Punjas is presently a thriving business and is among some of the oldest ventures in Fiji.
On February 23, 1970, The Fiji Times published a story of its founder, Punja Kara, and how he got his start from selling jewellery in Nadroga.
The story of Mr Punja, the founding patriarch of the family business, is a rags to riches tale.
He landed in Fiji in 1927 with almost nothing in his pocket, but at the time the article was written, his companies had an annual turnover of more than $2 million.
The businessman was born in Porbandar in India, the same birthplace as Mahatma Gandhi. He grew up there, married and lived an uneventful life.
Then he decided to come to Fiji.
He borrowed money from relatives to pay for his passage and when he arrived, he decided to make a fortune in this country. And he was determined to do that through hard work and perseverance.
When he arrived in 1927, he was only 27 years old.
He settled in Cuvu, Nadroga and soon launched a hawking business, selling mainly jewellery. In those times, there were no roads, only tracks.
“I used to walk as far as Lautoka to peddle my wares,” he reminisced as he relaxed on a sofa in the lounge of the family home along Vitogo Pde, Lautoka.
By 1934, Mr Punja saved enough to start a country store in rented premises at Cuvu. It was during that time he sent for his wife and their two children who were still in India.
Within a few years he bought the building which he had been renting.
In 1946, Mr Punja moved to Lautoka and started another grocery store and general store at Vetari, in rented buildings.
In 1958, he moved into the Sugar City, and this time built a large building and started wholesale and retail business.
From then on it was a meteoric rise for Mr Punja.
The family formed a company and it was registered with limited liabilities.
In 1960, a younger son of Mr Punja joined the firm and things began to happen.
Possessing his father’s business acumen, Hari Punja turned his attention to expansion.
The company went into wholesaling liquor, rice milling, copra and oil processing, petrol distribution and soap making.
The soap business, which started in 1967, expanded so much that a subsidiary company was formed a year later — known as Ocean Soaps Ltd.
Soon after another subsidiary was formed, Candle and Starch Manufacturers Ltd, whose Tower and Deepawali brand candles kept Diwali lights flickering.
At the time of the interview, the article said even at 70 years of age, Mr Punja (Sr) walked with a slight limp but his mind remained crystal clear.
According to his sons, he was always toying around with new ideas of how to make more money.
The company also bought shares in Parbhu Brothers, a duty-free dealer in Nadi, and Blue Lagoon Cruises Ltd, a Lautoka-based cruise operating firm.
In 1970, the company and its subsidiaries employed about 200 people.
