Jaipur, 28 October. The prestigious annual award ceremony, ‘Sawai Jaipur Awards 2024’ was organised at Pritam Chowk of City Palace today evening to commemorate the birth anniversary of His Highness Brigadier Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, MVC of Jaipur. The programme commenced with the arrival of Deputy Chief Minister and member of the erstwhile royal family, Ms. Diya Kumari, alongside the Chairman of the MSMS II Museum, His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh, Princess Gauravi Kumari and esteemed religious leaders who took their places on stage. To inaugurate the event, garlands were respectfully placed on a portrait of Shri Govind Dev Ji, followed by the ceremonial lighting of lamps. A tribute was then paid to the late Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, with a garland placed upon his portrait. After offering respects to the religious leaders and receiving their blessings, the award ceremony formally began. The awards were presented under the aegis of Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II Museum Trust in 25 different categories, including service to humanity, heritage conservation, medical science, traditional crafts, etc. The awards consisted of Rs. 31,000 cash, a shawl, a ‘Ganga Jali’, a citation and a ‘Shrifal’.
For the first time this year, a Keynote Address on the topic “The Cultural Continuum: From Being to Belonging” was delivered by the Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Ms. Mugdha Sinha. She was also the recipient of the award, ‘Raja Kakil Dev Award – for pioneering work in the field of culture’. On the occasion, she said: “This recognition coincides with the completion of my silver jubilee in the Indian Administrative Service, and strengthens my resolve to continue to strive for creating a culture of excellence in public service”.
She looked back at the journey of becoming a Civil Servant in 1999, which was a milestone year as it stood at the cusp of a millennial transition. She underlined her work at the helm of culture in the State of Rajasthan and as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. She also highlighted how in the past 25 years, the understanding of culture evolved and now it has become the mainstay. She also emphasised that today is a world of start-ups and unicorns, which epitomises learning from failures to surpass resilience.
Later, the Commanding Officer of 17 Rajputana Rifles (Sawai Man Guards), Col Deb Chandan Das and Subedar Maj Gurdyal Singh presented a painting of the occupation of ‘Ledi Galli’ after an operation by the battalion.
The awards were presented for outstanding work in various fields at the ceremony, which were as follows – Raja Dulha Rai Award for social work (Muskaan Foundation); Raja Kakil Dev Award for pioneering work in field of culture (Ms Mugdha Sinha); Raja Pajvan Dev Award for Excellence in the field of Medicine (Dr M L Swarnkar); Raja Bhagwant Das Award for Excellence in Traditional Crafts of Jaipur (Ms Gulrukh Sultana); Raja Mansingh I Award for Bravery (Rifleman Mohit Rathour (Posthumous); Mirza Raja Jai Singh I Award for distinguished service in the armed forces (Major General Anuj Mathur, VSM); Mirza Raja Ram Singh I Award for Excellence in Ecological Balancing and Improvement in Environment (Dr. Rajendra Singh); Maharaja Vishan Singh Award for Excellence in Travel and Tourism (Banyan Tours); Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II Award for Excellence in the field of Astronomy and sciences (Mr Sandip Bhattacharya); Maharaja Sawai Ishwari Singh Award for Excellence in the field of Journalism (Mr Shrikant Tripathi); Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I Award for Excellence in Public Service and Philanthrophy (Mr D.B. Gupta); Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh Award for Excellence in the field of Literature and Education (Mr Ankur Mishra); Maharaja Sawai Jagat Singh Award for Excellence in Art, Painting and Sculpture (Mr Tarun Raj Panchal); HH Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II Award for Excellence in the field of Photography (Mr Tikam Chand) and HH Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II Award for Excellence in the field of Theatre, Film and Television (Mr Subbiah Nallamuthu).
The other awards given are as follows – HH Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Award for Excellence in the Field of Sports (Ms. Mona Aggarwal); HH Maharani Marudhar Kanwar Award for Excellence in services in MSMS II Museum Trust and JPCT (Mr. Gulab Singh); HH Maharani Kishore Kanwar Award for excellence in Performing Art (Mr. Dilip Bhatt); HH Rajmata Gayatri Devi Award for Women’s Excellence (Ms. Sunita Shekhawat); HH Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh Award for Excellence in the field of Business and Industry (Mr. Sanjay Agarwal); HH Rajmata Padmini Devi Award for Loyal & Disciplined Services to the Royal Family of Jaipur (Mr. Mahendra Singh Rajawat); Princess Diya Kumari Award for Achiever in any field (Ms. Mitali Soni); HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh Award for Excellence in the Preservation of Heritage and Architecture (Ms. A. Vijaya); Rajkumari Gauravi Kumari Award for person or organisation with exemplary achievement in start-up, innovation or invention with great social impact (Mr. Rajat Agarwal) and HH Maharaja Lakshraj Prakash of Sirmaur Award for outstanding achievement in any field (Mr. Sahasransh Singh).
