Thakkar has helped hundreds of Ukrainians as well as Indians in escaping from the war-affected zones and reaching the Poland border safely. “Initially, I helped employees of my firm’s branch in Ukraine. Due to my business in Ukraine, I have many contacts among the senior government officials there. So, I decided to reach out to fellow Indians as well as Ukrainians,” Thakkar, who completed his schooling in Vadodara, told TOI.
“I learnt that Indian students, who recently left Kyiv, were not getting good treatment. So, I and my partner Patrick Hart used our contacts in Ukraine to ensure that they get safe passage and reach the Poland border as many buses carrying people are being shot at. Apart from arranging for the logistics to reach Poland, we also arranged for medicines and food they needed en route,” Thakkar added.
A couple of days ago, he helped in rescuing 70 children who were stuck in a school in Kyiv and arranged for their stay at a safer location. At the Ukraine-Poland border, Thakkar arranges for their food and water requirements in Ukraine. “Once they enter Poland, we provide for their shelter, blankets and if they want to leave for India or any other country in Europe, their transport is arranged for,” said Thakkar who is bearing a lot of expenses from his own pocket apart from setting up a fundraiser for the refugees.
He and Patrick have already arranged for the stay of over a dozen refugees in Amsterdam. Thakkar completed his HSC from Jeevan Sadhna School and left for further studies in the US at the age of 18.
He completed his bachelors in chemical engineering before pursuing MBA. Forty-nine-year-old Thakkar then worked in Canada for a few years. Fifteen years ago, he shifted to the Netherlands and started a cyber security software firm.