Udaipur, Mar. 05, 2006.

Speaking on this occasion Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar the Chairman and Managing Trustee of Maharana Mewar Foundation, said that Maharana Mewar Foundation Annual Awards have now achieved National and International recognition.

Shriji Inaugurating Function	Shriji Addressing Function	Vande Mataram Dhwani Rupak

For this year's awards hundreds of entries were received which were scrutinized by a Special Committee and finally, 118 awardees were short listed under various categories. Whilst addressing the students Shriji said, "Students are our future citizens who will one day be responsible for the world and specifically India and their state of Rajasthan. We hope that awards such as these bestowed by the MMCF will inspire all to play an active and productive role in the development of our nation."

Kite Flying Show by Mr. Abdul Mallik

Kite Flying Show by Mr. Abdul Mallik was held at The Manek Chowk on 5th March, 2005 at 16:30 Hrs. Mr. Mallik belongs to Udaipur & he is a kite-flyer of International Repute. He has made the City of Lakes proud by earning several laurels in this field. He entertained the guests with the various attractive & innovative kites specially made for this occasion. In the evening, at 19:00 Hrs there was a Recital of Hindustani Classical Music by Padma Bhushan Dr. (Mrs.) Prabha Atre from Mumbai and Shri Salil V. Bhatt from Jaipur, at The Mor Chowk, The City Palace Complex. Dr. Atre & Shri Bhatt are well-known names in the field of Hindustani Classical Music & Hindustani Instrumental Music. Shri Bhatt is a Lute (Vina) Player. The mellifluous voice of Dr. Atre & the beautiful tunes generated by the soft strokes on the lute by Shri Bhatt left the audience spellbound & the soothing atmosphere created, really needs to be seen to believe.

The Maharana Mewar Annual Awards Function constitute an important feature of the activities of the Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF). From a modest beginning, the range of this Scheme of Awards has steadily grown to become an event in the domestic and international arena. The Maharana Mewar Foundation Annual Awards helps carry forward the tradition of promoting excellence. In the scheme of awards, an International Award “Colonel James Tod Award” has been established to honour a foreign national who has contributed towards upholding the time honoured principles of Mewar through works of permanent value to society. There are four National Awards: The Haldighati Award is given to an individual whose endeavours have benefited society through the medium of journalism in particular, or through any media in general; Hakim Khan Sur Award has been instituted for those who strive towards honouring the cause of National Integration; Maharana Udai Singh Award honours work of permanent value in protecting and enriching the environment, and the Pannadhai Award is presented to a person who ventures beyond the call of duty and sets an example in society through conscientiousness and sacrifice.

Col James Tod Award (Established in 1996) in the International Category honours a foreign national, who like Col Tod, has contributed through his works of permanent value and an understanding of the spirit and values of Mewar. This year Mr. Abbas Sadriwala, an IT Entrepreneur from USA, bagged this award for his initiatives in this field. He is a Global Player in the Wi Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Industry and is also the Chairman of several companies, which offer a full range of Wi Fi related hardware and software services.

Haldi Ghati Award (National Level) for the year 2004-2005 was conferred upon Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Indian Express Group of Publications, for his contribution in awakening the society through the medium of journalism.

His Holiness Swami Ramdevji Maharaj, graced the occasion by accepting the prestigious Hakim Khan Sur Award (National Level), for National Integration. A strong proponent of Indian cultural values, his services in the field of cow-breeding, research in the field of Ayurved and his practical approach of Yog have won him several thousands of admirers throughout India and made him a living symbol of Indian culture.

Maharana Udai Singh Award (National Level) in the field of environment protection was bestowed upon Mrs. Suniti Yadav from Raipur (Chattisgarh). She is the founder of Eco-Feminist Movement in the states of Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh. Her pioneering work has further strengthened the emotional bond between Man and Forest.

Pannadhai Award (National Level) given in recognition of one who ventures beyond the call of duty and sets an example in the society of permanent value through sacrifice, was given to Commandant Rajesh Makwana of Indian Coastal Guard.

Maharana Mewar Award (State Level) was conferred upon two distinguished personalities, Mr. Swaroopender Singh Chhabra (Udaipur) and Mrs. Prasanna Bhandari (Kota) for their contributions to society through services, philanthropy & character building activities. Mr. Chhabra is a well-known social worker of Udaipur and is the founder of 'Chhabra Charitable Trust', which organise many health care camps & work for people in remote places of Udaipur region. Mrs. Bhandari is better known in the Harauti area as a 'Mother Teresa', who is fully dedicated to society and the nation.

Dr. Kedar Sharma (Jaipur) and Pt. Dharnidhar Shastri (Udaipur) were the proud recipients of the Harit Rashi Award (State Level). They have contributed in awakening society through the medium of Indian Astrology, Vedic Culture, the ancient 'Shastras' and 'Karm Kand'.

Mr. Vijaydan Detha (Jodhpur) & Dr. (Mrs.) Seema Rathore (Udaipur) received the Maharana Kumbha Award (State Level), for commendable work in the field of history and literature.

Dagar Gharana Award (State Level) was instituted to honour musicians for their achievements in the field of Indian Classical Music, Rajasthani Folk Dance and Music. This year Padma Bhushan Dr. (Mrs.) Prabha Atre (Mumbai) and Shri. Salil V. Bhatt (Jaipur) received this award for the contribution in the field of Hindustani Classical Music.

Maharana Sajjan Singh Award (State Level) was conferred upon Mr. Lal Singh Bhati (Jodhpur) and Mr. Rajesh Jangid (Jaipur) for their most valuable services in the field of Craft and Fine Art respectively.

Mr. Amrit Lal Meena was honoured with Rana Punja Award (State Level) for his sincere & dedicated work in the tribal areas.

Aravali Award for honouring and encouraging outstanding sportsmen for achieving distinction in any discipline of sport was conferred upon Ms. Surbhi Mishra and Mr. Ambalal Gurjar.

Bhamashah Award (State Level) is given to the students achieving the top position by securing the highest percentage in various faculties from amongst all the universities of Rajasthan. This year 33 students were the proud recipients of this award.

Maharana Raj Singh Award is a City of Udaipur Award. This honour is given to the deserving students of universities based within the municipal limits of Udaipur and students from the colleges affiliated to these universities, for distinguished achievements in Games and Sports, Cultural, Literary, Co-Curricular and extra curricular activities conducted by a recognised body. This year the Foundation selected 12 students for their achievements.

Maharana Fateh Singh Award is also a City of Udaipur Award. It honours those regular students who have passed Secondary and Senior Secondary exams conducted during last academic session, for commendable performance in Studies, Achievements in Games, Sports & extra curricular activities. This year 46 students were selected for this award.

The foundation also honoured six extraordinary persons with the Maharana Mewar Special Award. The recipients were Squadron Leader Satyendra Sharma, Mr. Abdul Mallik, Ms. Shivani Singh Chauhan, Ms. Aakansha Singh Rathore, Mr. Devendra Parihar Siklighar and Baby Mansi Vyas.

While addressing the august gathering on this occasion, Shriji said that it's a great privilege and honour that the noted personalities from all over the Country come to attend this Annual Award Function. Shriji also said that he is determined and resolved to maintain the age-old tradition of the preservation of values & culture, initiated by his ancestors and thanked the people for their contribution, in this regard.

On 7th March, 2005, a Workshop on Stress Management and Pranayam was organised at The Manek Chowk, at 5:30 am. His Holiness Swami Ramdevji Maharaj gave this special session on the practical approach of Yoga and Meditation to tackle the stress in everyday life. He stated that Pranayam cures depression, high blood pressure and diabetes without medicines. People from all walks of life attended the session and were extremely happy and satisfied with the mental peace that they gained from taking part in it.

At 10:30 am on the same day, there was a Display & Demonstration of the Solar Vehicles at the Shikarbadi Cricket Ground. The awardees and the special guests were very impressed with the work of the Foundation in developing these prototypes of Solar Vehicles. In the evening, they attended the 'Legacy of Honour' Mewar Sound & Light Show at The Manek Chowk and were fascinated by the meticulous presentation of the 1500 years of Mewar History.

With this, concluded the 4-day event of the Maharana Mewar Foundation's Silver Jubilee of the Annual Award Distribution Function. This award ceremony has completed a long journey from a modest beginning of awards only for the college and school students in Udaipur, to the International & National Level Awards to honour people for special work in their field of activity. The scope and spectrum of awards has been steadily widening from year and year and so have the number and quantum of awards. It is the constant endeavour of the Maharana Mewar Foundation to widen the scope of its activities for these awards and bright & deserving people may look forward to getting a due share of recognition in the future.

The Foundation has completed 25 years of Service to Excellence and will continue with its selfless service to the Society and the Mankind.

(Executive Public Affairs)

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