New Delhi: India TV honoured the nation's bravehearts at the second edition of “Salaam India Awards” held in Delhi last weekend.
The awards were presented at a dazzling ceremony in New Delhi on Sunday, September 21, attended by the who's who of the nation. The ceremony was presided over by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
A large number of dignitaries attended the glittering ceremony. These included personalities likeLaw Minister Ravishankar Prasad, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Minister of State for NER Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Union Minister Kalraj Mishra, Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi, Maulana Mahmood Madani, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Amar Singh, social activistDr. Kiran Bedi, Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, liqour baron Kishore Chhabria, noted ghazal singer Ghulam Ali, BJP MP and Bhojpuri singer Manoj Tiwari and noted cardiac surgeon Dr. Naresh Trehan, to name a few.
It was a perfect blend of courage, emotions, selflessness and glory, brought alive on the stage. There were touching performances by Ability Unlimited, a dance troupe comprising differently-abled dancers & by sand artist Nitish Bharti who took those present at the ceremony to a completely different level.
The selection of the final 14 braveheats was done by a high-powered jury comprising India TV Chaiman & Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, former IPS officer Dr. Kiran Bedi, former Army Chief General (Retd.) Deepak Kapoor, and ace Olympian and BJP MP Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore. The jury was chaired by India's former Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Quraishi.
Addressing the august gathering, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said: “Salaam India Awards is a great “point of reference” initiative by India TV. Our society is fast transforming, and it needs many more similar initiatives. This will surely motivate all of us to rise above selfish motives for the larger societal good.”
India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, while congratulating the winners, observed, “These bravehearts are the real heroes. It's an honour for all of us present here to be able to honour such heroic people.”
“It's inspiring for us all and such an opportunity will go a long way in further stimulating all of us as a nation to keep humanity going”, he added.
Ritu Dhawan, MD & CEO, India TV, said, “We, on behalf of India TV, promise that we will be working on more such initiatives and further our humble attempt as a responsible news channel to not only honuor the extraordinaires but also motivate the society at large."
This year's initiative was presented by Officer's Choice packaged drinking water in association with Amrapali Group. Dainik Bhaskar & Pioneer Publicity were the media partners. The event was executed by Showtime events.
Salaam India awards, as an initiative, was started by India TV in 2013 with the aim to honour those common people who have displayed exemplary sense of courage, valour & selflessness to safeguard others without caring for their own lives.
Winners' List for Salaam India Awards 2014
Bravery Awards
1. Payal Senani
2. Late Nitin Yeolekar (posthumous)
Gallantry Awards
1. Gunjan Sharma
2. Late Aryan Raj Shukla (posthumous)
3. Rosy Ara
Jyoti Singh Awards
1. Fatima Khatun
2. Sakshi Vidhyarthi
Special Awards
1. Inspector Gaurav Godbole
2. Constable Sunil Kumar T.P.
3. Late Sepoy Vikram (posthumous)
4. Nathu Singh Uttam Adhikari (QA)
5. Late Lt Cdr Manoranjan kumar (posthumous)
6. Aadesh Kumar Sea I CD III
7. Riffat Abdullah
