42nd Maharana Mewar Foundation Awards in Udaipur

Udaipur, March 16, 2026 - Continuing the ancient and glorious traditions of Mewar, Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Chairman and Managing Trustee of the Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF), honoured distinguished personalities who uphold human values and talented students representing the future of the nation at the 42nd Maharana Mewar Foundation Awards ceremony in Udaipur.

Dr Lakshyaraj welcomed distinguished guests who arrived from India and abroad by presenting them with floral garlands. Students were the first to be invited to the stage and a total of 81 of them were felicitated.

This year, the international-level Colonel James Tod Award was presented to Dr Molly Emma Aitken of the United States who is a leading scholar of Indian miniature painting traditions, particularly Mewar and Rajput court painting. Her work represents a modern continuation of the historical legacy of Colonel James Tod, who helped bring the culture, history and artistic heritage of Mewar to the global stage.

The national-level Haldighati Award was presented to senior journalist Kamlesh Kishore Singh. Singh has been active in the Indian media industry for more than three decades. His contribution to digital journalism innovation, strengthening Hindi journalism and mentoring the new generation of journalists has been especially significant. His presence as “Tau” in the popular podcast Teen Taal inspires audiences to engage in serious discussions on contemporary issues.

The Hakim Khan Sur Award was presented to Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik, VRC. He is a serving officer in the Indian Air Force and was awarded the Vir Chakra for extraordinary bravery during Operation Sindoor in 2025. Commissioned as a fighter pilot, he is skilled in operating advanced fighter aircraft and is entrusted with critical operational responsibilities.

For outstanding contribution in environmental conservation, Marimuthu Yoganathan, popularly known as the “Tree Man of India,” was honoured with the Maharana Uday Singh Award. While working as a bus conductor with the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in Coimbatore, he has dedicated nearly four decades to tree plantation, environmental awareness and climate protection initiatives. He has planted more than 500,000 trees and continues to inspire others.

The Pannadhay Award, given for going beyond one’s duty, was collectively presented to the dedicated crew members of Jet Airways Flight 9W 569, who successfully managed an emergency childbirth at 35,000 feet in 2017. Crew members Isha Jayakar, Tejas Chavan, Catherine Varshney, Sushmita David and Debora Tavares safely delivered the baby, while Captain Pranav Chhabadia and Captain Martin Fasanek managed the operational aspects in the cockpit. The child, named Jetson, attended the ceremony with his family.

To honour the legacy of the 76th descendant of Mewar, the first Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar Alankaran was presented this year to Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO of The Indian Hotels Company Limited, for his outstanding leadership and contributions to India’s tourism sector.

At the State level, the Maharshi Harit Rashi Award was presented to Vedamurti Devvrat Mahesh Rekhe. The 19-year-old scholar recited the rare Dandakram Vikritipath of the Shukla Yajurveda (Madhyandin branch) from memory for 50 days in Varanasi. He is considered only the second scholar in the world in nearly 200 years to complete the full Dandakram recitation.

The Maharana Mewar Award for lifelong contribution to social upliftment was presented to India’s first transgender woman police sub-inspector K Prithika Yashini and senior journalist Bhuvnesh Jain.

Currently serving as Deputy Editor of the Patrika Group in Jaipur, Jain has been active in print journalism for 41 years, covering politics, society, urban development, crime, education and healthcare. Through editorial leadership roles spanning more than two decades and coverage of SAARC and G-20 summits, he has established a strong national presence.

The Maharana Kumbha Award in the field of Indian culture, literature and history was presented to renowned Hindi and Rajasthani writer Tarun Kumar Dadhich of Udaipur.

The Maharana Sajjan Singh Award in Fine Arts was presented to internationally acclaimed sand artist Ajay Rawat, founder of the National Sand Art Park in Pushkar. His creations include a 51-foot sand sculpture of Maharana Pratap.

In music, the Dagar Gharana Award was presented to Padma Vibhushan awardee and renowned Hindustani classical flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.

For the upliftment of tribal communities, the Rana Poonja Award was presented to Mandana artist Dimple Chandat, who is dedicated to preserving and documenting tribal Mandana art.

In the sports category, the Aravali Award was presented to Ram Ratan Jat and Avani Lekhara. Jat, a Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, is a globally recognised 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.

Despite suffering a severe spinal cord injury, Lekhara has achieved international success in para shooting. At the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, she won gold in the 10-metre air rifle event and bronze in the 50-metre rifle 3-position event, becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals in a single Paralympics. She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.

This year, the Maharana Mewar Special State Award was presented to Suratgarh City Police Station, recognised as the best police station in Rajasthan, and to Rajesh Vaishnav of Udaipur for preserving Mewar’s 500-year-old sacred Jal Sanjhi tradition.

Earlier, the ceremony began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and floral tributes to Lord Eklingnath Ji and Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar, the founder of the foundation.

Dr Lakshyaraj recalled the values of his father Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar and said that as the 77th Diwan of Shri Eklingji, he is committed to carrying forward Mewar’s glorious traditions inspired by his father.

To preserve his father’s legacy and ideals, Dr Lakshyaraj also announced the new national honour - Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar Alankaran.

The ceremony concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Mohalakshika Kumari Mewar. The event was hosted by Gopal Soni and Rupa Chakravarti.

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