I want to take the wisdom and courage of Gandhi and Mandela ahead: Tarina Patel

New Delhi: Peace activist and Founder of Ramanbhai Patel Foundation (RBP), Tarina Patel, was one of the organizers of the Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative which aims at reviving message of inclusive and sustainable living by Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela . The event was held in the capital last week. Patel spoke to the Sunday Guardian about her vision and inspiration behind starting RBP Foundation and what drove her to launch the Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative.

In 2017, Tarina Patel, daughter of renowned doctor and entrepreneur, Mr. Ramanbhai Patel, started the RBP Foundation with the aim of uplifting communities and taking her father’s dream to new heights. Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, she said, “My father believed that health is the basic right of every human being and nobody should be deprived of it because of their weak economic conditions and that is the aim that I am taking forward with RBP Foundation.”

She says that along with contributing greatly to the field of medicine, her father also built communities and uplifted the poor for four decades for which he is known even today in South Africa as well as in India. “Till his last breath, he served the people and this was my inspiration to take his work ahead for the benefit of the weaker sections with RBP Foundation. He passed away after courageously battling for his life at the age of 70, after which I took it upon me to continue what he left back. To uplift the underprivileged communities in India and South Africa, I have tied up with doctors in both countries who are a part of this noble initiative. I also closely work with IT companies to build medical machines which can be setup in rural areas where there is a shortage of doctors. These machines are health ATMs where people can get various kinds of check ups and tests,” she said.

While talking about what drove her to be a part of Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative, she says that being a South African and an Indian she proudly embraces the two iconic men Gandhi and Mandela who struggled for humanity and aims to take their wisdom ahead. “There still is so much of hatred, discrimination and rigidness in the world and being a peace activist I take inspiration from these two iconic men who are my own to put an end to this. People need to be aware of the inequalities, especially to promote gender equality, a discourse is needed which will lead in to action,” she said.

She also said that the event was just the beginning and Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative will go on for a long long time. More such events will take place in South Africa and India, later this year, whereas Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative will take place annually.