Known for his humility, affection and concern for fellowmen, Mr. Parekh was associated with several philanthropic causes and welfare organizations.
In 1986, he was one of the founders of the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy and served as its Chairman since its inception until his retirement in 1993. His concern and love for the city of Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) led him to form the Bombay Community Public Trust in 1991. This venture was designed specifically to address the needs of disadvantaged citizens in the city of Mumbai. He took the initiative to finance Mumbai’s first public toilet by any corporate house ‘Sulabh Shauchalaya’. Additionally, Mr. Parekh served as a trustee of the Sameeksha Trust, Saurashtra Trust, Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, The India Foundation, The lndia Heritage Trust, and The Chakallas Puraskar Trust.
He also served as the President of the Social Service League. This charitable institution undertakes activities in several areas such as adult education, medical relief, technical education, cultural activity, industrial schools for women, night schools, children’s education classes, mobile libraries and gymnastic institutions among others.
Guided by a strong urge to be of some help to the downtrodden and the underprivileged, and to lighten their burden, he believed in service without publicity, and without a thought of personal gain. He believed that while public participation in cash and kind did play a significant role in the process of social betterment, it was far from adequate, and a lot more had to be done with organized public awareness and creation of suitable agencies.
Mr. H. T. Parekh was also the Chairman of the IMC Economic Research and Training Foundation for nearly 16 years.