Swami Vivekananda has rightly said, “Wake up, wake up and don’t stop until the goal is achieved”.

The brilliant young sannyasins of the Sanatan tradition, rich in ideas, are the inspiration of many young people and one such inspiration is Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri.

Commemorating his dedicated contribution to India and on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri was honoured with the National Culture Award by Kishori Pendlekar, Honourable Mayor of Mumbai. She has presented this prestigious award for her extraordinary social work.

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (10)

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (11)

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (12)

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (8)

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (7)

Swami Vivekananda National Culture Award

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (4)

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (3)

Mahamandaleshwar Devi Maa Shivangi Nand Giri (9)

Talking about her spiritual journey, she says, “While I was doing my architecture degree, I found myself so much involved in spirituality which I got from my home so I decided to come with the question in spirituality to find their answers like what would be the main focus of life and how to divide our responsibilities of life. I feel Shiksha and Diksha tradition is missing these days and since a very long time, I believed that this is not the correct way of living because, from the generation I come, I can’t relate myself to them,” she adds.

Sharing further on her degree of Mahamandeleshwar, she says, My parent’s guru ji from where they got the Diksha is Shir pilot baba ji, who is also the Mahamandeleshwar of Juna Akhada. Several times, I visited his ashram at Nainital, Himalayas and at the Kumbh Mela hence I started feeling the spirituality of the gurus and found out that their blessings are priceless. I got my Sanyas Diksha in Kumbh and got so much respect from Juna Akhada that I am so proud of.”

“Vivekanand Ji is such a big inspiration for many especially for the youngsters and for those who truly love their country. Questions like why I came in this universe, we must learn from his quotes that we must do that for which we had taken birth. Either it is for yog, Yagya, environment conservation, good behaviour or to motivate someone,” she concludes.

Gracing the occasion were Neeraj Kumar, President of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Trust, Litterateur Pankaj Narayan, Member of Mumbai High Court, RPC Singh and Mumbai University’s Senior Professor Ratan Kumar Pandey.