This year’s ‘Pujaniya Shriguruji Award’ has been announced for agriculturist Shrirang Devba Lad (Dada) and Acharya Shri Mahant Bharatbhushandasji Maharaj of Varanasi. The award is presented annually by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Jankalyan Samiti. The awards will be conferred at a programme to be held in Pune on Saturday, February 14.
About the Pujaniya Shriguruji Award
The award is given on the birth anniversary of RSS’s second Sarsanghchalak, revered MS Golwalkar, also known as Shriguruji. This year marks the 31st year of the national award. Jankalyan Samiti’s Karyavah Rajan Gorhe announced the awards at a press conference on February 4. The award comprises a citation, a memento, and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Gorhe stated that the award in the research category will be presented to Lad, while the award in the social awareness category will be conferred on Bharatbhushandasji Maharaj.
Renowned industrialist Dr Abhay Firodia will be present as the chief guest. RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale will be the keynote speaker at the event. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 14, at 6 pm at the SVC Auditorium, Symbiosis, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Aim of Dada Lad’s research
Dada Lad’s research aimed at increasing cotton production has been significant, and his Dada Lad Technology research has also received recognition from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). He has also conducted important research to improve the cultivation and productivity of jowar, wheat, soybean, and tur. Promoting the indigenous Lal Kandhari breed of cows is another important aspect of his work.
Acharya Mahant worked towards rooting out social evils
Acharya Mahant Bharatbhushandasji Maharaj has been engaged in social awareness work for several years. His efforts have been particularly notable in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, where he has worked to spread the message of Sant Guru Ravidas among the masses and to bring society together. Bharatbhushandasji Maharaj has consistently undertaken awareness efforts to eliminate discrimination and social evils.
Jankalyan Samiti has appealed to the citizens of Pune to attend the programme and encourage the work of Dada Lad and Acharya Shri Mahant Bharatbhushandasji Maharaj. The introductory address was delivered by the organisation’s Sahkaryavah Mukul Patgaonkar. RSS Prant Prachar Pramukh Atul Agnihotri and the organisation’s executive member Vinayak Dambir were prominently present.
Jankalyan Samiti runs seventeen major service projects across Maharashtra in five key areas: disaster management, health, education, development of Purvanchal communities, and welfare of persons with disabilities. These include Purvanchal hostel projects in eight cities, hospitals, health guidance and counselling, patient care services, three blood centres, Seva Bhavan in Pune, a cerebral palsy development centre, sickle cell and thalassemia projects, an industrial training institute for persons with disabilities, and three district-level disability rehabilitation centres.
