Tarina Patel wears many hats. Not only is she an actress and reality TV star but she is also a humanitarian, who runs several projects that help those in need.
Her social and philanthropic work was recently awarded at the Global Gandhi Awards in London. She received the Global Gandhi Award for Philanthropy.
The Global Gandhi Awards acknowledge, recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of individuals around the world in their respective fields.
Patel shared that it was an honour and privilege to be in the UK parliament and receive the award.
Patel’s foundation, the Dr Ramanbhai Foundation and the Gandhi-Mandela Peace Initiative, focuses on health care and education in Africa and India.
Patel explained to IOL Entertainment that receiving the honour was “humbling” as not many people are aware of the many hats she wears.
A quick glance at Patel’s social media and all one sees is glamour, photo shoots and her celebrity life but not much about the humanitarian work she does.
Patel explained that is partly her fault due to how she views social media.
“The other elements of my life don’t come through as much as this one does and that’s because of the way I have always viewed social media. I have not invited that part of my life (her philanthropic work) and that needs to change.
“I’m doing such wonderful work in the philanthropy space and it’s a pivotal part of who I am. It’s definitely an extension of who I am and what I’m doing,” she shared.
Patel explained that getting acknowledged and realising that people are aware of the work she does is a reminder that it’s not always about the number of her followers but “the quality of your audience”.
After receiving the award, Patel said that going forward she will share more of her philanthropic work on her social media so that more people can be aware of what she does.
At times public figures are criticised by their followers when they share their good deeds on social media. Patel added that this is one of the reasons why she didn’t share her philanthropic work in the past.
“I didn’t want it to be a case of ‘she's using her influence to run a different narrative’, but I'm changing my mind on that,” she said.
“If people are gonna say that, it’s gonna be a small part of the community that would do that. I’m hoping the rest will see the good merit in the work as my social work comes from an organic place.”
With her foundation Patel is on a mission to carry on the good work her father Dr Ramanbhai Patel started.
She added that naysayers shouldn’t have much to say as her good work has been documented and it comes from an organic place, which is why it is being recognised at “the highest level”.
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