Anup Jalota: Receiving an award in the name of legendary Mahendra Kapoor is a great honour, his songs inspire youngsters even today

It was interesting how eminent personalities from fields of entertainment, music, social work, and administration were recognised and awarded at India’s Talent Samman Forum (ITSF) organized by Dattatraya Mane at Y.B. Chavan Auditorium, in Mumbai. Maharashtra Industry Minister Uday Samant, along with other celebs including Mahesh Manjrekar, Sudesh Bhosale, Anup Jalota, Indian Idol singer Mohammad Faiz, Ayaan Khan, Vindu Dara Singh, Harshdeep Kaur, Divyanka Tripathi, Usha Nadkarni, Niketan Dheer, Dr. Nitin Dange (Neurosurgeon), Dr. Prashant Rasal (Stroke Specialist), Joint Commissioner of Urban Development Pankaj Devre, Additional Collector of Mumbai Suburbs, Kumarr from Studio Refuel, IAS Suraj Mandhare (Vice President and MD, MSRDC), Agriculture Commissioner, and guests Ruhan Kapoor and Sidhant Kapoor were present.
Bhajan maestro and Padma Shri awardee Anup Jalota received the prestigious Padma Shri Mahendra Kapoor Award. He said, “Receiving an award in the name of Mahendra Kapoor is a matter of great honour. His songs inspire youngsters even today. His songs are embedded in the hearts of Indians and evoke deep devotion.” Ruhan Kapoor, son of the legendary Mahendra Kapoor, shared, “When the award in my father’s name was being planned, I was nervous, but now I feel a great pride and honour.”
In an earlier interview with BT, Anup Jalota shared, "I do feel that youngsters should understand the depth of devotional music. Having said that I have observed many youngsters enjoy songs like Achyutam Keshavam and Lagi Lagan on their phones. Even in reality shows I hear youngsters singing many devotional songs but you won't get legendary singers like Lata Mangeshkar or Mohammed Rafi if they don't take proper training in classical music."