CHICAGO: A Shradhanjali meet attended by over 140 community members was held here last week in memory of Anilbhai T Patel (73) on Sunday February 18 at Umiya Mataji Temple in West Chicago.
A two terms elected member of Gujarat legislative assembly and two-term industries minister till his volunteer retirement in 2012 from public life, he was liked and respected by all who came in his contact As a great educationist, he founded Ganpat University in (Kherva, Mehsana district) Gujarat.
The Shradhanjali event starting with Bhajan ended with Umiya Mataji Aarti and Mahaprasad.
The Shradhanjali meet was organized by Umiya Mataji Sanstha Chicago Midwest and Kadva Patidar Samaj. Anilbhai Patel was also the president of Umiya Mataji Sansthan.
After finishing high school in his town, he obtained engineering degree from Vallabh Vidhya Nagar and came to USA in mid-sixties for master’s degree in engineering. He could have got his Green Card but he went back to his hometown at the behest of his elder brother Arvindbhai for good. He started a small engineering company and today it is one of the top ten-respected engineering companies with more than thousand employees.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Indian PM Narendra Modi and BJP Chief Jitubhai Vaghani paid him handsome tributes. Anilbhai Patel was suffering from prostate cancer for over three years. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two brothers, besides a cousin brother.
Sitaram Patel
