At the first ever National Creators Awards held in India, it was the country’s best known influencer who walked away with the loudest applause. When Shraddha Jain (Aiyyo Shraddha to her fans) went up to receive her award for ‘Best Creative Creator Female’ and gushed, “Your spontaneity has floored everyone today!”, she wasn’t far off the mark.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the chief guest of the awards ceremony that honoured creator talent in the country on Friday morning, was at his charming best. The packed Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi resonated with calls of ‘Modi! Modi!’ as the PM warmed up to the awardees with smart repartee and ready witticisms. His self deprecating humor had his audience in splits. When Green Champ Creator Pankti Pandey, who happens to be a ‘fellow Amdavadi’ said in her speech that she would like to encourage people to undertake ‘waste audits’ of their homes to foster sustainable lifestyles, Modi quipped that Amdavadis “don’t waste anything, ever!” On a serious note, he added that he has launched ‘Mission Life’, an initiative that encourages everyone to adopt environment friendlier lifestyles.

Creators charmed by Modi

Modi urged ‘Cultural Ambassador creator’ Maithili Thakur to sing one of her wellknown devotional tracks on stage, and nudged ‘International Creator’ awardee Drew Hicks to address the audience in Hindi. He ribbed the slightly built Swacchata ambassador awardee Malhar Kalambe good naturedly, telling him that there were creators in the hall who could give him a few tips on eating well, eliciting guffaws from the audience. But Modi also lent a patient hearing to Malhar’s admission that he has had to bear taunts for having undertaken the task of cleaning up Mumbai’s public spaces. “Sometimes, you have to dirty your hands to get the city clean,” he told the prime minister. Modi quipped back, “Yes, sometimes you need such ‘safai’ during the elections too!”

Modi’s advice to creators hits the mark

The prime minister displayed a keen interest, knowledge and abiding passion for all of the creators’ work. To the Best Tech creator awardee Gaurav Chaudhary (Technical Guruji to fans), Modi was all praise but also urged Chaudhary to use his platform to democratise the use of technology in India, noting that it needs to reach the grassroots to be effective. “UPI should be accessible to all, not just to those in the big cities,” he said.

To Kamiya Jani of Curly Tales who walked away with the Best Travel Creator award, Modi had more words of advice. “Through your content, ask people to set aside a small part of their travel budgets on buying locally made produce, to rest for a while at the pilgrimage spots to absorb the vibes instead of rushing on to the next tourist spot.”

The prime minister quite obviously spoke from the heart, but as he emphasised more than once, not with an eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. “Although of course, it’s Modi’s guarantee that I will host a similar event next year too!” he said to an elated audience.

When Kabita of Kabita’s Kitchen came up to receive her award for the Best Food Creator, Modi took a dig at his fellow Gujaratis again. “Why do Gujaratis hunt for Mexican and Chinese food in their hometowns, and when they travel, they only look for Gujarati food?” he quizzed her. On a serious note, he urged Kabita to create content that would create nutritional awareness, particularly around millets which the government is keen to popularise once again as a healthy food substitute.

Naman Deshmukh, who got the award for the best Tech and Gadeget Creator, was told by Modi to create content around the Atal Tinkering Labs, backed by the government, for young students. Science and mathematics studies are once again being sought after, after the success of the Chandrayaan expedition, he pointed out, and urged Deshmukh that creators like him should create content that fosters scientific temper among teenagers.

Keeping creators happy

boAt founder Aman Gupta was honoured with the Celebrity Creator award, and Gupta told Modi he was proud to announce that 70 per cent of the company’s products are now made in India, making the company the second largest audio brand in the world. Unsurprisingly, many of the National Creator Awards recepients were those who have had a positive connect with the government. The ruling BJP has roped in Ranveer Allahabadia (Best Disruptor Award) and Curly Tales’ Kamiya Jani for interviews with an eye on the elections. Ankit Baiyanpuria (Best Fitness Creator) has featured with Modi on his Swacchata campaign and talking about his 75 day physical fitness challenge in October 2023.

But there were others too, who received government recognition for their creative talent. Keerthika Govindhasamy known as Keerthi History, Laksh Dabal who promotes natural farming, heritage fasion icon Janhavi Singh, and nano creator Piyush Purohit who hails from Chamoli in Uttarakhand, found themseles being feted for their work.

A total of over 1.75 lakh nominations were entered for the 20 categories of the first edition of the National Creators Awards. Apart from a voting process, a 2 member jury comprising adman Prasoon Joshi and actor Rupali Ganguly vetted the awards. “These awards will over time, become a great motivator for creators,” the prime minister assured his audience in his speech after handing over the awards, which were streamed online.

Full List of National Creator Award Winners:

Disruptor of the Year award: Ranveer Allahbadia (BeerBiceps)

Best Creator in Education Category(Male & Female): Naman Deshmukh

Best Creator in Tech Category: Gaurav Chaudhary(Technical Guruji)

Favourite Travel Creator: Kamiya Jani

Best Health and Fitness Creator: Ankit Baiyanpuria

Best Creator in Food Category: Kabita Singh (Kabita’s
Kitchen)

Celebrity Creator of the Year: Aman Gupta

Green Champion’ Category: Pankhti Pandey

Best Storyteller: Keerthika Govindasamy

Cultural Ambassador of the Year: Maithili Thakur

Most Creative Creator Female: Shraddha Jain

Most Creative Creator Male: RJ Raunac

Heritage Fashion Icon Award: Jahnvi Singh

Best Creator for Social Change Award: Jaya Kishori

Best Micro Creator Award: Aridaman

Best Creator in Gaming Category Award: Nishchay

Swachhta Ambassador Award: Malhar Kalambe

Best International Creator Award: Drew Hicks, Kili Paul,
Cassandra Mae Spittmann

Best Nano Creator Award: Piyush Purohit

Most Impactful Agri Creator: Lakshay Dabas

The New India Champion Award: Abhi and Niyu