SAN FRANCISCO: California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) will present its Haridas and Bina Chaudhuri Award for Distinguished Service to humanitarian and community activist Naranji Vithalbhai Patel at a gala dinner on Saturday, April 26 at Gaylord India Restaurant in Sausalito, California.Patel is being honored by the San Francisco-based institute of higher education founded 40 years ago by Indian scholar Haridas Chaudhuri and his wife, Bina, for his extraordinary efforts to provide educational access to underprivileged youth in India, as well as to preserve and promote Indian culture in the Bay Area.

He will receive the award at CIIS' sixth annual dinner celebrating the school's Haridas and Bina Chaudhuri Endowment for South Asian Philosophy and Culture, which provides graduate-level courses and public programs on Indian philosophy, culture, and history.Born in 1938 in Gujarat, Patel's legacy is one of making connections between Indian and other cultures. In England, he founded the Asian Film Society and volunteered at various organizations to teach people about Indian culture. In 1974, he immigrated to San Jose, California, where he began a successful career in the hotel/motel business.

He is the founder of the Indian Cultural Association of South Bay and, in 1983, was instrumental in establishing The Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation, which helps underprivileged people suffering from cancer.In 1989, Patel and other community leaders formed the Charitable Care Foundation, which donates money and medical supplies all over the world when disasters occur. Also in 1989, he helped to form the Sanskruti Foundation-USA to support religious studies in India. In 1994, Patel helped to start the Hindu Temple and Community Center of the South Bay, which has grown to be the largest Indian temple in the Bay Area.

Passionate about the education of youth, Patel is credited with the creation of three co-ed schools (grades 1-12) for underprivileged youth in India, two in Gujarat and one in Kadodi.In 1984, he helped to found Devotional Associates of Sitaram to raise religious awareness among Indian youth.Patel has received many awards for his humanitarian and civic activism. In 1994, San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan named him Indian Businessman of the Year.

In February 2007, he received the prestigious Non-Resident Gujarati of the Year Award from Vishwa Gujarati Samaj in Gujarat, India. "CIIS is honored to bestow this award to Naranji Patel," said CIIS President Joseph Subbiondo. "His efforts to preserve and promote Indian culture in the Bay Area and throughout the world, and to provide access to educational opportunities to Indian youth, epitomize what the award stands for. We salute Patel for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Indian community."