THERE seems to be two sides of Jitu Patel- one of a successful businessman with a sharp eye for detail and the other side being the UK’s most influential community leader owing to his years-long association with London’s Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir.
Most recently, one of his acquisitions- Plymouth-based Burt Snacks- has been bought by a leading European food producer. Patel has invested in the brand in 2006 and by 2014, he became the majority shareholder of the company whose books were not looking very good at the time. He soon transformed it into the foremost premium British crisps, thereby turning around its fortunes.
His life and career have always been intertwined with business and religion.
Patel has always been the epitome of being “proud Hindu”. He soon emerged as a leading light in the Hindu community, and due to his leadership role at BAPS, he was often seen rubbing shoulders with the country’s major politicians, and influential figures in the British-Asian world.
In 2006, he received then prime minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie at the gates of the Mandir. Seven years later, he welcomed David Cameron and his wife Samantha for the Hindu New Year celebrations.
He also welcomed UK home secretary Priti Patel in February 2021 when she dropped into Brent to visit Neasden Temple’s Covid-19 vaccination centre.
Born in Kenya, Patel later moved with his family to spend his teenage years in Zambia, before arriving in London in 1978, where he still lives with his wife Rohini.
In 2020, the BAPS in the UK mobilised a holistic community care programme to support individuals and communities in response to the pandemic. A series of health awareness videos and presentations were prepared in English and Gujarati to educate the community and create awareness around the spread of the deadly virus as well as vaccination programme.
BAPS often conducts public announcements, including summaries of government guidance, to provide important advice on remaining stable and healthy, thereby “debunking myths and busting misinformation”.
To date, Patel’s name is counted among British-Asian community’s most influential thought leaders.
