The grand literary and cultural ceremony held on Saturday, 20th December, 2025, on the occasion of the first anniversary and release of the new issue of “Virasat,” a prominent literary magazine published by Mumbai’s leading social and literary organization, “Shri Birendra Shah Foundation,” became a memorable event for the participating audience. The entire auditorium resonated with the applause of the overwhelmed audience as talented young dancers from the renowned Kalanand Dance Academy, Thane, under the direction of Kathak guru Ms. Bhavana Sanjeev Lele, presented spectacular dance performances dedicated to the concept of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” drenching the entire hall in a shower of sacred patriotic fervor.
This elegant ceremony was held on Saturday, 20th December, 2025, from 4 to 7 pm in the mini-hall of Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar Natya Griha in Thane. Besides the release of the new issue on the first anniversary of “Virasat” magazine, the event also included a dance-drama based on devotional and patriotic themes, group dance performances, and a vibrant poetry recitation session. Senior politician and social worker Advocate Sandeep Lele was present as a special guest, while the ceremony was presided over by the renowned lyricist and media & public relations Advisor Gajanan Mahatpurkar. Initially, the President of “Shri Birendra Shah Foundation” and Editor-in-Chief of “Virasat” magazine, Mrs. Ragini Shah and the ceremony’s convener, Prasoon Shah, welcomed all the guests by presenting them with shawls and mementos.
The ceremony, which began with the lighting of the lamp, was attended by prominent literary figures from Mumbai, including Naveen Chaturvedi, Dr. Kripashankar Mishra, Omprakash Tiwari, Anand Singh, Pooja Alapuria, Lakshmi Yadav, Arun Shekhar, Reema Rai Singh, Dr. Varsha Mahesh, Archana Verma Singh, Anuj Verma, Kiran Mishra, Rita Kushwaha, Kusum Tiwari, Ambika Jha, Jagriti Sinha, Archana Jha, Nidhi Shukla, Surya Jeet Maurya, Maya Mehta and Pallavi Rani, along with various other poets and poetesses. The artists of Kalanand Dance Academy, Thane, captivated the audience with their spectacular Kathak dance performances based on devotional themes, including Ganesh Bhakti, Shri Ram Bhakti, Krishna Bhakti, and Vitthal Bhakti, as well as various patriotic songs and finally, a rendition of Vande Mataram. At the end of the ceremony, a soulful performance of the famous song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” was presented under the direction of Ms. Manju Gulrajani by Usha Raichaudhury, Bapu Bhogte, Abha Dave, Mala Maharaj, Veena Kulkarni, Vijayalakshmi Bhatt, Rita Chakraborty, Deepika Rajan, Sudha Kedia and Neelam H., which was highly appreciated by the audience. The ceremony was elegantly compered jointly by Trilokinath and Dr. Varsha Mahesh. Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Sonam Sharma, Santosh Jaiswal, Sirja Jaiswal, Vikram Bhoir, Rakesh Chaugule, Sameera Bharti, Bhaskar Berishetty, Ragini Bhaskar Berishetty, Ashwin Shetty, Manjula Malekar, Pratibha Pandey, Ranjana Hazare, Sachin Punjabi, Ritu Sekhon, and Vandana Tripathi. The first anniversary of “Virasat” magazine was also celebrated on this occasion, and the latest issue of “Virasat” magazine was released by the various guests present on the stage. The ceremony concluded with the national anthem. Finally, Ashish Shah, Managing Director of Shri Birendra Shah Foundation, expressed his gratitude to everyone. During the ceremony, the birthdays of special guest Advocate Sandeep Lele and Ashish Shah, Managing Director of Virasat magazine, were celebrated with great joy by cutting a cake on the stage on behalf of Shri Birendra Shah Foundation.
