Team Goemkarponn
Ponda: The Sanatan Sanstha conferred the ‘Hindu Rashtra Ratna’ and ‘Sanatan Dharma Shree’ awards on 24 distinguished individuals during the ‘Sanatan Rashtra Shankhnaad Mahotsav’ held on May 18, marking the 83rd birth anniversary of its founder, Sachchidananda Parabrahman Dr. Jayant Balaji Athavale.
The awards were presented in recognition of significant contributions to the promotion and preservation of Hindu Dharma and national values. The three-day event, held at Sachchidananda Parabrahman Dr. Athavale Nagari in Ponda, saw the participation of over 20,000 devotees and seekers from 23 countries.
Four individuals received the prestigious ‘Hindu Rashtra Ratna’ award:
Acharya Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid (Uttar Pradesh), a renowned Vedic scholar.
Advocate Rabindra Ghosh, founder of Bangladesh Minority Watch, known for championing the rights of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.
Panchashilpakar Kashinath Kavatekar (Karnataka), acclaimed for his craftsmanship in traditional Hindu temple architecture.
Dr. Sachchidanand Shevade (Mumbai), a respected orator on Hindu philosophy.
Additionally, 20 individuals were honored with the ‘Sanatan Dharma Shree’ award for their service in various spheres related to dharmic, legal, cultural, and nationalist causes:
T. Raja Singh, MLA from Hyderabad.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, Supreme Court lawyer, active in temple-related legal cases.
Acharya Yogeshwar Borkar, Vedic scholar from Goa.
Dr. Devadatta Patil, Pandit Mahamahopadhyay from Goa.
Shri Pramod Muthalik, founder of Shri Ram Sena.
Shri Chakravarti Sulibele, youth mentor from Karnataka.
Dr. Suresh Chavhanke, Chief Editor, Sudarshan News.
Captain Praveen Chaturvedi, founder of Prachyam.
Shri Arjun Sampath, founder of Hindu Makkal Katchi.
Shri Uday Mahurkar, cultural preservationist with Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation.
Advocate Arun Shyamji, former Additional Advocate General, Karnataka.
Dr. Koenraad Elst, author and scholar from Belgium.
Shri Anil Kumar Dhir, INTACH, Odisha.
Shri Sanjeev Newar, founder of Agni Samaj.
Shri Rahul Diwan, founder of Saryu Trust.
Shri Neeraj Atri, nationalist educationist from Haryana.
Dr. Amit Thadani, surgeon and author from Mumbai.
Ras Acharya Pujya Dharmayashji Maharaj, Dharmasthapanam Foundation, Bali, Indonesia.
Major (Retd.) Gaurav Arya, Editor-in-Chief, Chanakya Forum.
Shri Prabal Pratapsingh Judev, conservationist and Hindu leader from Chhattisgarh.
Spiritual leaders Shrisatshakti (Mrs.) Binda Singbal and Shrichitshakti (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil, successors of Dr. Athavale, graced the occasion and extended their blessings to the awardees.
Speaking at the event, Chetan Rajhans, national spokesperson for Sanatan Sanstha, underscored the need for recognizing those committed to Hindu Dharma. “While the government honors achievers in various fields through Padma Awards, there remains a void in acknowledging those devoted entirely to Dharma. These awards aim to fill that gap and will now be conferred annually on Dr. Athavale’s birth anniversary,” he stated.
