“In the joy of others lies our own.”
To hear Mumukshu “MB” Brahmbhatt, 45, of Waxhaw, tell it, his life has been a whirlwind.
Moving from India to study business and finance in Australia 23 years ago, to working at the UPS Store (2217 Matthews Township Pkwy), MB has always squarely placed his faith in God, his religion, and his core values. In doing so, he has been on a rollercoaster ride—of life. The last stop has been Matthews; he’s now celebrating his 10th year as owner of that store.
Photo by Cyma Shapiro
But this story begins 20 years ago when on a trip (from Australia) to visit relatives in New Jersey, he had a half-hour face-to-face with a potential new wife in Jacksonville, FL. Before leaving to go back to Australia, he requested a second brief meeting but was turned down.
Unbeknownst to him, and shortly thereafter, his now-wife’s father flew her family to MB’s parent’s house in India to meet his family. His wife’s family was so thrilled with what they saw that they asked him to immediately fly to India to get engaged. At that point, he could not remember what his future bride looked like. More importantly, he was unsure what to do.
Conferring with his spiritual leader in India, he requested permission to delay his final exams, and off he flew to Mumbai to meet her parents.
They requested that he get engaged and then travel 300 miles to his parents’ house to marry. He requested time to finish his studies, graduate, land a job, and then marry before moving with his future wife. They requested a local court marriage. And so he was engaged and then married—within 10 days.
They had a one-day honeymoon.
She went back to Florida; he went back to Australia to complete his studies. He was, as he says, “in shock.”
It would be one year after their whirlwind meeting that he would finish his schooling, obtain his visa, and move to Florida to discuss the specifics of their life.
He laid out his intentions: he wanted to move to New York to live in the financial capital of the world. She didn’t want to go north. He opened up a map and asked her to tell him where they might move. They found a “happy medium.” In 1999, they moved to the Charlotte area. He is now the father of two children.
For MB, all of the stories—the stuff of life in between birth and death—has been but a mere journey to an afterlife, one that is ordained and divined by God. Until that happens, this devotee of Hinduism says he is experiencing his life as intended—as a life of joy, service, giving back to the community, and serving for the greater good of family, friends, and customers.
“This is a temporary life,” said MB. “He designed this for me. I’m happy, and I’m here to serve,” he said.
He is proud of his guru, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, 5th spiritual Guru of BAPS Organization following in the footsteps of Shastriji Maharaj and Bhagwan (God) Swaminarayan, with their emphasis on a life dedicated to the betterment of others. Following their dictates, he is alive and on earth to “serve others” without “attachments to things, as we all have to leave [those] behind one day.”
First arriving in Charlotte, MB sought the advice of others to help him find a good path and an applicable business. Investigation led to the purchase of a UPS store in Pineville. He purchased a second store in Indian Trail, and then finally the store in Matthews. The first two have been sold. The Matthews store he calls his “home.”
“Those values keep me content, on the ground. I’ve had all the big American dreams so far … I have been blessed by all that. I have gotten more than I deserve.”
Photo by Renee Garner
His story, he says, is the American dream. He built up “sweat equity”; he extended himself to the community, joined local business groups, walked door-to-door to introduce himself to people, and attended every community event he could find. He is proud of his success, but quick to state that riches are not important in this lifetime. “Those values keep me content, on the ground. I’ve had all the big American dreams so far … I have been blessed by all that. I have gotten more than I deserve.”
The extra touches he brings include holding the door open for his customers, driving to get the packages himself, offering a discount while providing superior service. “We do small, small things that people don’t expect us to do,” he said, including calling customers when their sent packages have been delivered, and dropping off packages when they arrive.
Honesty and integrity remain at the heart of his values, as do his religious tenets. “What you preach, you have to practice,” he says. MB prays and meditates each morning and each evening. He also fasts every 15 days and attends his temple (mandir) every Sunday. He remains one of the pre-eminent members of his Indian temple (BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Matthews) and is PR Lead of its community outreach program.
In the future, he hopes to double his volume and, perhaps, own other businesses – more chances to give back to the community that he has grown to love and that he feels accepts and appreciates him. “Ten years later, I’m learning that all I’ve done is a byproduct of [my hard work],” he said. “I don’t expect [anything]. When you have no expectations and you do your work, sometimes you get the fruit.”