was strict, he was also our friend and mentor.”
Subhash is effusive in his praise for his mother, who despite having no formal education, was a very intelligent lady and also the string that kept the family tied together, like flowers in a garland. “She was a reservoir of love and traditional wisdom passed down through generations.”
After B.Com., Subhash had enrolled in a Chartered Accountancy programme in India but instead chose to fly to Montreal upon his sister, Adarsh’s call. “I was young, closing into my 20s. The then prime minister of India had just imposed the Emergency rule. Young and rebellious, I wanted to leave India.” But his father wouldn’t agree for him to leave.
His father passed away a few months before his immigration in 1976. With a heavy heart but hopes flying high, he took his first flight. He studied at Concordia University, working by day and studying by night. Gaining hands-on business skills during his part-time job with a garment importer, Subhash, in 1980, started Trio Selections Inc., a casual wear business with just $100 in his pocket and a heart full of confidence. He gradually took it to success... but like they say, all good things hide immense hard work behind.
From his small apartment; Trio grew to reach major retailers like Walmart, Sears, Loblaws, Fairweather, BiWay, etc. “Success comes from learning how to practically apply theoretical knowledge,” Subhash says.
In 2008, Subhash and his partners diversified into health and wellness, acquiring the landmark Club Sportif Côte-de-Liesse (CDL), Montreal. It has 19 tennis courts (six of them outdoors), eight squash courts, a large gym, a tennis academy, an indoor soccer field and a sports physiotherapy centre. He also owns several commercial properties in Brampton, Gatineau and Montreal.
Love for India, Indian culture and Indian civilisation
You can take a man out of a village, but you cannot take the village out a man. Subhash fittingly uses this phrase to describe his love for everything Indian. He travels frequently to the homeland and has remained deeply in touch with his roots. “Indian mythology and Hinduism are our way of life, our culture, our belief system.”
Subhash’s name cannot be separated from the Hindu temple in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, which is now a major landmark and a hub of cultural and social activities. There were only about 150 Indian families in Montreal in 1995 when land was acquired for the temple. “It’s a collective effort, a lot of people contributed their best. I respect each of them for their faith in us,” says Khanna, who was chosen as the chairman of the temple trust and was the man behind supervising its planning and construction. The temple, designed pro bono by renowned architect Ramesh Khosla, opened in 1998 and is currently undergoing expansion. “I would say it’s one of the most beautiful temples in Canada. It is a great accomplishment for the community.”
He also chairs the CanCare Trust which has been running the Sheela Bal Bhavan, Jaipur (Rajasthan), for education and accommodation of underprivileged girls. He is part of the Leprosy Foundation of India in Ludhiana, Punjab, and opened Aim for Seva’s Montreal branch on donation. “I always donate at least 10% of my earnings. My parents came to India with nothing. Yet, my father maintained that we donate at least 2% to purify our earnings. My mother continued charity till she passed away at the age of 99. An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I learned what I saw.”
Khanna believes that Indian families teach their children good values from an early age through stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Upanishads. “Despite what they are called, Indian scriptures are balanced and carry immense traditional scientific wisdom,” he asserts.
This is reflected in his own family. Subhash met Laureen Ferguson during his student years. They got married in 1979 and ever since Laureen has enjoyed participating in Indian traditions ever since. “She was welcomed with open heart at my home. My mother gifted her valuable family heirloom belonging to her grandparents.” A trained psychoeducator, she gave up her career to be a full-time mother to their daughters, Shauna (1984) and Natasha (1987).
Shauna, a mother of two and an MBA, lives in London (Ontario) with her husband, Antonio Luciano, an MBA and a CPA. Natasha is a doctor at the University Hospital Limerick (Ireland) wherefrom she had also graduated. “I am blessed with two granddaughters – Arianna and Emma,” says the proud grandfather.
No time for leisure
Despite retirement, Subhash remains a busy man. Quite a lot of his time is taken by their dogs – morning walk with them, feeding them and playing with them. In his leisure, he listens to Sufi music and reads. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is his favourite Sufi singer. Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi, Red China Blues by Jan Wong are among his favourite books.
Subhash also helps manage an organic farm spread over 50 acres in Montreal. Here too, charity precedes business. “The farm is more of a cooperative wherein portions of land have been allocated to Africans, Latin Americans and local farmers who supply produce to the local community.”
Subhash’s energy and positive attitude continue to inspire many. His father’s words remain his success mantra: “1% of aspiration and 99% of perspiration will take you far in your life.” And, he is living this mantra every minute of his life.