Crossing hurdles, overcoming barriers and welcoming failures: The story of Kash Patel

 

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It was 1901 and a whisper of opportunity led 20,000 Gujaratis to cross the vast ocean to reach the continent of Africa. Through relentless effort and entrepreneurial spirit, they sculpted their formidable business empires in Africa. In August 1972, Idi Amin grabbed power in Uganda and expelled 55,000 Indians (mostly Gujaratis) from Uganda. Stripped of their livelihoods, they embarked on a global exodus, seeking refuge in the UK, Canada, and Europe. Among this displaced multitude was the Patel family which briefly returned to India after their expulsion but soon went to Canada, and ultimately to the United States, where Kash Patel’s father took a financial job.

Kash was born on February 25, 1980, in Garden City (New York). He graduated from the local High School and later completed his law. Patel moved to Florida and was admitted as a member of the Florida Bar in April 2006. He spent the next eight years as a public defender. In 2014, Patel became a trial attorney in the United States' National Security Division, where he simultaneously served as a legal liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command.

Patel was hired as a National Security Aide in February 2019 by President Donald Trump; and in July 2019, became senior director of the Counterterrorism Directorate, a new position created for him. Kash Patel quickly rose within Trump’s circle and on February 21, 2025; at age 44, he was sworn in as the ninth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), taking oath on the Bhagavad Gita.

Back in India, his family hails from Bhadran village in Gujarat's Anand district. As per sources, they migrated to Uganda 70-80 years ago. Kash’s mother and father have completed their studies from India, even though his mother’s family lived in Tanzania. They belong to the Patidar community in Gujrat. Kash Patel etched his name in history when he became the first Asian and Indian-American to lead the FBI in United States. As an FBI director, he now leads its 37,000 workforce.

Ravindra Zinjurke