Udaipur, March 15, 2026 (Daily Kiran): Carrying forward the glorious traditions of Mewar, Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation Chairman and Managing Trustee Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar honoured distinguished personalities representing human values and promising students at the foundation’s 42nd award ceremony.
The ceremony began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp on stage and floral tributes to Lord Eklingnathji and the foundation’s founder Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar.
During the event, Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar became emotional while remembering his father Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar. As the 77th Shree Ekling Diwan, he pledged to continue the legacy and values of Mewar inspired by his father’s ideals. On the occasion, he also announced a new national-level honour named “Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar Alankaran” in memory of his father.
Distinguished guests who had arrived from India and abroad were welcomed with floral garlands. The ceremony first honoured students, where a total of 81 students were felicitated. Guests present at the venue stood up and applauded the students to encourage them.
This year, the international Colonel James Tod Award was presented to Dr. Molly Emma Aitkin from the United States. She is a leading scholar of Indian miniature painting traditions, particularly Mewar and Rajput court paintings. Her work represents a modern extension of the historic legacy associated with Colonel James Tod in presenting Mewar’s culture, history, and artistic heritage to the world.
At the national level, the Haldighati Award was presented to senior journalist Kamlesh Kishore Singh, who has been active in the Indian media industry for three decades. His contribution to digital journalism innovation, strengthening Hindi journalism, and guiding young journalists was recognised.
The Hakim Khan Sur Award was conferred upon Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik, VRC. A serving officer and fighter pilot, he was awarded the Vir Chakra for displaying exceptional bravery during Operation Sindoor in 2025. He hails from Keikhu village in Imphal East district of Manipur.
For outstanding contribution in environmental conservation, Marimuthu Yoganathan, widely known as the “Tree Man of India,” was honoured with the Maharana Uday Singh Award. Working as a bus conductor with the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in Coimbatore, he has spent nearly four decades promoting tree plantation, environmental awareness, and climate protection, planting more than five lakh trees.
The Pannadhay Award, given for extraordinary work beyond the call of duty, was jointly presented to the crew members of Jet Airways flight 9W 569 for successfully assisting an emergency childbirth at an altitude of 35,000 feet in 2017. The crew members honoured included Isha Jaykar, Tejas Chavan, Catherine Varshney, Sushmita David, and Deborah Tavares, while Captain Pranav Chhabadia and Captain Martin Fasanek managed the flight operations during the situation. The child born during the flight, named Jetson, was also present at the ceremony with his family.
The first “Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar Alankaran” was awarded to Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Indian Hotels Company Limited, for his leadership and contribution to India’s tourism sector.
At the state level, Vedmurti Devvrat Mahesh Rekhe received the Maharshi Harit Rashi Award. At the age of 19, he completed the rare Dandkram recitation of the Shukla Yajurveda (Madhyandin branch) from memory over 50 days in Varanasi, becoming the second scholar in nearly 200 years to complete the full recitation.
The Maharana Mewar Award was presented to India’s first transgender woman police sub-inspector K. Prithika Yashini and senior journalist Bhuvnesh Jain for their contributions to social, educational, and moral upliftment.
The Maharana Kumbha Award in the fields of culture, literature, and history was presented to noted Hindi and Rajasthani writer Tarun Kumar Dadhich from Udaipur.
Internationally renowned sand artist Ajay Rawat received the Maharana Sajjan Singh Award in the field of fine arts. He is the founder of the National Sand Art Park in Pushkar and is known for creating large-scale sand sculptures, including a 51-foot statue of Maharana Pratap.
The Dagar Gharana Award in music was presented to Padma Vibhushan awardee and renowned Hindustani classical flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Mandana artist Dimple Chandat received the Rana Punja Award for her work in preserving and documenting tribal Mandana art traditions.
The Aravali Award for sports was presented to Ram Ratan Jat and Avani Lekhara. Ram Ratan Jat, a Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, is an ultra-marathon runner who completed the 135-mile “World’s Toughest Footrace” in California and set a Guinness World Record by running 4,280.1 km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 52 days.
Paralympic shooter Avani Lekhara, despite a severe spinal cord injury, achieved international recognition by winning a gold medal in the 10 metre air rifle event and a bronze medal in the 50 metre rifle three positions event at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals in a single Paralympics.
The state-level Maharana Mewar Special Award was presented to Suratgarh City Police Station for being recognised as Rajasthan’s best police station and to Rajesh Vaishnav from Udaipur for preserving the 500-year-old sacred Jal Sanjhi tradition of Mewar.
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks by Mohalakshika Kumari Mewar. The programme was conducted by Gopal Soni in Hindi and Rupa Chakravarti in English.
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