Respected philanthropist Smt Shardaben U. Mehta, wife of the founder of the well-known Torrent Group Late U.N. Mehta passed away in Ahmedabad on February 5, 2024. 
 

Two widely-read media publications – Times of India and Divya Bhaskar featured tributes highlighting her social work, especially her support for education of the girl child. While the TOI report was titled “Philanthropist Shardaben Mehta dies at 93”, the Divya Bhaskar headline was “ધર્મનિષ્ઠ, કર્તવ્યપરાયણ શારદાબેન ઉત્તમભાઈ મહેતાની 93 વર્ષે વિદાય”
 

Palanpur Online reproduces the TOI report and provides a (subscriber only) link to the Divya Bhaskar report for its members.

Philanthropist Shardaben Mehta dies at 93

TNN / Feb 6, 2024

Ahmedabad: Philanthropist Shardaben Mehta, the wife of Torrent Group founder U N Mehta, breathed her last early on Monday. Shardaben is survived by her four children – Sudhir Mehta, Samir Mehta, Meena and Nayana. The 93-year-old was an advocate of girl child education.
 

In an era marked by societal stigma against educating girls, Shardaben defied norms by ensuring the education of both her daughters, despite facing severe financial crises in the family during her early years.
 

A significant milestone in her philanthropic journey was establishing the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre.
 

Shardaben generously contributed to social causes, particularly in children’s education and healthcare. She played a vital role in supporting infrastructure development in govt-run primary schools and the construction of Shardashish schools in Chappi and Memdapur in North Gujarat, as well as in Ahmedabad.
 

Shardaben actively organized regular medical check-ups for children and played a key role in establishing a 150-bed children’s hospital.(TNN)