News and Events

New Delhi, 27th April 2024: The Yashraj Bharati Samman (YBS) reconvened its annual celebration for the second year, poised to recognize and honour the selfless endeavours of individuals and organisations dedicated to igniting positive change at the grassroots level across India. After last year’s ceremony at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, this year’s Yashraj Bharati Samman Abhaar Samaroh (Gratitude Ceremony) 2024 took place at the prestigious Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on the April 27th, 2024, Saturday. The event stood as a symbol of gratitude towards those who have tirelessly toiled for the welfare of the society.

The Yashraj Bharati Samman Abhaar Samaroh (Gratitude Ceremony) 2024 was a culmination of a year-round process of assessment of over 300 nominations received in the first round, across three categories: Innovation in Healthcare (IIH), Transforming People’s Lives (TPL) and Ethical Governance (EG). In the second round nominees were contacted for further details on their work. Based on their responses, the process of quantitative assessment in the third round was taken up by a dedicated team of faculty members from Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA); Prof. Harekrishna Mishra (IRMA), Prof. Shyam Singh (IRMA) and Prof. Rakesh Arrawatia (IRMA).

In evaluation round four, dedicated to field assessment, the Expert Jury was divided into three panels, one for each category. For the category of IIH the members of the Expert Jury included Prof. Rakesh Arrawatia (IRMA), Prof M. Sivakami (TISS, Mumbai) and Mr. Syed Raza Haider (founder of Siksha & Kirdar). The Expert Jury in the category of TPL included Prof. Shyam Singh (IRMA) and Mr. Ved Arya (founder of SRIJAN & The Buddha Institute); while, Expert Jury in the category EG included Prof. Harekrishna Mishra (IRMA) and Mr. D.K. Jain (Former Member, Lokpal of India & Former Chief Secretary, Maharashtra). The Grand Jury members in the final round of deliberations included Prof. Ram Charan (global business advisor, author and speaker) and Dr. Govindarajan Padmanaban (renowned biochemist and biotechnologist & former Director of IISc, Bengaluru).

Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Shri Kailash Satyarthi ji (activist & advocate for child’s rights, Founder of Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion) adorned the event with his presence as the Chief Guest providing encouragement to the Grass-root Change Makers of India at the Yashraj Bharati Samman Abhaar Samaroh 2024.

The ceremony was effortlessly conducted by noted anchor journalist and story-teller Mr. Darain Shahidi. Jumbish Arts and Theatre Group opened the evening with a musical performance of Gandhi bhajan “Vaishnav Jan to tene kahiye” along with a live demonstration of khadi thread production on Charkha. The Ceremony also featured a brilliant Bharatanatyam performance by Ms. Shreyasi Gopinath and group curated on the ethos of the Samman. As a token of gratitude, for each category, Samman recipients were presented with the Yashraj Bharati Samman medallion and citation plaque, and a sum of 1 crore 1 lakh rupees for each laureate.

The second annual Yashraj Bharati Samman honoured the following laureates – INNOVATORS IN HEALTH (INDIA) in the category of Innovation in Healthcare; TEACH FOR INDIA (TFI) in the category of Transforming People’s Lives; and ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS (ADR) in the category of Ethical Governance, respectively. (Details in Prerna Patrika)

The Samman Ceremony was followed by the speech of Ms. Deepali Bhanushali. Chairperson (YRF), who invited the Chief Guest for his address. Mr. Satyarthi’s speech was a captivating experience which motivated the audience to continue to work for compassion and positive change. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Mr. D. K. Jain. The Ceremony ended on a patriotic note with the National Anthem.