✍️By Special Correspondent
Sanmarg Foundation organised their 16th edition of Ram Awatar Gupt Protsahan 2021, the only award ceremony in India where students are felicitated for their excellent performance in Hindi. This award ceremony is an initiative of the Sanmarg Foundation to generate awareness amongst the youth on the importance of Hindi. Keeping the current situation in mind the event was held in a hybrid model at Hindustan Club, Kolkata. This year also saw the first ever Siliguri edition and a very successful South Bengal edition.
This pandemic has seen a baseline change in the education system, with schools closed, and the teaching system online. Consistent with this new normal, 30 students from various boards (CISCE, CBSE, and W.B Board) were felicitated in this award ceremony. These 30 students were selected from amongst 5000 + entries on the basis of their Hindi scores as well as extra-curricular in hindi and assessed by our jury. There were 13 toppers students from each of 10 and 12 of the 3 boards- CISCE, CBSE and West Bengal Board who had been selected. The 1st and 2nd toppers from each of these boards were given scholarships from Sanmarg Foundation. Since there is no on-campus class now, most of these students, who don’t have access to a smartphone or a computer, are missing out. The Sanmarg foundation has decided to give the needy students tabs.
Established in 1946, Sanmarg is the largest circulated and most popular Hindi daily in eastern India, headquartered in Kolkata. It was founded by Swami Karpatri Ji Maharaj, and is based on the pillars of humanity and righteousness. Today, it is the only newspaper to reach the every corner of Bengal, and covers all 23 districts of the state. It is also published from Patna, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Ranchi. Keeping up to today’s time Sanmarg is equally established in both print and digital media.
In 2001, Sanmarg Foundation, earlier known as (Sanmarg Relief Fund Kolkata), was founded with the aim to promote quality education to the masses through the language of Hindi. 2006 saw the birth of ‘Pratibha Puraskar’, aiming to felicitate students who excelled in the study of Hindi, and wanted to pursue higher education in the same. It was later renamed as ‘Ram Awatar Gupt Pratibha Puraskar’, after our founder editor Late. Shri Ram Awatar Gupta. The foundation also organizes other various events to promote and shape the future of society as a whole, and shall continue to do so in future.
Mrs. Ruchika Gupta, Director, Sanmarg & Trustee, Sanmarg Foundation said while speaking to the media, “The aim of this award is to encourage students to do well in Hindi. And we have succeeded in our mission, to some extent. The award has helped increase the percentile of marks across the boards. In 2006-07, the highest used to be around 90-92. Today, students are securing even 100,” said Gupta. “Students interested in pursing higher studies in Hindi can apply to our foundation for scholarships. We would be delighted to help them,” she added.