Pune event honours 25 health and fitness figures at Wellness Heroes Season 2

The Wellness Heroes Season 2 ceremony was held at the Turf Club in Pune on Thursday, October 22. Twenty-five people working in healthcare, mental health, rehabilitation, fitness and community welfare were honoured for their dedication, compassion and contribution.

The event was presented by Civic Mirror and MultiFit. Well-known doctors, healthcare administrators, wellness advocates and community leaders gathered to recognise their work in improving people's lives.

Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, Maharashtra's Minister of State for Public Health and Family Welfare, was the chief guest. The guests began the ceremony by lighting a traditional lamp, followed by a Ganesh Vandana.

Addressing the gathering, the minister spoke about the state's health schemes. She said, "Through the Ayushman Bharat card and the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, we are trying to give our citizens free and good healthcare. It provides cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh."

Praising health workers, she said, "All health workers are doing their best for the country. As Minister of State for Health, I would like to stress that every child should be strong physically and mentally." She said the government was working with UNICEF on childhood obesity, early detection of cancer and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). According to her, "We are making every effort on our side, but to strengthen these efforts we also need the support of private doctors."

Dr Pankaj Sharma, chairman and managing director of The Lexicon Group and Civic Mirror, spoke about the importance of institutions that build trust in society and support people's welfare.

He gave an example. Suppose someone gives you $86,400 every day and takes back whatever is left at the end of the day. In his words, "Most of us would say that since we are getting it today, let us spend it, because no one knows about tomorrow. We would keep it somewhere safe, perhaps in gold, perhaps in land. But we want to invest."

Dr Sharma asked the guests to give one day a week to help labourers from economically disadvantaged sections. He said, "God has given us a lot: money, strength, knowledge. My suggestion is to try to help labourers one day a week. We would like to cover the day you give. It will feel very good. Just try it and you will find satisfaction. It will certainly help make the city better."

Neeraj Sharma, vice chairman of Civic Mirror and The Lexicon Group, said real wellness is not limited to outward appearance. According to him, "Wellness is not only what shows on the outside, it is about what is going on inside you. Pain in the body can be recognised and tested, but understanding what is going on inside a person is far harder. That is why inner health is very important."

Deepti Sharma, co-founder of The Lexicon Group and director of MultiFit Wellness Pvt Ltd, spoke about fitness, health in every aspect and the need to adopt good habits in everyday life.

Kalpataru Blossoms and Naiknavare Developers were the co-sponsors of the event. Lokmanya was the finance partner, Ruby Hall Clinic and Noble Hospitals were the health partners, and Umarji Mother and Child Care and Kohinoor Group were the associate partners.

The evening began with the Wellness Conclave, a panel discussion moderated by Akash Rajpurohit, CEO of Civic Mirror.

The panel included Dr H. K. Sale, president of the Association of Healthcare Providers India and an anaesthesia specialist; Dr Rohan Jahagirdar, consultant psychiatrist and wellness expert; Dr Chinmay Umarji, consultant obstetrician, gynaecologist and head of fetal medicine; and Dr Jayashree Todkar, general laparoscopic, bariatric and metabolic surgeon. The health professionals shared their views on health and wellness during the discussion.