Celebrating Excellence. Recognising Impact. Inspiring Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow: The Lucknow Tribune organized the Excellence Awards 2026, a platform to honour individuals and institutions whose work has made a meaningful difference to society and to Uttar Pradesh. Over 40 achievers, from leading doctors and educators to entrepreneurs, authors, social workers and young champions, were recognised at the ceremony, in the presence of eminent guests from public service, governance, media and industry.
Celebrating Excellence, Recognising Impact
The Excellence Awards 2026 honoured outstanding achievement, dedication and contribution across professions: doctors and healthcare professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, administrators, public servants, engineers, social workers and other professionals.
Whether it is a doctor serving patients, an educator shaping young minds, an entrepreneur creating opportunities, a public servant strengthening governance or a social worker supporting the community, each represents a different dimension of excellence. The awards acknowledged not only the achievement, but also the commitment and perseverance behind it.
The 2026 edition carried the theme “Celebrating Excellence. Recognising Impact. Inspiring Uttar Pradesh.” The ceremony featured award presentations, distinguished guests and perspectives from eminent personalities in public service, governance and development. More than a formal ceremony, the evening was a platform where inspiring achievements were acknowledged and shared with a wider audience.
Distinguished Guests
Eminent personalities from governance, administration, banking, media and cinema graced the occasion:
- Dr. R.K. Vishwakarma, retired 1988-batch IPS officer and Chief Information Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh. He rose to DG rank and briefly served as officiating DGP of the state in 2023.
- Sudhir Mishra, Senior Journalist and Author. A Hindi journalist with over three decades of experience and former Resident Editor of Navbharat Times, Lucknow.
- Gagan Bihari Srivastava, Chief Engineer, Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL), the power distribution company serving central Uttar Pradesh.
- Rajesh Kumar, General Manager, Union Bank of India.
- Dinesh Kumar Sahgal, co-founder of the Indian Films Academy (IFA) and former Deputy Director of Film Bandhu, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
The Awardees
The 2026 honourees spanned medicine, education, enterprise, literature, social service and sport, a cross-section of the people shaping Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh.
Healthcare and Medical Excellence
- Dr. S.N. Gupta and Dr. Mamta Gupta, Founders, Sanjivini Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow. A senior pulmonologist and a radiologist who grew a modest lung centre into a 100-bed multi-disciplinary hospital.
- Dr. R.P. Singh and Dr. Kumudini Chauhan, Medinity Hospital, Lucknow. An orthopaedic surgeon and gold medallist, and an IVF and fertility specialist who serves as Medical Superintendent.
- Dr. Priyanka Singh, Panacea Dental Clinic. A dental surgeon known for root canal and restorative care that preserves natural tooth structure.
- Dr. Varada Arora, Valencia IVF. A gynaecologist, laparoscopic surgeon and infertility specialist leading a dedicated fertility centre.
- Dr. B.P. Singh, Midland Healthcare and Research Centre, Lucknow. Founder Director and senior pulmonologist in pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine.
- Dr. Manu Rastogi, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow. Senior Director and neurosurgeon with over 33 years of experience in brain and spine surgery.
- Dr. S.K. Dwivedi, Medanta Lucknow. Director of Interventional Cardiology with over 10,000 cardiac procedures and 150-plus publications.
- Dr. Saumyendra Vikram Singh, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow. Professor and head of the Maxillofacial Prosthetic Unit.
- Prof. Abhijit Chandra, KGMU, Lucknow. Head of Surgical Gastroenterology and a pioneer of minimally invasive rectopexy.
- Dr. Pankaj Kumar Srivastava, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), Barabanki/Lucknow. Senior cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon with over three decades of experience.
- Dr. Alok Nath, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. Professor and Head of Pulmonary Medicine.
- Dr. Ankit Kumar Sahu, SGPGIMS, Lucknow. Additional Professor of Cardiology specialising in coronary interventions and heart failure.
- Dr. Manmeet Singh, Medanta Hospital, Lucknow. Director of Urology, Robotics and Kidney Transplant.
- Dr. Prasoon Kant Shamshery, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow. Director of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement, an AIIMS alumnus with over 28 years of experience.
- Dr. Darshana Kapoor, Health City Vistaar, Lucknow. Senior Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician with over 31 years of experience.
- Dr. Smriti Agarwal, KGMU, Lucknow. Additional Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology focused on maternal health research.
- Dr. Feroz Mohd Khan, Tender Palm Super Specialty Hospital, Lucknow. Director of Urology and Renal Transplantation.
- Dr. Ahmad Imran Hanfi, Tender Palm Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow. Associate Director of Internal Medicine with over two decades of experience.
- Dr. (Prof.) Avinash Chandra Srivastava, Goel Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital, Lucknow. Professor and Principal of the Rachana Sharir (Anatomy) Department.
- Dr. Amalanshu Raman, Brajraj Hospital & IVF Center, Lucknow. General and laparoscopic surgeon with over 21 years of experience.
- Dr. Alok Sangam, Sangam Gastro Liver Clinic. DM Gold Medallist in gastroenterology and hepatology.
- Dr. Chandra Prakash Dubey, Rajdhani Super Speciality Hospital, Telibagh, Lucknow. Founder and Director who built the hospital into a recognised healthcare institution.
- Dr. Navneet Tripathi, Health City Vistaar Hospital, Lucknow. Head of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, with fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
- Dr. Anand Sagar Pandey, Health City Vistaar, Lucknow. Senior orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon with over 24 years of experience.
- Dr. Romesh Kohli, Health City Vistaar, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. Plastic surgeon with over 26 years of experience.
Education, Academia and Leadership
- Dr. Neeta Singh (Neeta Singh Nawal), Fulwari Public School, Gonda. Managing Director of a Best School Award winner who leads its Girls Protection Cell and is a popular poetess.
- Prof. Anu Kohli, University of Lucknow (LUMBA). Teacher of Operations Management and HRM, active in Mission Shakti and women’s entrepreneurship.
- Commander Sumit Ghosh, Saraswati Dental College & Hospital, Lucknow. Former Indian Navy submarine officer, strategic affairs writer and founder of the SPARK Innovation Incubation Centre.
Entrepreneurs and Innovators
- Rohit Manglik, InfoBay AI (formerly EduGorilla). An NITK Surathkal graduate who moved from Oracle, Morgan Stanley and D.E. Shaw to building an education and AI venture.
- Ranjeet Singh Rawat, Nainital Momos. The “Momo King” of Lucknow, who grew a roadside cart into a multi-city restaurant chain.
- Jitendra Chutani, mOsasa. Founder of a Lucknow-based concept bringing traditional Indian snacks and chai into a contemporary food and beverage format.
- Tarun Kumar, Bharat Rojgar Sewa. Founder of a WhatsApp-first job-matching platform for India’s informal and gig workforce, incubated at IIM Lucknow.
- Brijendra Singh, Innovator.
Literature, Arts and Culinary Heritage
- Khyati Agrawal Gupta, Fiction Author. A columnist with The Lucknow Tribune and author of seven published books.
- Ratan Kumar Srivastava ‘Ratan’, Author. A ghazal poet and Private Secretary at the UP Secretariat whose debut collection won the Jaishankar Prasad Award.
- B.R. Singh, Trinity Publications. A publisher focused on environment, forest and climate awareness.
- Dr. Anita Sehgal (Vasundhara), Anchor and Bharatiya Nagarik Gaurav Samman awardee. Actor, national anchor, poetess and academician.
- Meenu Srivastava, Foodie. A home chef since 2019 reviving traditional Awadhi, Punjabi and Bihari dishes, honoured at a UP government food festival.
Social Service
- Vishal Srivastava, Kiran Foundation. Director and President of a Lucknow NGO supporting the food, health and education of underprivileged children.
Young Achievers
- Surya Vikram Singh, State-level Spell Bee champion. Scored 97.8% in ICSE and 98.75% in ISC, and secured MBBS at KGMU.
- Bhavya Chetwani, Rifle shooter. A Class 11 student of La Martiniere Girls’ College with medals at state, regional and national championships in 2026.
CA RL Bajpai.
The overall event was presided over by Managing Editor, KP Singh and the entire The Lucknow Tribune team.
Looking Ahead
The Excellence Awards extend The Lucknow Tribune’s role as a media platform: documenting not only the events of the day, but also the people whose work builds a better future. The Excellence Awards 2026 bring diverse professions and achievements together under one roof, and tell the stories of those who are inspiring Uttar Pradesh.
Celebrating Excellence. Recognising Impact. Inspiring Uttar Pradesh.
About The Lucknow Tribune
For more than a decade, The Lucknow Tribune has been part of Lucknow’s evolving media landscape, combining the values of traditional journalism with the reach of digital media. What began as an English weekly newspaper has grown into a media platform with a print edition of around 5,000 copies, a PDF edition with a wider readership and a digital news portal generating several lakh page views every month. The publication remains committed to credible journalism and meaningful storytelling that highlights the people and achievements shaping society.
