Goa. A grand ‘Pride of India Award’ and ‘Pride of Goa Award – 2026’ ceremony was organized by Showtheme Production in collaboration with Swadesh News Channel at the Palace of Machines Theater in Panaji, the capital of Goa. The objective of this dignified event was to honor those distinguished personalities who have made significant contributions to the upliftment of the society, their profession, the state and the nation. The efficient conduct and overall management of the event was done by Sanjeev Kumar, Managing Director of Showtheme Production and Maharashtra-Goa Head of Swadesh News Channel, while the role of Mrs. Siya, Director of Showtheme Production in the grandeur and well-organization of the event was highly commendable. The chief guest of the function was Ramesh Tawadkar, Cabinet Minister of Arts, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Goa. Among the special guests, Channel Head of Swadesh News Satellite TV Channel Ravi Prakash Srivastava, Mumbai ACP Sanjay Patil, and Central India Head of Press Network of India and President of Madhya Pradesh Press Club, Dr. Naveen Anand Joshi were prominently present. Many special talents were honored under the ‘Pride of India’ category. Among these, international animal products artisan Neeta Deep Bajpayee was given the Best Entrepreneur Award – 2026, and Dr. Neha Sharma Choudhary, Group Marketing Director of Oxford-Indore International College, was given the Excellent Academician Award – 2026. Senior journalist Ajay Pratap Singh was honored for his journalistic contribution. Deepak Desai was awarded the Best Writer, Poet, Lyricist, Producer and Actor – 2026, Nilesh Manohar Mungekar was awarded the Best Director and Producer, Mohammad Irfan was awarded the Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 and Viraj Kamat was awarded the Best Journalist of Goa. Supermodel and Mrs. India Eliza Benarzir and renowned Bollywood designer Nazia Dhamiya were honored for their amazing skills of multiple outfit changes in one minute. It is noteworthy that both their names are also recorded in the World Record Book based in America. Addressing the function, Madhya Pradesh Press Club President Dr. Naveen Anand Joshi said that such events provide a new direction to positive energy, creativity and excellence in the society. In the same sequence, in the ‘Pride of Goa’ category, Viral Pandey was awarded the Best Junior Actor of Goa, Kevin De Mello was awarded the Best Goa Film Actor-2026, Shammullah Syed was awarded the Best Cinematographer-2026 and Syed Naseeruddin was awarded the Best Photographer-2026. The contribution of Rahila Khan, co-coordinating partner of the program was noteworthy. Miss Samridhi conducted the stage effectively. Showthem Production Director Sia, Mohammad Irfan, Pune correspondent Sunil Shirshat and Goa correspondent Viraj Kamat were thanked for their cooperation. On this occasion, Sunil Shirshat was also honored with ‘Pride of India Award – 2026’ as the best correspondent of Pune. Giving cultural color to the program, Kathak dance by Manju Mahtre and her team, traditional Goan dance by Auriya Wallet Fernandes and her team and a captivating solo dance by Suhani were presented, which made the function memorable.