Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai, April 16: The Maharashtra Bhushan Award was conferred to social activist and spiritual leader Dattatreya Narayan, also known by his stage name Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, on Sunday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who stated the social service traditions being passed down from one generation to the next is very rare.
The massive event, which was hosted on a large 306-acre venue in the Kharghar neighbourhood of Raigad district, was attended by lakhs of Dharmadhikari followers.
The activist, dignitaries seated on the dais, and other attendees were showered with flower petals from a helicopter.
Due to his efforts throughout the state to plant trees, organise blood drives, hold medical clinics, and treat addiction in tribal communities, Dharmadhikari earns a huge following.
For Shree Sadasya (Dharmadhikari’s organisation) supporters to see the event, the ground was crowded with people and furnished with audio/video equipment.
When the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition took office in 1995, the Maharashtra Bhushan award came into being.
Dharmadhikari received the honour from Union Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, who also gave him a 10-foot garland of flowers, a shawl, a citation, a memento, and a cheque of Rs 25 lakh.
Dharmadhikari stated that the Rs 25 lakh handed to him, will be contributed to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister, and Union minister Kapil Patil, were all present on the occasion.
“I have been a student of history. I have seen certain families doing good in academics, while others are good in business acumen from one generation to the next. But in Appasaheb Dharmadhikari and his father late Nanasaheb, I saw a very rare flow of tradition of social service being passed on from one generation to the next,” Shah said.
“Maharashtra has shown three major streams. One that started with Shivaji Maharaj and was taken further by V D Savarkar, Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Chapekar brothers and Lokmanya Tilak who believed in sacrificing life for the service of the nation,” he said.
“The (second) Bhakti movement started with seer Ramdas, was followed by Tukaram Maharaj and continued by Namdev. The third movement is found in a few states which focus on social services. It started with Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and the mantle was carried forward by Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari and his son Appasaheb,” added Amit Shah.
An award is always significant, according to Dharmadhikari, and indicates that the work has been valued.
“Irrespective of whether people are around or not, the work (which his organisation is doing) will continue. The work is supreme and will continue for ever. Our efforts are to inculcate the importance of humanity in the hearts of everyone,” Dharmadhikari said.
“When the work (of the organisation) was started way back in 1943, many wanted the work to be started from urban areas, but we felt otherwise and launched it from villagers and we see the results now,” he said.
