Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday presented the first Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Rajya Prerana Geet Puraskar to the patriotic song, "Anadi Mee, Anant Mee", written by freedom fighter V D Savarkar.
Ranjit Savarkar, the grandson of the late Hindu ideologue, accepted the award on behalf of the Swatantryaveer Savarkar Foundation.
The ceremony was held at the Maharashtra Chief Minister's official residence 'Varsha' in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Soon after handing over the award, Shah left for Delhi, cancelling his scheduled speech marking Savarkar's death anniversary.
The award included a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a memento.
The state's culture department instituted the award this year to honour a song that inspires people and named it after the brave warrior-poet Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
Speaking at the event, state Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj's life inspires people.
"He was a great thinker and poet, and wrote many works. That is why we decided to name this award after him," Shelar said.
Shelar said Savarkar's poem "Anadi Mee, Anant Mee" carries immense inner strength, making it a deserving first recipient of the award.
Shah and Fadnavis handed over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh for the National Memorial of Swatantryaveer Savarkar to representatives from the Savarkar Foundation.
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