47th Jamnalal Bajaj Awards celebrate humanitarian excellence

The 47th edition of the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Awards was held on November 13 at the Royal Opera House, recognising four individuals for their exceptional contributions to social transformation and humanitarian service rooted in Gandhian values.
This year’s awardees include Hasmukh Babubhai Patel from Gujarat, honoured with the Award for Constructive Work; P. M. Murugesan from Tamil Nadu, who received the Award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development; Triveni Acharya from Maharashtra, presented with the Award for Development and Welfare of Women and Children (instituted in memory of Padma Vibhushan Jankidevi Bajaj); and Sekacheva Lyudmila Leonidovna from Russia, who received the International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India.
The recipients were presented with a citation, trophy and cash prize of ₹20 lakh by chief guest HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj, along with Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Dr R. A. Mashelkar, Trustee and Chairman of the Foundation.
Shekhar Bajaj, in his address, praised the honourees for their transformative impact and recalled the legacy of the late Madhur Bajaj, whose “quiet leadership and deep belief in the Foundation’s purpose” continue to guide its mission.
Patel, a lifelong Gandhian and rural development advocate, has worked for over four decades in Gujarat promoting khadi, empowering tribal communities and advancing sustainable development. Acharya, a former journalist turned anti-trafficking activist, has rescued and rehabilitated nearly 7,000 women and children through her organisation.
Russian awardee Sekacheva Lyudmila, an educator and cultural diplomat, has spent more than 20 years promoting the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy across BRICS nations, fostering intercultural harmony and non-violence. Murugesan, a farmer-innovator, has created sustainable livelihoods for thousands by converting banana waste into fibre-based products, establishing a successful rural enterprise.
Speaking at the event, Minal Bajaj said the Foundation strives to identify individuals “who have transformed the lives of small communities or changed the course of a nation’s history,” reaffirming its commitment to honouring selfless service.
Dr Mashelkar described the awardees as “modern-day satyagrahis—warriors of conscience who fight with compassion, not confrontation,” adding that their work has brought “light where there was darkness, hope where there was despair.”