Mumbai, Apr 16 (Agency) Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2022 to spiritual leader and social activist Dattatreya Narayan alias Appasaheb Dharmadhikari at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were present on this occasion. A large number of Dharmadhikari followers were present in large numbers at the venue. Grand arrangements were made for the Maharashtra Bhushan Award ceremony at the Vishal Corporate Park in Kharghar. A large number of Dharmadhikari followers were present at the venue. The Maharashtra Bhushan Awards were instituted in 1995 after the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came to power in the state. This award were given to persons who made outstanding contributions for society. The Dharmadhikari family has been working to give direction to the people for the past three hundred to four hundred years in the state and this family has made a great contribution to light the flame of knowledge in every household, shah said.
Appasaheba Dharmadhikari did the work of restoring the ruined families and now Sachindada Dharmadhikari is carrying forward this legacy, said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The Chief Minister greeted the people present on occasion by saying that I am present as a member of this function. Referring to the social work Dharmadhikari, the Chief Minister said, I don’t know what to say in front of such a big ocean. I am not standing before you today as Chief Minister but I am present here as a member of your family. The ocean of people is rolling in this place saying ‘Pahila Janancha Sagar filled the jar of knowledge’. The fact is that the sun is burning with full force and not a single person who has been sitting here in the sun since morning wakes up. This is the strength of Appasaheb. Every member is disciplined and I would like to say here that my wife and son MP Dr. Srikanth is also sitting in the front among these members. This Janasagar ( Crowd) is present here from last night for the love of Appasaheb. In this place, we see that spiritual power is greater than political power.
The chief minister said on this occasion that we are seeing a living example of the connection, blessing and inspiration of the political and spiritual establishment. This crowd is breaking all records and if the record is to be broken, it can only be broken by Mr. Appa Saheb’s members, said Shinde. God appears in the form of Appasaheb in this vast ocean of people. Nanasaheb was also announced for the Maharashtra Bhushan award but after his death Appasaheb accepted it in the same ground and it is a coincidence that the 2022 Maharashtra Bhushan was given to Appasaheb again today in the same ground. My family was destroyed when ( like the mountain of grief fell on my family), At that time I was supported by Dharmaveer Anand Dighe in Thane and Appasaheb guided my entire family to serve this society again and that is why I stand before you today not as Chief Minister but as a member, said CM while adding that Appasaheb has made a big contribution in my life too. Appasaheb did the job of saving and giving direction to the family when it was falling apart. Nanasaheb and Appasaheb did the work of eliminating undesirable practices like superstition, addiction, dowry and taught us how to get away from temptation, maya and jealousy.
While working as a government, we are also trying to serve the common people by implementing Appasaheb’s thoughts, said Chief Minister on this occasion. He said Appasaheb has created an ocean of humanity by connecting people just as dots form a rangoli. Oh man, when will you become a man.. The answer to the question posed to these sisters comes from Appasaheb’s work of making man. Appasaheb has built the society in all ways such as addiction relief, cleanliness campaign, tree planting, health camp, water conservation, village cleanliness, education, guidance, he added. For that, Dharmadhikari Pratishthan feels like a lamppost to me, said Appasaheb Dharmadhikari and expressed the feeling that Maharashtra has been honoured by awarding Maharashtra Bhushan Award to him.