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300th anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar celebrated in Boston
The organizers announced that the event would be held annually to honor her legacy.
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Staff Reporter
- Thu, 05, Jun 2025
- 02:59 EDT
- 45
Community members paid their respects to Ahilyabai Holkar / Courtesy photo
The 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar was celebrated in Boston, USA. The event was organized by Friends of MP, Global Citizen Forum, and several prominent Indian-Hindu diaspora organizations.
Ahilyabai Holkar was the queen of the Malwa kingdom in the Maratha Empire. She transformed Maheshwar into the seat of the Holkar Dynasty, building temples, ghats, and wells across India, earning her the title "Punyashlok" for her sacred contributions.
The ceremony began with a ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Salil Maakoday and Sanjeev Saxena. Pramit Maakoday, founding member of Friends of MP, presided over the event and emphasized that Holkar was not only a distinguished ruler of Central India but a timeless symbol of women’s leadership.
Sanjeev Tripathi, a senior community leader, recited an inspiring and motivational poem about Holkar.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Lakshmi Thalanki, an academic, researcher, and orthodontist from Boston. Dr. Thalanki emphasized the continued relevance of Holkar’s inclusive leadership, spiritual vision, and social reforms in today’s world, stating that her governance blended transparency, welfare, and Dharma — a rare example of ethical leadership, even by modern standards.
Dr. Thalanki emphasised on the siginificance of learning from Holkar's life and said, “There is hardly any area of society — spirituality, culture, humanitarian work, education, science, ecology, or Dharma — that Ahilyabai has not influenced. Her life offers timeless lessons, deeply rooted in our Itihasas and Upanishads.”
Nisha Maakoday, a member of the community, expressed pride in being born on the same land where Holkar once ruled. Similar sentiments were echoed by Aditya Jhavar, who delivered the vote of thanks. Jhavar also announced that the event would be held annually to honor Holkar's legacy.
Sangeeta Saxena from Gayatri Parivar and Deepti Nagraj from HSS New England also shared their thoughts on Holkar's enduring impact and global relevance.
During the concluding segment, Pramit Maakoday proposed that, with the support of the Global Citizen Forum, this initiative be taken to the United Nations and developed as a globally recognized program celebrating Dharmic leadership and women’s empowerment.
As per the organizers, the next edition of the event would be dedicated to women empowerment and ethical leadership development. They also announced that next year's celebration would welcome participants from the United States and around the world.
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