Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: “Becoming a leader is not easy. You face setbacks every day and have to deal with criticism regularly. In fact, I do not feel comfortable on a day when there is no criticism. Political positions and chairs of power come and go, but society and we remain here. Therefore, everyone should strive to do good for society,” said Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat.
The Marathwada Bhushan Award Ceremony-2026, along with the regional conference and a panel discussion of the Maharashtra State Journalists’ Association, Marathwada Division, was held on Sunday.
A total of 25 personalities from various fields were honoured with the prestigious Marathwada Bhushan Award for their significant contribution to society.
Divisional Commissioner G Sreekanth, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar, founder-president of the Maharashtra State Journalists’ Association Sanjay Bhokare, Nilesh Somani, Vishwas Arote and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The award recipients included Dattabhau Pathrikar, Zilla Parishad member Radhakisan Pathade, former mayor Nandkumar Ghodele, Dr Shivaji Sukre, Bipin Naik, Jayant Gore, Jayant Karpe, Dr Jayant Shewtekar, Rameshwar Baddar, Baba Bhand, Sachin Mule, Dr George Fernandes, Principal Dr Bhagwatrao Katare, Vivek Hambarde, Pravin Jadhav, Dr Jaynarayan Mantri, Dr Pravin Suryawanshi, Jayshree Bhagat, Ayesha Rafiq Sheikh and Yogesh Lakde, among others.
Madhukar Vaidya, Vaibhav Swami, Ashok Dede, Anil Sawant, Chhaburao Take, Sujit Tajne, Anand Ambhore, Ravindra Landge, Somnath Pol and other dignitaries were also present.
In his presidential address, Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat made political remarks and criticised Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. He also spoke about the changing nature and responsibilities of journalism.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said, “We received our political upbringing from Balasaheb Thackeray. Our roots were also at Matoshree. We inherited an aggressive approach, but whom should we be aggressive against today? Everyone is our own.”
Divisional Commissioner G Sreekanth expressed confidence that “Marathwada will no longer remain behind.”
The second session focused on the theme ‘Revolution Through the Pen’. Senior journalist Dhananjay Lambe, professor and senior journalist Shahed Sheikh, Shantigiri Maharaj, Sanjay Shinde, writer Jayshree Bhagat, Vishnu Acharya and others participated in the discussion.
The speakers emphasised that journalism is not merely a medium for disseminating news, but also a powerful instrument for raising social issues, questioning the system and bringing about positive change in society.
