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A commemorative coin of Rs 100 was released to mark the 101st birth anniversary of late Jawaharlal Darda, freedom fighter and Founder-Editor of the Lokmat Media Group, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stating that late leader was "a real gem" from the state.
The programme was held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium in Mumbai and the leaders present included Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Congress' Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik and state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Chairman of Editorial board of Lokmat Media Group and former member of Rajya Sabha Dr Vijay Darda and Editor-in-Chief of Lokmat Media Group Rajendra Darda were among those event. Other prominent personalities present at the event held on Tuesday included Maharashtra Housing Minister Atul Save, Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Mumbai BJP president and MLA Ashish Shelar, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Mumbai Special Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti, Raymond's chairman Gautam Singhania, UPL's Jai Shroff, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and singers Roop Kumar Rathod and Sunali Rathod. Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Shinde hailed the contributions of late Jawaharlal Darda - popularly referred to as Babuji - to society and paid rich tributes to him. He highlighted the achievements of Babuji and that of the Lokmat group. Chief Minister Shinde on Tuesday announced construction of a memorial in his honour at the park along the coastal road in Mumbai for his contributions to the society. Babuji's life was like a precious coin, pure and lasting, with numerous cherished memories and those who worked with him are fortunate. "It won't be wrong to say that Maharashtra got a real gem in 'Jawahar'," the Chief Minister said. He said Babuji firmly believed in giving back to the country and society and was more concerned with what he could contribute to the nation rather than what he received and it was the hallmark of his greatness. The Chief Minister said that Babuji started Lokmat and the group has revolutionised the media landscape in Maharashtra, with significant contributions from Dr Vijay Darda and Rajendra Darda. Devendra Fadnavis said that Babuji had cross-party connections and left a mark in his various roles. "Although Babuji was a senior leader of Congress, he had close friends in all political parties. This trait has been inherited by Vijaybabu, Rajendrababu, and now the third generation as well. Babuji always upheld the essence of journalism. Despite complaints to Indira Gandhi that he was a Congress member and still published news items against his own leaders, he maintained journalistic integrity and explained to Indira Gandhi that his roles as a party leader and a journalist, both were distinctly different. As a minister in the state, he managed several important portfolios and left his mark on each one," he said. The ceremony celebrated Jawaharlal Darda's enduring legacy and Lokmat's pivotal role under the leadership of Vijay Darda and Rajendra Darda, spanning generations and shaping Maharashtra's media discourse. (ANI)
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