The third edition of 'Bharatatma Ashok Singhal Vedic Puruskar' was held on September 5 in the fond memory of late Ashok Singhal, the former International President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The Singhal Foundation organized the event at Chinmaya Mission, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
Singhal Foundation awarded the students, teachers, and schools that performed brilliantly in the field of Vedic education were honoured in the memory of Ashok Singhal and were also given prizes worth lakhs.
The objective behind convening such an award ceremony is to promote Vedic education across India and appreciating the efforts of all those working in this field.
Swami Tejomayanand was the guest of honour at the August gathering. Although several awards have been instituted at the regional level to promote Vedic education, the reach of Singhal Foundation is at the national level.
This year around 1000 Vedic schools participated in the selection process and went through the rigorous process of shortlisting to receive this award.
"Vedas should not be viewed from the perspective of religion. Vedas are much above religion. India is the Indianness of the Vedas. The study of Vedas leads to the study of enlightenment, Brahma Gyan, life's knowledge and science. The education system based on the Vedas should be implemented in the country", said Swami Tejomayanand, the guest of honour.
Swami Tejomayanand has been awarded the Padma Bhushan Award in 2016. Swami Chinmayananda has been the President of Chinmaya Mission from 1994 to 2017.
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"Lakshman ji obediently followed his elder brother Lord Rama all over his life. Similarly, late Ashokji Singhal followed the cause of Ram Janma Bhoomi like Lakshman. These awards in his name are completely justified. Vedas guide us at every single stage of our life and enlighten us. Hence, it is important for one to seek the wisdom and knowledge imparted by the Vedas", added Swami Tejomayanand,
Singhal Foundation gave the Best Student award to Ajay Joshi who hails from Telangana along with a cheque of Rs 3 lakh. Ajay Joshi is a student of Rig Veda. While the winner of best teacher award on the auspicious occasion of Teachers Day was conferred to Gagan Kumar Chattopadhyay, he received award of Rs 5 lakh. Gagan Kumar Chattopadhyay is a scholar of Sam Veda.
The best Vedic School award was given to Munikul Brahmacharya Ved Sansthan, Bhilwara, Rajasthan along with prize money of Rs 7 lakh. This school was established 139 years ago and is situated in a hinterland of Rajasthan. Swami Tejomayanand conferred the awards and handed over the cheques to all the winners.
Vishist Vedarthi Jeevan Puraskar (Life Time Achievement Award for Vedas) was presented to RR Ventakraman for his contribution towards the service of Vedic scripture and its promotion.
The organisers believe that these annual awards will help to promote and propagate Vedic education, and it is a befitting tribute to Ashokji Singhal and his vision.
"Respected Ashokji Singhal was a flag bearer of Hindutva. He had a keen interest in the reading of the Vedas. He had complete knowledge of the Vedas. With his effort, many Vedic schools were established in the country. Watching his fondness for the Vedas, the Foundation decided to give the Vedic Award in his memory", said Salil Singhal, Singhal Foundation's trustee.
"A special committee was formed to select the candidates for the award ceremony. For this, all the Vedic schools in the country were asked to send their entry to the three Shravans (disciplines). The basic purpose of organizing the ceremony is to encourage Vedic education in India and to appreciate the people involved in this work. All possible support will be provided by the Singhal Foundation in promoting Vedic education and uplifting Vedic institutions", said Sanjay Singhal, another trustee of Singhal Foundation.
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