Lakhs of feet keep time to the beat of taal and mridang, forgetting the blisters on them. The roads echo with the chant of 'Dnyaneshwar-Tukaram', and the Warkari sect rests on love alone, rising above caste, creed and religion. This timeless devotional current of Maharashtra has now proudly reached the world map. The documentary 'Pandharpur Wari - In the Footsteps of the Saints', made under the sensitive, far-sighted and firm initiative of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has won the prestigious Asian Academy Creative Awards 2026 as India's National Winner in the Best Branded Programme category.
The feeling is that this global honour became possible mainly because of the personal care and direction Chief Minister Fadnavis gave to take the sanctity of the Warkari tradition and Maharashtra's great saint culture to the world.
A message of devotion and equality across the seas: the Ashadhi Wari comes alive in 22 minutes
The State Directorate of Information and Public Relations produced this 22-minute documentary in collaboration with the internationally known Warner Bros. Discovery. Through Discovery's leading channels around the world, it reached crores of international viewers. The teachings of brotherhood, social equality, humanity and dedication given by Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj crossed all barriers of language and touched the hearts of foreign scholars and viewers.
Going beyond a mere celebration, the documentary showed the Pandharpur Wari as one of the world's most disciplined, sustainable and eco-friendly mass cultures.
"The Wari is not just a celebration. It is the universal mother that ends all divisions!": Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
Reacting to this global honour with emotion and pride, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said:
"The Pandharpur Wari is not the pilgrimage of one region or one religion alone. It is a universal call that colours everyone in the one hue of Vitthal, without any distinction of caste, creed, religion or rich and poor. I sincerely wanted the message of equality that the saints gave to this soil to reach across the seas. For the Information and Public Relations Department's documentary, made with great faith and creativity, to win India's national award is a tribute to every Warkari of Maharashtra and to the feet of the saints."
The Chief Minister praised the Information and Public Relations Department and Warner Bros. Discovery for this unique achievement. He urged every citizen to watch this global record of Maharashtra's rich tradition.
Warkari culture's stamp at the international level: Brijesh Singh
Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary and Director General of the Information and Public Relations Department, outlined the background to the achievement. He said: "The documentary was chosen as India's national winner from several well-known and high-quality productions across the Asia-Pacific region. Under the Chief Minister's guidance, Maharashtra's saint literature, devotional traditions and the unique cultural strength of the Wari have been placed at a new height on the global stage."
From the ordinary Warkari who bows at the feet of Mauli's padukas to thinkers across the world, this film brings everyone together. It now stands as India's cultural identity and flies proudly across the globe.