Angels of Mumbai Season 2025 Felicitation Honours 11 Changemakers
· Free Press Journal
At an electrifying event on Friday, The Free Press Journal honoured 11 changemakers, as part of the Angels of Mumbai Season 2025 Felicitation Awards Ceremony. Angels of Mumbai, an initiative of this paper, which shines a spotlight on individuals and organisations working selflessly to address pressing social challenges in and around Mumbai, has completed six seasons of storytelling for good.
The awards night was attended by the stalwarts from the philanthropy world, and saw Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Government of Maharashtra as the chief guest; and Ritu Tawde, Mayor of Mumbai and Ronnie Screwvala, movie producer and philanthropist as guests of honour.
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Speaking on the dais, chief guest Mangal Prabhat Lodha shared, “This is a truly one-of-a-kind awards event by The Free Press Journal, where the jury panellists are not charging any fees for their deliberations. Instead, they are contributing from their own pockets to support the winners. That is absolutely phenomenal and deeply inspiring. This has been made possible because of the powerful impact of this special project. The credit also goes to the Karnani family, whose Angels of Mumbai initiative has created a meaningful ripple effect, inspiring others and motivating them to contribute towards these remarkable changemakers.”
The Angels of Mumbai aims to create a platform to deepen grassroots impact by amplifying the work done by public-spirited individuals and organisations, to ultimately encourage civic participation and to connect change-makers with wider networks of support.
Guest of honour Ritu Tawde, Mayor of Mumbai“Cities face challenges that are complex and evolving. Government institutions play an important role, but meaningful change only happens when citizens and civil society work together with government agencies. The Angels being felicitated today represent that shared responsibility. You strengthen the social fabric of Mumbai in ways that policy alone cannot achieve. When we celebrate those who serve quietly, we inspire others to act. Mumbai’s resilience has always come from its people. I truly commend this initiative by The Free Press Journal that recognises people working behind the scenes for other Mumbaikars. It was a moment of joy for me to meet some of them,” shared Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde.
The evening honoured winners across diverse fields, including healthcare access, education, community development, environmental action and social inclusion, highlighting the breadth of citizen-led impact across the city.
Guest of honour Ronnie Screwvala, movie producer and philanthropist“My background comes from a lower middle-class family, and I believe many of us here share a similar journey. If you listen to how we speak and carry ourselves, there is a certain lack of entitlement — and it is precisely that mindset which enables us to give back. When we talk about philanthropy today, I often say it is a 20th-century word in the 21st century. I say this because many people assume you need grey hair and a large bank balance to contribute meaningfully. But in India, we have repeatedly seen that volunteering, what I call ‘sweat equity’ is the truest form of philanthropy. That spirit of giving back, through time and effort, is what truly defines this country,” shared guest of honour Ronnie Screwvala.
The winning Angels of Mumbai are Gargi Mashruwala, Director, St. Jude India Child Care Centres; Padma Shri Fr. Joseph Pereira, founder of Kripa Foundation; Aman Sharma, Co-founder, Training and Educational Centre For Hearing impaired (TEACH); Dr Tatyana Dias, Founder & CEO, Veruschka Foundation; Pushpa Subramanian and Lata Srinivasan, Co-founders, Gyaandaan Foundation (Sampoorna Shiksha); Hutokshi Rustomfram, Founder-trustee, Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Foundation; Dr Eric Borges, Chairperson, Sukoon Nilaya Palliative Care Centre & King George V Memorial Trust; Kedar Sohoni, Founder, Green Communities Foundation; Rashmi Misra, Founder-president, VIDYA; Sheetal Agarwal, Founder & Director, Clownselors Foundation; and Paramjeet Singh, co-founder, DBM India.