Biz honcho, sports iconsfeted for doing city proud

Nagpur: “For generations, Indians have loved their tea, a legacy we owe to the British. Now, it’s our turn to introduce them to our beloved ‘Bhujia’ (snacks) and make it a global trend, a perfect pairing for tea enjoyed by every country,” Shivkisan Agrawal, founder of the Haldiram Empire, remarked Sunday at the Nag Bhushan awards ceremony.
Agrawal, whose Haldiram Bhujiawala has blossomed into an international food chain, received the coveted Nag Bhushan award for 2022.The foundation also recognized other exceptional individuals.
Dr Ravindra and Dr Smita Kolhe, renowned social activists and doctors who tirelessly serve tribal communities in Melghat, received the 2023 Nag Bhushan Award.
Jayant Jaiprakash Duble, the Nagpur teenager who holds swimming records and became the second-fastest Palk Strait swimmer, was awarded the Yuva Nag Bhushan for 2022. Archery sensation Ojas Pravin Deotale earned the 2023 Yuva Nag Bhushan. In his absence, his parents accepted the honour.
The ceremony, graced by Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Nag Bhushan Foundation president Ajay Sancheti, was witness to inspiring speeches from the awardees. Nag Bhushan Foundation’s executive president Vilas Kale, secretary Adv Nishant Gandhi, and treasurer Satish Goyal were also present. Gandhi introduced all four awardees in chaste Hindi.
“With marathon swimming now an Olympic sport, my eyes are set on the 2028 games,” declared Jayant. “I’ve already conquered four of the world’s seven straits, and aim to complete the remaining three within two years,” he added. Dr Ravindra Kolhe emphasized on the crucial role of providing healthcare access in remote tribal regions for nation’s holistic development.
Bawankule, acknowledging the significance of preserving these stories, pledged a 20,000 sq ft exhibition hall within the upcoming multistory museum near Koradi Mahalaxmi Mandir. “This hall will serve as a permanent tribute to the remarkable sons and daughters of Nagpur, with character sketches and life stories of all past and future Nag Bhushan awardees immortalized for generations to come,” he affirmed.
The Nag Bhushan Foundation confers Nag Bhushan every year to a personality who created a national and global identity for Nagpur. In 2009, they introduced Yuva Nag Bhushan awards for a young and promising individual from the city in different fields.
Nitin Gadkari, Dr G M Taori, Dr Prakash and Dr Manda Amte, Maruti Chitampalli, Prof Mahesh Elkunchwar, poet Grace, director Raj Kumar Hirani, Adv V R Manohar, Scientist Dr Vijay Bhatkar, Dr Vikas Amte, Devendra Fadnavis, Adv Harish Salve, and Justice (Retd) Sharad Bobde are the few personalities who have received Nag Bhushan till date.