Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Obit: Community leader Vinod H Patel passes away at 83

Obit: Community leader Vinod H Patel passes away at 83

A PROMINENT community leader is being mourned after he passed away last month.

Vinod H Patel was a dedicated devotee of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha where he acted as a trustee of the organisation until his retirement. He passed away on September 26 aged 83.


He had a key role in organising BAPS activities in London and other parts of the UK.

Patel was also known for his service to the local community.

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, on January 13, 1938, Patel initially began his career with Barclays Bank in 1957.  He joined East African Airways as a reservation agent in 1958 and was transferred to London in 1972 as a reservations manager.

At the time, he had the opportunity to make travel arrangements for the visit of His Holiness Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha during his spiritual tour of East Africa and the UK in 1970.

Patel also escorted and personally assisted the former BAPS president, His Holiness Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj on many flights until the 1980s. Patel left East African Airways in 1989 to start his own travel business, which he ran successfully before retiring in July 2002.

He was the son of Shri Harmanbhai Patel of Ghana, who was one of the main pioneers of the BAPS Satsang in East Africa, dating back to the 1920s.

Patel was initiated in the Swaminarayan tradition (sampradaya) by His Holiness Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS.

After moving to the UK in the early 1970s, Patel was appointed general secretary of BAPS UK by HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1974.

He served in that role for many years and helped to organise numerous events, including the UK-Europe vicharan (tour) of Pramukh Swami Maharaj; the All World Religions Conference at Wembley Conference Centre in 1980; the Cultural Festival of India in 1985; Suvarna Tula Mahotsav in 1985; and London Mandir Mahotsav to mark the opening of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, the first traditional Hindu temple in Europe.

Following its inauguration in Neasden, HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj appointed Patel as a trustee of BAPS UK, a post in which he served sincerely and diligently until 2017. During this time, his work took him around the UK and parts of continental Europe, where he helped to establish satsang centres and temples to serve local communities.

Patel also had the privilege of receiving many guests at the BAPS temple in Neasden, among them many royals and senior political figures. He was an accomplished orator, and often served as master of ceremonies for important religious assemblies.

Even after his retirement as a trustee in 2017, Patel continued to serve the BAPS satsang fellowship and its devotees until his last days with the blessings of His Holiness Pragat Brahmaswarup Mahant Swami Maharaj.

He leaves behind his wife of 60 years, two sons, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

More For You

Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

Officials greet newly-elected Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government Sushila Karki (R) as she arrives at the prime minister's office in Kathmandu on September 14, 2025. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

NEPAL’s new interim prime minister Sushila Karki on Sunday (14) pledged to act on protesters’ calls to end corruption and restore trust in government, as the country struggles with the aftermath of its worst political unrest in decades.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first address to the nation since taking office on Friday (12). “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrive at Trump International Golf Links on July 28, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

THE British government has announced over £1.25 billion ($1.69bn) in fresh investment from major US financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by president Donald Trump.

The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

Protesters wave Union Jack and St George's England flags during the "Unite The Kingdom" rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

MORE THAN 100,000 protesters marched through central London on Saturday (13), carrying flags of England and Britain and scuffling with police in one of the UK's biggest right-wing demonstrations of modern times.

London's Metropolitan Police said the "Unite the Kingdom" march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, was attended by nearly 150,000 people, who were kept apart from a "Stand Up to Racism" counter-protest attended by around 5,000.

Keep ReadingShow less