To recognize & felicitate the unflinching bravery of the unsung heroes of Maharashtra and celebrate the 72nd Republic Day of India, ABP Majha, organised ‘Shourya Puraskar’, a prestigious award show and it took place at ITC Maratha, Mumbai. ABP Majha telecasted it on 26th January 2021.
ABP Majha’s aim was to recognise the courageous deeds and mettlesome spirit of the brave-hearts of the state with a heartfelt motto – ‘We don’t know them all, but we owe them all’, through this special ceremony.
Honourable dignitaries such as Urmila Matondkar (Actress & Politician), Anil Vasantrao Deshmukh (Home Minister of the State of Maharashtra) and Riteish Deshmukh (Indian Film Actor) were present in the award show.
The following are the brave-hearts who were awarded as a part of this initiative:
- Kanta Murti Kalan- Displaying unflinching determination was this 50-year-old woman who stood for hours near an open manhole alerting people, on a waterlogged road in Matunga to ensure that no one falls into the manhole
- Nitin Nagothkar– Nitin Nagothkar tirelessly performed his duties with utmost dedication at the time of COVID-19, when workers at the crematorium were overwhelmed emotionally and physiologically.
- Lata Bansode– Lata Bansode who is an MH security force female officer, saved the life of a man from being run over by a train at Grant Road railway station along with the help of civilians. Her bravery and spontaneous action was exemplary.
- Sanjay Chowgale – This highway traffic policeman intervened and acted quickly which prevented a major mishap. He climbed onto a moving gas tanker and brought it under control after its driver fell unconscious at the wheel.
- Naveed Duste– This lion-heart lost his leg while he was rescuing the lives of 30 people in the Raigad building collapse.
- Sanjana Jethu Rao – Hailing from Karhe Talavali of Vikramgadh area in Palghar, this fourteen-year-old saved the life of a girl who had fallen into a 20-feet-deep well of the village while drawing water.
- Garjabai Ramdas Kasar – This 60-year-old grandmother in Nashik after being bitten by a leopard bravely rescued her grandson from the clutches of a leopard and also saved the leopard.
- Kishore Lokhande – Along with saving many lives by helping the rescue team round the clock, this 24-year-old from Patoda in the Beed district of Marathwada, participated in the operation that went on for over 40 hours after the incident of the Raigad Building collapse. He manned the Poclain machine to remove debris from the site to find bodies from the rubble.
On this heartfelt initiative, Mr. Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network said, “Promoting, inspiring, and rewarding valiance and mettlesome spirit is an integral part of our organization. Shourya Puraskar is a special initiative dedicated to lauding the courage & heroism of the common man in the face of risk or crisis. Such extra-ordinary acts of bravery need to be remembered and etched in the history of our nation. We hope our initiative will light up the spirits of these heroes and also inspire other citizens to become resilient individuals.”
