Indore (Madhya Pradesh): “Jo apne sankalp path se na hile, woh thi Ahilya”. With this powerful tribute, folk singer Padma Shri Malini Awasthi set the tone at the grand event commemorating Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar’s 300th birth anniversary on Saturday.
The city’s Basketball Complex was filled with chants, applause and reverence as over 5,000 women and dignitaries united under the banner “Main Bhi Ahilya”, a celebration of womanhood inspired by a queen who led with courage, compassion and conviction.
Awasthi hailed Ahilyabai as more than a monarch—a spiritual beacon, a just ruler and a nurturing mother to her people. “She lived like a rishi and governed like a mother. Her flame of dharma still burns within every Indian woman,” she said.
Former union minister Smriti Irani, chief guest at the event, praised Ahilyabai’s unique model of leadership. “She built a state where welfare and righteousness were central. She created a 500-women army before we spoke of empowerment,” Irani remarked, linking Ahilya’s legacy to today’s milestones like the first NDA batch of 17 female officers.
The celebration featured a mesmerising dance-drama, the unveiling of the coffee-table book “An Eternal Flame” by Avinash Mule and calls to include Ahilyabai’s life in school syllabi. Esteemed attendees included Jagadguru Shankaracharya Gyananand Ji, Sumitra Mahajan and Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh, who proposed instituting the Lokmata Ahilya Gaurav Samman.
As chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” echoed through the air, one thing was clear—Ahilyabai’s spirit is eternal, guiding India’s present and illuminating its future.
