Lucknow: On November 13 in Lucknow, the Avadh Ladies Club honored two distinguished women, Padma Gidwani and Uma Trigunayat, with the Avadh Stree Samman for their significant contributions to the arts. The ceremony commenced with a traditional lighting of the lamp by . Jyoti Kaul, the Club President, along with other members. Kaul spoke about the organization’s dedication to fostering artistic expression and social work over the past thirty-six years.
In a graceful opening performance, “Kumaon Nightingale” Vimal Pant presented a Ganesh Vandana. The first honoree, Uma Trigunayat, was recognized for her contribution to folk music and her dynamic presence in the performing arts. She was presented with a shawl by the club’s Secretary, Manorama Mishra, while Souvala Jyoti awarded her a commemorative memento, Kanti Gupta presented a citation, and Dr. Sarojini Agarwal Saxena offered a bouquet.
The second recipient, Padma Gidwani, was honored for her work in expanding the reach of folk singing in Avadhi, Bhojpuri, and Sindhi traditions. Rita Singh presented her with a shawl, Ghazala Farooq awarded her a memento, Amita Shukla handed her a citation, and Pratima Bajpai offered a bouquet.
Adding a lighter note to the ceremony, attendees enjoyed jokes and humorous poems presented by several women. The event was well-attended, with participants including Indra Saraswat, Aparna Singh, Mutula Pandey, Anjali Mishra, Manju Agarwal, Jyoti Kiran Ratan, Neelika Jaiswal, Kanak Verma, and Deveshwari. Manorama Mishra served as the program’s emcee.
