Mumbai: The Himachal Mitra Mandal-Mumbai recently celebrated its 73rd annual foundation day, marked by a vibrant cultural programme featuring renowned Himachali folk artistes Ishant Bhardwaj and Mamta Bhardwaj. Their performance, blending Pahari, Hindi and Punjabi songs, captivated the audience and celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Himachal Pradesh.
Nagrota Congress MLA Raghubir Singh Bali, who is the chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department, was the chief guest.
Manoj Awasthi, the president of Himachal Mitra Mandal, said that a traditional Kangri dham feast was organised, which brought together over 1,500 Himachalis living in Mumbai.
As part of its ongoing commitment to social welfare, the Mandal distributed laptops to five underprivileged students and provided financial assistance of Rs 11,000 each to two families. Additionally, 12 senior members were honoured with commendation certificates for their outstanding contribution to society.
The Himachal Mitra Mandal, which has nearly 26,000 members, serves as a unifying platform for Himachalis residing in Mumbai, dedicated to preserving their cultural heritage. The organisation also runs numerous initiatives for the welfare of the Himachali diaspora.
Awasthi extended gratitude to the mandal’s committee members for their crucial role in ensuring the event’s success. He specifically acknowledged the efforts of executive president Sudesh Sharma, coordinator and co-executive president Rajinder Kapoor, vice-presidents Rajinder Sharma and Chambel Singh Thakur, secretary Sunil Kharwal, treasurer Beni Rana, co-treasurer Hemraj Dadwal, joint vice-presidents Deep Sharma, Pawan Katoch and Nardev Chaudhary, Manager Gurdeep Singh Dogra, Deputy Manager Sanjeev Rangda, along with other advisory and executive members, including Amar Singh Chauhan, Gyan Chand Kaundal, Abhishek Thakur, Mili Dhiman, Mamta Kaundal, Surekha Jaswal, Mukesh Manhas and Naval Kishore Sharma.
