Lucknow: The Durga Swaroopa Foundation organised the ‘Durga Swaroopa Samman Samaroh 2026’ at the Urdu Academy in Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar, honouring 13 distinguished personalities for their contributions to sports, literature, art, culture and social service.
The ceremony was inaugurated by chief guest social worker Namrata Pathak, special guest social worker Bindu Bora, Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission Vice-Chairperson Aparna Yadav and BJP leader Santosh Srivastava, among other dignitaries, by lighting the ceremonial lamp. Foundation Secretary Ragini Srivastava and President Prashant Singh welcomed and honoured the guests.
Speaking on the occasion, Aparna Yadav said recognition for meaningful work encourages individuals to continue contributing to society. She highlighted the importance of appreciation and positive encouragement in strengthening a sense of service and social responsibility.
Olympic hockey players Sujeet Kumar Srivastava and Danish Mujtaba, along with national and international-level sportspersons, were among those honoured.
The sports awardees included national swimmer Pushpa Mishra, Olympian hockey player Sujeet Kumar Srivastava, international athlete Vimla Singh, national table tennis player Shivanshi Joshi and Olympian hockey player Danish Mujtaba.
In literature, the awardees included Dr Ram Bahadur Mishra, editor of Awadh Jyoti; poet and writer Ravish Pandey; and Dr Atma Prakash Mishra, Joint Director at Doordarshan. The art and culture category featured folk singer and poet Kusum Verma, folk singer and poet Shiv Pujan Shukla, theatre director and screenwriter Vinod Mishra, and anchor and actor Dr Anita Sehgal.
Social worker Dr Kamini Singh, popularly known as ‘Lady Moringa’, was also honoured for her contribution to social service.
Eleven officers and personnel of the Uttar Pradesh Fire Services were presented the ‘Durga Swaroopa Agni Yoddha Samman’ for their role in public safety and service.
The foundation also presented ‘Guru Samman’ to 20 teachers and ‘Chhatra Veer Samman’ to 20 outstanding and talented students. Teachers, students and parents attended the event.
Foundation Secretary Ragini Srivastava said the organisation aims to work continuously in education, healthcare, environment and social service while recognising individuals whose contributions provide direction and inspiration to society.
Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh, BJP MLC Pawan Singh Chauhan, Ronnie Shah, Rashmi Pathak, Abbas Rizvi, Rupali Srivastava, Twinkle Kapoor, Shatakshi Gupta, Vivek Badlani, Vijay Lakshmi Srivastava, Akshay Agarwal, Rajesh Tiwari, Deepti Agarwal and Tushar were among those present.
