Jamshedpur: The 73rd Foundation Day of Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was celebrated with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour by the workers of Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, Jharkhand, Jamshedpur Metropolitan Committee. The grand programme was organised at the Surya Mandir premises in Sidgora, Jamshedpur, where a large number of workers, well-wishers, and their families participated.
The programme began with the ceremonial offering of garlands and lighting of lamps before the portraits of Bharat Mata, Bhagwan Shri Ram, and Balasaheb Deshpande. The inauguration was jointly performed by the chief guest Prafull Aakant, Regional Organising Secretary (Bihar and Jharkhand), Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, North Central Region, along with Kripa Prasad Singh, Patron of Akhil Bharatiya Gram Vikas Aayam; Rajendra Kumar Jhunjhunwala, Vice President of Jharkhand Province and President of Jamshedpur Nagar Committee; Lalit Singhania, Nagar Committee Secretary; and Inder Agrawal, Vibhag Sanghchalak of RSS.
On the occasion, prominent workers dedicated to tribal welfare were honoured with shawls, including Nandlal Patar from the Munda community, Durga Charan Bari, Ravi Sawaiya, and Bhagwan Chatar from the Ho community.
Addressing the gathering, chief guest Prafull Aakant urged people to actively engage in service work among the tribal communities. He expressed gratitude to the Jharkhand government for passing the PESA Act and emphasized that Gram Sabhas must be strengthened to protect the religion, culture, faith, and identity of the tribal society. Quoting inspiring messages such as “Let us light a lamp where darkness still prevails” and “Urban residents and rural residents—we are all Indians,” he called upon everyone to reflect these ideals in their daily lives.
Other dignitaries on the dais paid rich tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Veer Sidhu-Kanhu and other tribal freedom fighters of Jharkhand, highlighting their contribution and sacrifice. The programme was conducted by Metropolitan Committee Joint Secretary Sura Biruli, while the welcome address was delivered by Metropolitan President Rajendra Kumar Jhunjhunwala.
As part of the celebrations, sports and recreational competitions were organised for men, women, and children in four different groups. The events were conducted by Sushil Kumar Pandey, Pratibha Rani Mishra, and Savita Ji, followed by prize distribution to the winners. The sports segment concluded under the supervision of Joint Secretary Prof Vinod Kumar.
The foundation day celebration also featured a collective family meal, where all participants recited the Bhojan Mantra and shared food, adding to the spirit of unity and joy.
Among those present were Pradeep Kumar Mahto, Pramoth Nath, Amitabh Senapati, Sushil Agrawal, Govind Agrawal, Ramnath Singh, Navneet Singh, Sudhir Lal, Shankar Munda, Meena Devi, Dharmendra Kumar, Tinku Sahu, Rajpati Devi, Dr Rajiv Kumar, Dr Kamlesh Kumar Kamalendu, Satnam Singh, Sonu Thakur and many other prominent workers and members of the Nagar Committee.
