GUJARATI DIASPORA

US
DHARMESH PATEL, 27, who was discouraged by inflation and unemployment in Zimbabwe, where he was born and raised, set his sights on starting over in the US. He wrote an aunt in Dallas who sent him SAT text books and information on colleges in Dallas. He studied nights after a full day’s work and as fate would have it he won the green card lottery and moved to the US in 2004 with $50 in his pocket. In Dallas he worked as a network administrator by day and attended Richmond Community College at night.
Patel recently made it to the All USA Community College Academic First Team among students selected for the honour from over 1500 nominees by the international honour society Phi Theta Kappa.
Patel has received $2500 from USA Today newspaper, a $2000 scholarship from Coca-Cola and was awarded the Guistwhite Scholarship of $5000 for his academic excellence and participation in community service.
In August Patel will move to New York to complete his bachelors degree in Industrial Labour and Relations, from Cornell University.

THIS SUMMER young Gujarati teenagers across the US are getting a better understanding of ancient Hindu scriptures such as Bhagwad Gita, Vedas, Ramayan and Mahabharat. Regional kishore conventions organised by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha are a huge draw with youngsters who not only learn about the values contained in these scriptures but also how the morals of the scriptures apply directly to their lives. They participate in sessions conducted by humorous emcees, teenage personal true stories, video presentations, interactive activities with the audience and other activities.

CHINA
MEENA BAROT, 36, a company executive, who lives in China was one of eight foreigners chosen to carry the Olympic torch on July 7. The others are from the US, Venezuela, the Philippines, Germany, Japan, Colombia and Russia, all of whom were selected from 262 expatriates through an online contest.
Barot moved to China in 2005 and speaks fluent Mandarin. She carried the torch in Lanzhou city in Gansu.
Barot, from a simple Gujarati family, was ecstatic, seeing it as a proud moment as she was the only Indian who ran with the torch in the host country.

UK
NAINESH PATEL wants to fill the aisles of hypermarkets like Wal-Mart with samosas, onion bhajis and other Indian snacks. The owner of Farsan in Leicester has started constructing a factory near Baroda to make inroads into the Indian, American, Chinese and Australian markets. Patel’s factory will make quality Indian snacks that will be shipped overseas.
Patel is in talks with Wal-Mart and Indian supermarket chains like Nature’s Basket Reliance Fresh and Spencers.
The Baroda factory is to be ready in 18 months and Patel says he will work with local food growers for his needs.

BROTHERS KETAN and Shandip Shah, who run a pharmacy in central London, announced plans to make condoms available in trendy small packs the size of a box of matches, that they hope will attract women who are not comfortable having recognisable condoms in their purse or handbag.
Fusion condoms will be priced at £1.99 for a pack of three, compared to Durex that cost £3.50. British condoms are priced third highest behind Ireland and the Netherlands.
The brothers have signed deals with nightclubs to stock the condoms and offer them free to customers, in the hope of bringing down the high rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the UK.

OMAN
KANAKSI KHIMJI, the head of the Khimji Ramdas Group of Companies, has been conferred the title of sheikh by the Sultan of Oman. The sultan has appointed his organisation to manage his yacht during its remodelling and refurbishment over the coming months.
Khimji is the world’s only Hindu sheikh and is a strict vegetarian, whose roots lie in Gujarat.
Khimji was born in Muscat in 1936 and later became one of the very few Indians to be offered Omani citizenship. 
Generations ago his grandfather left for Oman from Mandvi, Kutch.
Kanaksi now dresses in the traditional Arab dress. When he was married in 1960 he was presented a gift by the queen mother, a gesture accorded to a privileged few.
Khimji received the Centre’s Bhartiya Pravasi Award in 2003 and has contributed considerably to the public sphere in Oman and India. In 1975 he and the Indian merchants body in Oman established the first ever English medium school in Muscat.