Pune Prarthana Samaj's Annual Festival: Stepping into its 155th Year

Prataprao Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group, to Receive the Mahrshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde Award

Pune: On December 4, 2024, Pune Prarthana Samaj will complete 154 years of its establishment. On this occasion, various awards will be presented as part of the organization's annual festival. The award ceremony will take place at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at the Navalmal Firodia Auditorium of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. This year, the prestigious awards will be presented to Prataprao Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group, environmental expert Kiran Purandare, and the ‘Apla Ghar’ organization. This was announced by Dr. Dilip Jog, the secretary of the institution, during a press conference.

Present at the conference were Pune Prarthana Samaj's treasurer, Prashant Padve. The awards will be presented by Dr. G.B. Deglurkar, former Vice-Chancellor of Deccan College.

Award Details:

Kiran Purandare, founder of Nisarga Vedh, will be honored with the Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar Award for his significant contributions to environmental conservation, raising awareness about environmental issues, and his work in bird watching.
Prataprao Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group, will be honored with the Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde Award for his long-standing and valuable contributions across various sectors for the betterment of society.
The organization 'Apla Ghar, Pune' has been selected for the Davida Roberts Award for its 20 years of dedicated service in the education, skill development, and healthcare of orphaned children.
Each award includes a certificate, a plaque, and a cash prize of ₹25,000.

Other Events:

December 1, 2024: A Diwali Festival will be celebrated at 6:00 PM at Hari Mandir, Budhwar Peth, Pune Prarthana Samaj.
December 1, 2024: Brahmopasana will be conducted at 7:00 PM.
December 7, 2024: Under the 'Yuvak Mela' program, a lecture on ‘Introduction to Prarthana Samaj’ will be delivered by historian Prof. Dr. Raja Dixit at 4:30 PM, followed by a lecture by IT expert Yogendra Dharmadhikari on ‘We Are All One’. Dr. Mahesh Thakur, director of Karve Samaj Seva Sanstha, will be the chief guest, stated a press release.