Divya Agarwal
Former CJI Uday Lalit confers the Suryadatta National Awards
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 27: Honouring individuals from diverse fields on a common platform is an effective way of social enlightenment, former Chief Justice of India Uday U. Lalit said. He noted that the presence of achievers from performing arts, sports, science, economics, accounting, and public administration made the programme multidimensional and deeply inspiring.
Honble Lalit was speaking at the Suryadatta National Awards Ceremony organised on the occasion of the 28th foundation day of the Suryadatta Group of Institutes, run by the Suryadatta Education Foundation. The event was held at Buntara Bhavan in Baner.
The ceremony was attended by former Chief Election Commissioner T. S. Krishnamurthy, former BJP national vice-president Shyam Jaju, Air Marshal (retd) Bhushan Gokhale, MIT dean Prof. Dr Sharadchandra Darade, Suryadatta Education Foundation Founder President & Chairman Prof. Dr Sanjay B. Chordiya, Vice- PresidentSushama Chordiya, Associate Vice- President Snehal Navalakha & Kimaya Gandhi, COO Akshit Kushal, and chief development officer Siddhant Chordiya, among others.
Padma Shri Param Pujya Acharya Dr Chandnaji Maharaj (Tai Maa) was conferred with the ‘Suryadatta Global Peace Gandhian Philosophy Award 2026.’
The Suryadatta National Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to former CJI Uday Lalit, veteran actor Padma Shri Ashok Saraf, laughter yoga movement pioneer Vitthal Kate, former IAS officer Shekhar Gaikwad, actor Rakesh Bedi, builder VilaskumarPalresha, director Subhash Sehgal, educationist Ashokkumar Thakur, scientist Dr Anand Bhadalkar, legal expert Adv Pramod Adkar, litterateur Prof Surekha Kataria, entrepreneur Prakash Gandhi, and global strategist Sanjay Puri.
The Suryadatta National Awards were conferred on Mahesh Suryavanshi of Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust, yoga guru Dr Krishnadev Giri, actor and stand-up comedian Upasana Singh, Indian chess Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte, Supreme Court advocate Ashutosh Shrivastava, social activist Dr Surendra Kumari, yoga trainer Rakhi Gugale, space scientist Dr Kanak Saha, flautist Paras Nath, Global Youth Ambassador Darasing Khurana, Dr Pramod Tripathi, and mountaineer Ashish Mane.
Chartered accountant Mohit Dhand, singers Preeti Dave and Pinky Dave, and swimmer Hatvi Shah received the Suryadatta National Young Achiever Award.
Master Rishi Shiv Prasanna and Master Raghav Malpani were honoured with the Suryadatta Little Master National Award.
Addressing the audience, Honble Shri Uday Lalit said every young person questions whether they will succeed, but self-belief, consistent hard work, and excellence lead to achievement. Highlighting India’s demographic dividend, he said that citizens under 35 constitute a significant portion of the population, and nurturing this human resource is a major nation-building task. He lauded the Chordiya couple for effectively promoting quality standards and value-based education through the Suryadatta Foundation.
Padma Shri Ashok Saraf said recognising achievers from varied fields and presenting them as role models before society was an inspiring initiative. He expressed gratitude to audiences for their continued encouragement, which, he said, fuels creative energy and commitment.
In his introductory address, Prof. Dr Sanjay B. Chordiya said Suryadatta has emphasised holistic student development and value-based education since its inception. Role models from society are introduced to students to help shape responsible Indian citizens, he said.
Air Marshal (retd) Bhushan Gokhale stressed the importance of staying connected to one’s roots despite professional success and praised the Suryadatta family for balancing education with social responsibility.
Prof. Dr Sharadchandra Darade also lauded the institution’s progress. The programme was compered by Shweta Rathod and Sandeep Patil, while Sushama Chordiya delivered the vote of thanks.
Also, On the occasion of Suryadatta’s 28th Foundation Day, Suryadatta Group of Institutes, Pune, conferred the ‘Suryadatta Global Lifetime Achievement Award and ‘Global Peace Ambassador Award – 2026’ upon Prem AvataarMaitreya Dadashreeji: The Saint of Modern India at Karjat. He was honoured in recognition of being a Global Humanitarian, Transformation Pioneer and Social Reformer, connecting entire humanity as One World One Family.
Additionally, internationally renowned celebrity chef Vikas Khanna was honoured with the ‘Suryadatta National Award for Excellence in the Field of Global Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts’ at Mumbai.
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