[From left to right, Aarti Surendranath, Sanjay Dalmia, Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, Radhika Raje Gaekwad and Jai Madaan.]
Mumbai: Sanjay Dalmia, Industrialist and Philanthropist, through his NGO Bharat Maa Shaheed Samman Trust, felicitated an evening to honour Marathas and accomplished Maharashtrians at The Rooftop, Trident in Mumbai recently.
Amongst people who were honoured were Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad of Baroda, Maharani Radhika Raje Gaekwad of Baroda, Uday Mahurkar, Vijayendra Ghatge, Ujjwala Raut and Nachiket Barve. Late Smt Kishori Amonkar and Late Shri Bhimsen Joshi were posthumously remembered and honoured at the evening.
Sanjay Dalmia shared his opinion about Maharashtra and its people.
“We all know Marathas were great warriors and rulers, Chattrapati Shivaji being the greatest of all. There is much more to Marathas and Maharashtrian achievements which not everyone knows. They are genius who have created milestones in various subjects including art, culture, politics, science etc", he said.
Dalmia also highlighted that the first plane was created and flown by an Indian pioneer Shivkar Bapuji Talpade, a Maharashtrian at Chowpatty several years before Wright Brothers.
Chief Guest Shaina NC, in his speech said, “While people from Maharashtra have been making the nation proud by creating excellence in various walks of life, we must also acknowledge that some of the best politicians of India have been from Maharashtra.”
The evening was attended by well known personalities of Mumbai and Royal families including Rouble Nagi, Bina and Talat Aziz, Poonam Dhillon, Nachiket Barve, Nisha Jamwal, James Ferreira, Pallavi Jaikishan, Princess Krishna Kumari of Panna, Brazilian Console, Rashmi Jolly, Lerato Mashile, Consulate General of the Republic of South Africa, Asad Lalji, Jamini Ahluwalia, Nazneen Bedi, Arzaan and Khushnuma Khambatta, Radhika Seksaria, Leena Singh, Seema and Jaideep Mehrotra and many others.