UditVani, Jamshedpur : The 73rd Foundation Day of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was celebrated with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour by the Jamshedpur unit of Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, on Friday at the Surya Mandir premises in Sidhgora.
The programme began with floral tributes and ceremonial lighting of the lamp before the portraits of Bharat Mata, Lord Rama and Balasaheb Deshpande by the chief guest Prafulla Akant, Regional Organising Secretary (Bihar & Jharkhand), North Central Region, Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, along with Kripa Prasad Singh, patron of Akhil Bharatiya Gram Vikas ; Rajendra Kumar Jhunjhunwala, Vice President of Jharkhand Province and President of Jamshedpur committee; Lalit Singhania, secretary; and RSS Sanghchalak Inder Agrawal.
A large number of committee members, well-wishers and their families attended the event.
On the occasion, prominent grassroots workers serving the tribal community – Nandlal Patar (Munda society), Durga Charan Bari, Ravi Sawaiya and Bhagwan Chatar (Ho society) — were felicitated with traditional shawls for their dedicated service.
Addressing the gathering, chief guest Prafulla Akant delivered an inspiring address, urging people to actively engage in service among the tribal communities.
He expressed gratitude to the Jharkhand government for passing the PESA Act and emphasised that strengthening Gram Sabhas is essential for protecting the faith, culture, traditions and identity of the tribal society.
Quoting the inspirational lines, “Let us light a lamp where darkness still prevails” and “Urban dwellers, rural dwellers- we are all Indians”, he encouraged everyone to translate these ideals into real-life action.
The dignitaries on the dais paid rich tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Veer Sidhu-Kanhu and other tribal freedom fighters of Jharkhand, recalling their contributions and sacrifices.
The programme was conducted by Joint Secretary Sura Biruli, while the welcome address was delivered by President Rajendra Kumar Jhunjhunwala.
This was followed by sports and recreational competitions organised for men, women and children in four groups.
The sports segment concluded under the supervision of Joint Secretary Prof. Vinod Kumar.
The foundation day celebration concluded on a joyful note with a community meal, preceded by the recitation of the Bhojan Mantra.
Several prominent office-bearers and workers were present.
