Born in Uganda, he says, “I came to limelight internationally when I took on the Kenya-Asian crisis during the wretched Labour government who, in indecent haste, introduced a new law barring the entry of British Citizens of Asian origin. A racist legislation to the core! However, in 1972 I was invited by the Heath government as the only Asian member in high powered Uganda Resettlement Board, I served three and half years on the Board and this is where I learnt the ropes of how the British Establishment works. I got to know the corridors of power.”

Active on Indian diaspora issues, Praful Patel has played a leading role in various capacities as a Government of India’s Consultative Committee on NRI investments (1986-1991) and as the Co-Chairman of the ‘India Calling’ Overseas Indians Conference, Mumbai in December 1999 and Chairman of The India Overseas Trust, whose main objective is to document the history of Overseas Indians. As chairman of the India Overseas Trust 40th Anniversary British Uganda Asians Celebration Core Committee 2012, he revived interest in former Uganda Asians and in their success they achieved in Britain. The list of events organised by this organisation for a whole year is very impressive with the top British leaders and extensive media coverage.

He contested a Parliamentary seat for the Labour Party in Brent North, London in the 1986 general elections. He fought a vigorous and well organised campaign and increased Labour’s share of vote by 3 per cent, not a bad showing in London and particularly in Brent North.

In addition to his political activities, he takes a keen interest in culture, religion and Ayurveda medicine. He founded the Indo-British Cultural Exchange whose aims are self-explanatory and its extensive activities are notable. As a devoted member of the Swaminarayan Community, he is close to its global leader and a trustee of its board in the UK. For promoting awareness of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, he has set up a trust in Britain after organsing a pilgrimage lead by Morari Bapu, a well- known preacher. His campaign for promoting Ayerveda in UK and Europe is exemplary and in closed coordination with Indian authorities viz health ministry, export promotion bodies and in international conferences and meetings. Appointed as a member of different committees to carry out this task, he has worked intensively for Ayurveda which he also practices in his personal life.