JAMMU: In a grand tribute to Maharaja Hari Singh, the 129th birth anniversary of the last reigning monarch of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir was commemorated with great reverence and enthusiasm on Monday at Hari Niwas.The event was organized by the Founder Members of the Maharaja Hari Singh Social and Educational Foundation (MHSSEF)- Ajatshatru Singh, Dr. Ritu Singh, Ranvijay Singh, and Adishree Singh.The ceremony commenced with a traditional Paakh by Asha Kesari, followed by the chanting of shlokas and the offering of floral tributes to Maharaja Hari Singh, creating an ambience of respect and tradition.On this auspicious occasion, the Awards for Excellence 2024-25 were conferred upon 23 distinguished personalities in recognition of their significant contributions across various fields in Jammu & Kashmir.The awards were presented by Dr. Ritu Singh, Founder Trustee of MHSSEF. The distinguished awardees included Dr. Shakti Kumar Gupta (Executive Director & CEO, AIIMS Jammu), Manoj Singh Gaur (Director, IIT Jammu), Padma Shri Mohan Singh (Writer and Theatre Artist), Prof. B. S. Sahay (Director, IIM Jammu), Dr. Zabeer Ahmed (Director, IIIM Jammu), Prof. Umesh Rai (VC, University of Jammu), Seema Khajooria Shekher (Senior Advocate), Pranav Kohli (Lawyer), Baldev Prakash (MD & CEO, J&K Bank), Anil Tickoo (Stage Actor), Sonali Dogra (Folk Singer), Seema Murthy (Chief Editor, Greater Jammu), Sunny Dua (Senior Journalist, Daily Excelsior), Lalit Sharma (Founder & Director, International Dogra Society), Pooja Gupta (Nimbark Organics), Vikas Padha (Senior Consultant Orthopaedic), Dr. Ravender Kumar Tickoo (Principal, GCW Jammu), Dr. Preety Dubey (Assistant Professor, GCW Jammu), Dr. Varinder Sharma (Consultant Sonologist), Deepali Arora (Advocate), Harvinder Kour(JKAS,Secretary).

Their outstanding achievements were met with admiration and applause from the audience. Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar, both International Para-Archers, were also conferred the Awards of Excellence virtually. Their coach, Abhilasha Chaudhary, was lauded for her commendable guidance in shaping these athletes into world-class competitors.Dr. Ritu Singh also announced the upcoming launch of a legal-aid service, ‘Dastoor’, aimed at providing pro bono legal aid to the underprivileged people from rural, remote, and border areas of Jammu.
The core team members of Dastoor, including Swati Dedeechi, Mitali Gupta, Ankita Bansal, along with CA Ayush Sawhney, Adv. Naman Suri, Adv. Amandeep Jamwal, Adv. Vijayandra Slathia, Adv. Sugandh Gandotra, Adv. Vidushi Singh, and Adv. Uma Kapahi, were felicitated for their contributions to this noble cause.Dr. Singh also felicitated the following individuals for their commendable contributions in various fields: Shailja Mahajan, Dr. Sandeep, Sonam Reen, Sumit Reen, Vanita Thakur, Payal Saraf, Tania Kukreja, Archit Puri, Kamakshi Dewan, Sanah Malhotra, Pooja Gandotra, Renuka Modi, Winnie Singh, Pooja Puri, Raman Gupta, Chandani Kapur, Geetanjali Mahajan, Rajni Sehgal, Mona Saraf, Shveta Aggarwal, Amar Chauhan, Vanita Thakur and media persons.Their work spans across diverse sectors, including entrepreneurship, business, design, services, and education, all of which were duly acknowledged and appreciated.Dr. Ritu Singh also acknowledged the contributions of the three DPS schools of Jammu, Katra, and Nagbani, appreciating their hard work and alignment with Maharaja Hari Singh’s vision for holistic education and community service.
In her address, Dr. Ritu Singh highlighted Maharaja Hari Singh’s progressive reforms and his visionary leadership. She emphasized the ethos and functioning of the Maharaja Hari Singh Foundation, which continues to operate based on his timeless values and principles.

Adding to the celebration of Dogri culture, Sonali Dogra mesmerized the audience with her soul-stirring Dogri folk music, followed by a traditional Dogri folk performance by students from the Government Art and Cultural Academy, Jammu.The event was a fitting tribute to the great leader, reminding all present of his profound contributions to the social, cultural, and political landscape of Jammu & Kashmir. The ceremony was graced by an illustrious gathering of business entrepreneurs, educationists, health professionals, senior writers, journalists, and cultural artists from across the region.Ranvijay Singh and Adishree Singh concluded the ceremony by expressing their gratitude to the awardees and proposed the idea of having these esteemed individuals mentor students from the three DPS schools, government schools, and underprivileged communities, fostering the next generation of leaders and innovators.