Nanoo Patel
Nanoo Patel hails from Zimbabwe, Africa and migrated to India for his college years. After receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry at the University of Bombay he immigrated to the United States to continue his education. Nanoo was a ‘DuPont Scholar’ at the University of Southern California where he obtained his Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering. He began his carrier as a Research Engineer at the U.S. Borax Corporation heading up a pilot program that resulted in a multi-million dollar cost reduction for the corporation. In this developmental work Nanoo was a recipient of two process patents. The urge to be self-employed resulted in Nanoo forming Desna Corporation that researched, developed, manufactured, and distributed air freshener products to the retail merchants in the United States and Canada. The innovative approach and product line was recognized by the Los Angeles Times which carried an interview in its paper. After making Desna a multi-million corporation, Nanoo sold it and turned his focus to Real Estate Development and Property Management. Activities in Real Estate encompasses: Brokerage, Syndication and Project Management, Contract Planning and Supervision, Construction of Single Family Luxury homes.
Encouraged by his Dad, Morarjibhai Patel, to always give back to society. Nanoo volunteered for many activities starting in high school and college. Formation of SRAI (Society for Rural Advancement of India) was one of Nanoo's projects to give back to his country of origin. SRAI’s primary function is to aid the farmers in India with water supply for farming and also to help them in other aspects of their lives, particularly freeing them of the debt that perpetuated for generations. Nanoo's good friend Narinder Bedi now heads that multi million dollar project, now independent of any US aid. In his home town of Dallas, Nanoo is an active participant at Chinmaya Mission and with DFW Indian Cultural Society and supports the activities of ‘Ekal Vidhyalaya’ and American Hindu Foundation.
Mr. Satish Gupta encouraged Nanoo to look for a larger venue to celebrate Diwali. Nanoo’s passion was to introduce Hindu culture and traditions to the community at large. This effort resulted in Texas Stadium being the venue for Diwali Mela since 2006. Diwali Mela is a spectacular social event for the South Asian community and the community at large, with attendance that exceeds 30,000.
