Omguru

Omguru
Born	Pritesh Ashokkumar Shah (1977-02-08) 8 February 1977 (age 48) Ahmedabad
Organization(s)	Omkar Foundation Trust, AIFF, The KCCS Ltd.,
Notable work	Omkar Chalisha
Honors	Rashtriya Puraskar (2016)
Website	sadguruomrushi.org

Omguru (born Pritesh Ashokkumar Shah, 8 February 1977) known as Shri Sadguru Omrushi, is an Indian spiritual leader and social worker from Gujarat. He is the founder of the Omkar Foundation Trust, a nonprofit organisation that supports persons with disabilities, and the Omkar Sampraday, a devotional group. He also organises the Ahmedabad International Film Festival (AIFF). In 2016, he received the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, and in 2019, the Glory of Gujarat Award. ^{[1] [2] [3]} He also directed the award-winning short film “Gamdhani,” which received recognition at multiple national and international film festivals for its emotional storytelling and direction. ^[4]

Early life

Omguru was born in a Jain family in Ahmedabad. As a child he was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and is reported to live with about 80% disability. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree from L.J. College Ahmedabad, and also passed the preliminary stage of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam.

Work

Omguru has been involved in spiritual, social, and cultural activities. He established the Omkar Sampraday, ^[5] which focuses on devotional practice, and has written and composed bhajans, doha, ghazals, and stotras, some of which have been published in Gujarati media. Since 1996, he has worked with persons with disabilities and later founded the Omkar Foundation Trust, which reports providing assistance through food, medical aid, and education, facilitating health insurance coverage under the Niramaya scheme, and supporting livelihood activities for persons with disabilities. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} He also organises the Ahmedabad International Film Festival, which presents films from India and abroad and includes categories such as Divyang (disability-focused) films, short films, documentaries, and feature films. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

Further reading

• Roy, Shibani (2025-11-21). Om Guru's - Kaliyug Mantra: A Vision I See, a Path I Weave. Phantastic Publishing. ISBN   978-3-69111-795-0.

Honours

Omguru received the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in 2016 ^[8]

References

1. Gupta, Priyanka. "Conquering disability: Way of bed-ridden prince who turned people's healer". DNA India. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
2. Live, A. B. P. (2025-06-06). "From Pain To Purpose: Omguru's Journey From Childhood Agony To Championing India's Disabled". news.abplive.com. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
3. Maxwell, Alexander (2025-11-25). "Defeating Disability;How A Bed-Ridden Boy Transformed Into People's Mantratherapist". www.ibtimes.sg. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
4. "OmGuru's Gamdhani explores inner conflict through quiet storytelling". The Times of India. 2026-01-09. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2026-01-09.
5. "OMKARDHAM TIRTH: A UNIQUE TEMPLE IN THE WORLD". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
6. "Ahmedabad's 9th 'Divyang Patang Mohotsav' saw hundreds of disabled children enjoying the Kite Fest – Bilkul Online". 2024-01-07. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
7. "Shravan month marked by largest women's Kavad Yatra in Surat: 5,000 devotees chant 'Har Har Mahadev' and perform collective Shivling puja - Surat News". Bhaskar English. 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
8. "Live, A. B. P. (2025-06-06). "From Pain To Purpose: Omguru's Journey From Childhood Agony To Championing India's Disabled". news.abplive.com. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
9. Gupta, Priyanka. "SURAT HOSTED A LARGEST WOMEN-LED KAWAR YATRA UNDER BLESSINGS of OMGURU". DNA India. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
10. "સિનેમા અને સાંસ્કૃતિક અભિવ્યક્તિનો ભવ્ય ઉત્સવ:"કશું જ અશક્ય નથી" તેવો આત્મસાત કરનારા દિવ્યાંગ સંત ઓમગુરૂ દ્વારા અમદાવાદ ઈન્ટરનેશનલ ફિલ્મ ફેસ્ટિવલનું આયોજન". divyabhaskar (in Gujarati). 9 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
11. "Spiritual healer Omguru's another feat: Organises 16th edition of Ahmedabad International Film Festival". The Times of India. 2025-05-09. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2026-01-09.
12. "अहमदाबाद अंतरराष्ट्रीय फिल्म महोत्सव: सिनेमा के जरिए सामाजिक बदलाव की अनूठी मिसाल - Ahmedabad International Film Festival sets a unique example of social change through cinema". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2025-06-23.
13. "Spiritual healer Omguru's another feat: Organises 16th edition of Ahmedabad International Film Festival". The Times of India. 2025-05-09. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2025-07-10.