Five educators and public figures walked away with the highest honours in school leadership on Saturday, 24 October 2026, as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally presented the Nachiketa Awards at the closing ceremony of the 9th International Principals Educational Conference (IPEC 2026) in Nagpur — a moment the Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra marked with a formal public announcement.

The five names the auditorium rose for

The evening's most celebrated honour — the Sarvottam (Best) Nachiketa Award — went to Dr. Nitish Bhardwaj, the former Member of Parliament best known to millions as the iconic portrayal of Lord Krishna in the landmark television series Mahabharat. Bhardwaj's recognition was explicitly for his contributions to the educational sphere, underscoring how public figures who bridge culture and pedagogy are increasingly being drawn into the state's education conversation.

The Nachiketa Lifetime Award honoured two recipients whose careers span decades of institutional leadership: Dr. Razia Hussain, Principal of MSB Educational Institute, and Shraddha Kelapure, former Headmistress of The South Public School, Nagpur. The lifetime category signals a deliberate effort to recognise sustained, ground-level service — the kind that rarely makes headlines but quietly shapes thousands of students.

Rounding out the evening were the Super Nachiketa Awards, presented to Dr. Indira Nayana, Director and Head of Academics Consultant at Billabong High International School, Mumbai, and Kanchan Uke, Principal of Centre Point School, Vardhamaan Nagar, Nagpur — two leaders who represent both the metro-private-school ecosystem and Nagpur's own institutional fabric.

What IPEC brings to Maharashtra's school leadership calendar

Now in its ninth edition, IPEC has established itself as one of the country's dedicated forums for school principals and academic administrators. The conference format — culminating in a high-visibility award ceremony attended by the Chief Minister — gives school leadership a rare moment of state-level recognition that typically flows toward higher education or research institutions.

Maharashtra has a long track record of using such platforms to signal the government's alignment with institutional quality in schooling, without necessarily announcing new policy directives. The presence of CM Fadnavis at the closing — and his role as the award presenter — lends the recognition a formal government imprimatur that elevates it beyond an industry event.

For the educators in the room, the Nachiketa Award is named evocatively: Nachiketa, the young seeker of truth in the Katha Upanishad, is a fitting symbol for a prize that rewards those who pursue educational excellence with the same relentless curiosity. Five such seekers left Nagpur on Saturday with that symbol in hand.