The 12th National Atal Samman Ceremony was held with great fanfare at Bharat Mandapam: 17 eminent personalities were honored on the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 

New Delhi, December 24, 2025: A grand 12th National Atal Samman Ceremony was held at the historic Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan on the occasion of the 101st birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister, the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Seventeen prominent personalities from various fields were honored with the Atal Samman at this ceremony. The event was organized by the Atal Samman Samaroh Trust and was attended by dignitaries from the fields of politics, art, literature, and social service.

The musical "Atal Gatha" captivated the audience: Renowned storyteller Ajay Bhai presented a captivating musical rendition of "Atal Gatha," which featured Atal Ji's poems and life memories set to music. The audience highly appreciated this performance. In addition, organizer Bhuvnesh Singhal shared his reminiscences of moments spent with Atal Ji through an "Atal Samvad" (Atal Dialogue).  In this dialogue, individuals like Satyanarayan Jatiya and Sudhanshu Mittal highlighted previously unknown aspects of Atal Ji's life.On this occasion, the book 'Shri Janaki' (based on Mata Sita), written by Bhuvnesh Singhal, was launched by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta.

17 Personalities Received the Atal Samman: The main highlight of the ceremony was the awarding of the Atal Samman to 17 personalities from various fields. The selection committee included MP Manoj Tiwari, Padma Shri Nalini-Kamalini, singer Kumar Vishu, motivational speaker Sonu Sharma, and writer Bhuvnesh Singhal. These individuals were selected after reviewing hundreds of applications from India and abroad. The list of honorees is as follows: Advocate Shri Ashwini Upadhyay (Delhi) - Atal Scholar Excellence Award

Dr. Amrita Masih (Kanpur) - Atal Woman Scholar Excellence Award

Dr. Prabhu Chandra Mishra (Bihar) - Atal Scientist Excellence Award

Shri Ashok Kumar Jain (Mumbai) - Atal Service Excellence Award

Arjuna Awardee Shri Anuj Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) - Atal Sports Excellence Award

Shri Rahul Chamaria (originally from Assam) - Atal Distinguished Personality Excellence Award

Shilpi Sharraf - Atal Architect Excellence Award

Dr. Vinay Krishna (Prayagraj) - Atal Doctor Excellence Award

Endangered Mohan Veena player Shri Ajay P. Jha (Bihar) - Atal Music Excellence Award

Vidhi Sharma - Atal Singing Excellence Award

Dr. S. B. Gupta (Kanpur) - Atal National Excellence Award

Shri Paras Chaplot (Pune) - Atal Public Service Excellence Award

Kuchipudi dancer Dr. Vanaja Uday (Tamil Nadu) - Atal Dance Excellence Award

Dr. P. D. Garg - Atal Bihari Vajpayee Excellence Award

IRS Shri L. K. Agarwal - Atal Bharati Excellence Award

Dr. S. N. Chandak - Atal Bihari Excellence Award

Vedamurti Shri Devavrat Mahesh Rekhe (Maharashtra) - Atal Cultural Excellence Award

The award ceremony was presided over by MP Manoj Tiwari, while Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented the awards. Distinguished guests included Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, Ministers Kapil Mishra, Ashish Sood, Ravindra Indrani, MPs Praveen Khandelwal, Shyam Jaju, Vishnu Mittal, Ajay Mahawar, etc.

Awards presented in accordance with cultural tradition: The awards were distributed according to Indian tradition with the blowing of conch shells, chanting of mantras, and application of tilak. Each honored individual was presented with 11 special items, including a garland from the Banke Bihari Temple, a coconut, a Ganesh idol, a gemstone necklace, a garment from Vaishno Devi, the Ramcharitmanas, Rudraksha beads, a book on Sita, a symbolic dagger, Tirupati Balaji prasad, and a certificate of honor.  Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in her address, said that keeping Atal Ji's ideology alive through cultural means and continuously organizing this event for twelve years is commendable. MP Manoj Tiwari praised the cultural aspect of the event. This event is renowned worldwide for its cultural significance and is a unique effort to keep Atal Ji's memory alive.