MUMBAI:  ‘A woman of substance’ is a woman of power, a woman of positive influence and a woman of meaning. A brainchild of Doordarshan ADG Mukesh Sharma, the Sahyadri Hirkani Awards honoured eight distinguished women from across Maharashtra who, with sheer grit and determination, left their stamp in a male-dominated arena and brought the desired social change in society.

The recipients include the third youngest Indian and the second Maharashtrian to scale Mount Everest, Priyanka Mohite; Usha Madavi, who protected 5 acres of jungle area from the forest and land Mafia; Suman More who was chosen to speak at the international Labour Organisation conference held at Geneva; India’s Rugby  women’s team captain Vahbiz Bharucha: Nagpur’s additional tribal commissioner, IAS officer and gynaecologist Madhavi Khode  Chavre; the first woman Muslim Police Officer from Ahemednagar Shabana Sheikh; Mumbai based activist and founder of the Right to Pee campaign Mumtaz Sheikh; and danseuse Dr.Sandhya Purecha.

Sahyadri Hirkani Sanman Sohala will telecast on DD Sahayadri on the eve of Maharashtra Day, Saturday, 30 April 2016 from 4:30 pm onwards.

The awards were decided by an independent jury and prominent personalities viz., the government of Maharashtra’s, DIG, Legal & Technical -Meera Borawankar; scholar and TV personality Nishigandha Wad, senior journalist Dilip Chaware, senior advocate Jai Vaidya  and Sakal’s Mumbai editor Sanjay Awate.

Awards were handed over by composer and singer and member of Prasar Bharati board Anup Jalota; DD’s former DG Vijaylaxmi Chhabra; actress Nishigandha Wad; actor, director and ad guru Bharat Dabholkar, advocate Nirmala Sawant Prabhavalkar, former DG of ploice Sridevi Goel, DIG, Legal & Technical - Meera Borawankar, actor Ramesh Bhatkar, One India One People editor Sucherita Hegde, actress Smita  Jaykar  and many more including former Hirkani Awardees.