Ramesh Shah Cleveland International Hall of Fame
Class of 2020
Since 2010, the Cleveland International Hall of Fame (CIHF) has inducted people who have made significant and lasting contributions to our multicultural society. Cleveland is home to people representing about 120 different ethnic groups. The CIHF exists not only to honor those special people but also to inspire a new generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps.
Over 150 worthy candidates were nominated for the 2020 Class of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. The selection committee was advised by previously inducted members of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.
Ramesh Shah
Covid-19 forced the always sold out induction ceremonies to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021. We tried to induct the 2020 class virtually but it was not the same. So once we were able to gather together again, we included the 2020 class in the induction ceremony for the 2022 class on June 7, 2022. The event at Windows on the River was a sell out and the 2020 class finally got their moment in the spotlight.
Here is a look at our attempt at a virtual induction of Ramesh Shah who over the past 20 years, he has organized teams of physicians and volunteers for medical missions in underdeveloped countries around the world. His project is known as Medical YATRA (Pilgrimage). These trips have served people in need in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Ecuador, Guyana, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and India.
Ramesh was inducted virtually by Federation of India Community Associations Board Chairman Sudarshan Sathe and welcomed to the Hall by Inaugural CIHF inductee Paramjit Singh.
Sudarshan Sathe and Ramesh Shah
Sudarshan Sathe, Ramesh Shah and Paramjit Singh
Dr. Jaya and Ramesh Shah with son Baiju Shah
Sudarshan Sathe, Ramesh Shah, Jaya Shah, Paramjit Singh and Baiju Shah in front of the Gandhi statue
Click on the white arrow below to watch Ramesh be virtually inducted and give his acceptance speech.
On the evening of June 7, 2022 Ramesh finally was honored in person and was inducted by Sudarshan Sathe.
With his induction Ramesh and his wife Dr. Jaya Shah became the only married couple to both be inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.
Ramesh has raised funds for countless life-changing surgeries and prosthetic limbs for people who would otherwise not be able to access them. He has also raised funds for mobile medical vans for work in rural areas, machines that make sanitary pads, water treatment plants, and playground equipment for children in schools. All of this work is a joint effort with his wife, Dr. Jaya Shah, a pediatrician who was herself inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame in 2012. In addition, Ramesh has been a dedicated volunteer with groups that teach entrepreneurship and professional skills to kids in the Cleveland area.
Watch the video of Ramesh Shah being inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame by Sudarshan Sathe
Enjoy these images from the Cleveland International Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Sudarshan Sathe inducting Ramesh Shah
Ramesh Shah receives CIHF award from Sudarshan Sathe
Ramesh Shah giving his acceptance speech
Ramesh Shah showing scissors he used to cut hair
Ramesh and Jaya Shah
Ramesh Shah and friends
Dan Hanson with Ramesh and Jaya Shah and Baiju Shah
