Dr. Vinod Patel
Dr. Vinod Patel graduated from the Seth G S Medical College, University of Mumbai, India in 1970 and started his career in the US at the Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He moved to Florida and started his Fellowship at University of Miami. Dr. Patel found that his successful career and family motivated him to ensure his children would inherit a rich Hindu heritage, so he took it upon himself to lead the local progress towards this goal.
In 1978, he was one of the founding members of Indian Religious and Cultural Center. IRCC is one of the first Indian organizations in South Florida whose sole purpose was to preserve and promote our rich Indian heritage and culture among families who had made America their home. This organization still continues to celebrate Hindu Holidays for the entire community to celebrate.
Realizing that the community needed a place of worship, Dr. Patel spear headed the efforts to have a Hindu temple in the community and joined with like-minded people to work towards this goal.
Despite many challenges, Dr. Patel maintained his focus and dedication, and kept working selflessly on the project which became a beautiful temple that welcomes Hindus from all over India and the Hindu diaspora.
Dr. Patel is a true visionary and leader of the South Florida community. He is a Founding Trustee the South Florida Hindu Temple and the Chair Person of the construction committee. Dr. Patel works tirelessly even today to ensure smooth operation of temple functions and also guides and mentors the young, future leaders of the community. The temple has grown to be a community center where all festivals from all four corners of India are celebrated, and over 250 children and their families attend weekly classes.
"Behind every great man is a woman" is a saying that truly fits Dr. Patel’s life. Ranjan Patel is truly a dedicated wife who has supported her husband throughout the years to ensure the success of the temple project. She has supported him through the countless hours of meetings at SFHT, in addition to volunteering herself for countless hours on the temple Prasad committee and decoration committee. A talented manager and an artistic woman, Ranjanben is truly the woman behind the man.
In the early eighties, when BAPS needed help to host H.H. Pramukh Swami in South Florida, Dr .Patel and Ranjanben opened their home. Many saints and sages have visited their home since, and they are always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in the community in need.
Dr. Patel and Ranjanben continue to support the Hindu community and many meaningful Hindu projects like Ekal Vidyalay, Hindu American Foundation and Vatsalya Gram.
Dr. Patel, a born leader and community man, also enjoys spending time with his two children, Amit and Bhavini, their spouses, and his four grandchildren.
South Florida is blessed to have such a visionary in our community, as we have all benefitted from all his sincere efforts in sustaining our Hindu Culture. On behalf of the entire South Florida community, Desh-Videsh would like to thank Dr. Vinod and Ranjan Patel.
