Bareilly: The Shri Ram Murti Smarak (SRMS) Trust commemorated the 38th memorial day of freedom fighter, former minister and former MP Shri Ram Murti on Friday, honouring three distinguished personalities for their contributions and distributing scholarships worth ₹3.5 crore among 732 meritorious students.
The memorial ceremony was held at the Shatik Auditorium of Shri Ram Murti Smarak College of Engineering and Technology. Trust founder and chairman Dev Murti paid floral tributes to his father and welcomed the guests, students and their parents.
Under the Ram Murti Pratibha Alankaran, the trust honoured Professor (Dr) Rajendra Prasad, Director of Medical Education at Era University, Lucknow; Professor (Dr) Jayant Khot, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi; and Bengaluru-based technology executive and digital transformation leader Preeti Arora for their outstanding contributions.
The trust also distributed scholarships ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹2 lakh among 732 students studying at its educational institutions, taking the total scholarship amount to ₹3.5 crore. Dev Murti said the trust, established in 1990, had progressively expanded its scholarship programme, which initially involved an amount of ₹21,000. He also highlighted the research activities of its educational institutions and public welfare initiatives undertaken by its medical college.
Following the award ceremony, Professor Rajendra Prasad described the Ram Murti Pratibha Alankaran as comparable to a Padma Shri at the state level. Having received the Padma Shri earlier this year, he said the recognition was particularly meaningful to him. He congratulated the scholarship recipients and encouraged them to remain committed to continuous learning and academic excellence.
Professor Jayant Khot congratulated the students and emphasised dedication, consistency and hard work as essential qualities for success. Preeti Arora, an alumna of the engineering college’s 2000 batch, recalled her student days, campus placement and the guidance she received from Dev Murti. She urged students to make the most of their academic years through sincere effort and continuous learning. She also recalled volunteering during an earlier award ceremony at the institution, when actress Priyanka Chopra received the honour, describing her own recognition 25 years later as an emotional moment.
On the occasion, the trust also released two theatre collections, Dharma Neeti Niyati and Darpan Ke Us Paar.
In a separate gesture, ₹30 lakh was provided to the family of Avadhesh Kumar, a ward boy who died on May 12 this year. Under a Punjab National Bank salary account scheme, the amount was transferred to the account of his nominee, son Prince Gautam, on September 30. A symbolic cheque was presented to Avadhesh Kumar’s wife by Dev Murti and PNB Circle Head Ranjit Kumar Chaubey.
The occasion also featured tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries. The national flag was hoisted and floral tributes were offered at the trust’s institutions, including CET, CETR, IMS and Riddhima.
The ceremony was attended by Bhojipura MLA Shahjil Islam, former mayor Supriya Aron, Bhojipura Block Pramukh Yogesh Patel, Bareilly College Principal Dr O.P. Rai, SRMS trustees, faculty members, institutional heads and other dignitaries.
Trust Secretary Aditya Murti delivered the vote of thanks, while Dr Anuj Kumar, Director of the TDP Cell, conducted the programme.
Report: Akhilesh Chandra Saxena, Bareilly
