Maharashtra Bhushan MaTaa Sanmaan for playback singer Suman Kalyanpur

MUMBAI: Playback singer Suman Kalyanpur, classical singer Mahesh Kale and organic farming exponent Rahibai Popere were presented the Maharashtra Times Maharashtra Bhushan MaTaa Sanmaan Puraskar, MaTaa Youth Icon and MaTaa Vasundhara Sathi Sanmaan awards, respectively, at the star-studded event 'PNG Presents MaTaa Sanman 2024 Powered by Saraswat Bank, Co-Powered by CIDCO' on Thursday.

The event was held at Mukesh Patel Auditorium, NMIMS, in Vile Parle in the evening. CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis felicitated Kalyanpur, Kale and Popere.

Artists, writers and technicians from the Marathi entertainment industry were awarded MaTaa Sanman in different categories. The awards were given for film, theatre, small screen and web series categories. It was the 24th year of the awards.

Film personalities Tamanna Bhatia, Kartik Aryan, Bhagyashri Patwardhan, Saiyami Kher and Ankita Lokhande were presented with a special appreciation award.

Kalyanpur (87), a Padma Bhushan awardee, has lent her melodious voice to songs in 13 languages in her seven-decade journey. She said she was grateful to her fans.

Youth Icon awardee Kale (48) has fans and students across the world and age groups. Kale promised to continue to take Indian classical music across the world.

"One cannot purchase or create a heritage. It must be conserved carefully. Reaching out to the next generation through music is very satisfactory," he said.

'Seed Mother' Rahibai Popere (59), a Padma Shri awardee known for her work in organic farming and seed bank creation, was the cynosure of all eyes as a special documentary depicting her work was shown at the function. She won the hearts of all those present with her speech. She asked govt and the people to go for chemical-free farming.

Maharashtra Times editor Parag Karandikar welcomed the dignitaries at the function. Film and entertainment industry personalities Mahesh Manjrekar, Ishita Arun, Subodh Bhave, Swapnil Joshi, Sonali Kulkarni and Rajeshwari Sachdev, among others, were present at the function anchored by actors Siddharth Chandekar and Gautami Deshpande.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.