Awardees 2008

Dr. Narendra Jadhav A well known economist, public speaker and social worker, Dr. Jadhav joined the Reserve Bank of India in 1977, and has served in various capacities. Presently he is Head of its Department of Economic Analysis & Policy. He served as Advisor to the Executive Director at the IMF during 1998-2002. Dr. Jadhav has served as Advisor to the Governor of National Bank of Ethopia. He was the Member Secretary of the Committee to Review the Working of the IGIDR. He holds a doctorate degree in Economics from Indiana University, USA, for which he won the Best International Student Award and the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Economic Theory from the Indiana University, USA. His major research interests include monetary economics, public finance, international economics and econometrics.   Madhur Bhandarkar From running a video cassette library to directing some of the most hard-hitting and socially relevant films of today, Madhur Bhandarkar has come a long way. His searing Chandni Bar (2001) was followed by the critically acclaimed Satta, Page 3, Corporate 3, Traffic Signal and his most recent Fashion, a gritty depiction of the world of glamour and style. He has already picked up no less than three National awards. Refusing to call his movies exposes, he declares, “Maybe they just hold up a mirror to society. My movies are not judgmental; I just show what happens in our society, sometimes there could be a solution and sometimes there may be none.” Either way, a Madhur Bhandarkar film is guaranteed to stir things up!   Mugdha Godse Her spontaneous and superb performance in Fashion took everyone by surprise – and this was only Mugdha Godse’s debut in Hindi films! The lass who hails from Pune more than held her own opposite seasoned stars and the offers are now pouring in. With a B. Com. degree under her belt, Mugdha had won first runner up at the Gladrags Mega Model contest,  the Miss Body Beautiful contest and Miss Perfect 10 at the Femina Miss India contest in 2004. A modelling career spanning over five years saw her doing umpteen press ads, music videos, commercials and runway appearances. And now the Hindi film industry has rolled out the red carpet...   Vishnu Datta Ram Zende Saving lives is not exactly part of a train announcer’s job but that’s exactly what Vishnu Datta Ram Zende did at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus the night terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately at Mumbai’s largest railway station. Using the public address system he constanty directed travellers to “Walk to the back and leave the station through Gate No.1,” thereby preventing many commuters from walking into the path of the two gunmen. He barely stopped to take a breath until the platform was cleared. No sooner did the gunmen locate his announcement booth than they fired, puncturing one of the windows. Mr. Zende escaped unhurt and his grace under fire will remain an inspiration to many.   Tukaram Ombale (Posthumous) “Courage, honesty, dedication and commitment were not special virtues for Ombale; they were just an inseparable part of his sense of duty. They just came as a natural response to situations,” said ASI Ashok Phatak, friend and colleague of the late Tukaram Ombale, assistant SI and braveheart. It was this rare quality that led Ombale, an assistant SI, to pounce on a gun-toting terrorist in the wee hours of November 27 and pin him down bare-handed, in spite of having five bullets lodged in his body. The heroic effort of this 54-year-old helped the police nab one of the attackers, alive near Girgaum Chowpatty. A simple man and a true hero to the end, his sacrifice will never be forgotten.   Mohamed Toufiq a.k.a. Chhotu Chaiwala On the horrible night of 26th November terrorists first targeted Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. They fired indiscriminately at the young and old waiting at the station. Among the bewildered citizens who were running helter-skelter, was Mohamed Toufiq alias Chhotu Chaiwala. Keeping his presence of mind, he drove people out of the station premises and took up watch inside the booking office. The moment the terrorists exited the main station, he rushed to the aid of injured persons lying on the platform. Chhotu used hand carts meant to carry luggage to ferry the injured to hospital and saved three hundred lives. Chhotu is a hero in the true sense of the word.