
NEW DELHI, Jan. 25 -- Former deputy chief minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, folk singer Sharda Sinha, and hockey player PR Sreejesh are among the 139 people who will be conferred with the Padma awards, one of the highest civilian awards which were announced on the eve of the 76th Republic Day on Saturday.
Sharda Sinha, and veteran Malayalam author MT Vasudevan Nair who died last December has been posthumously honoured with Padma Vibhushan. Sinha, known for her iconic Chhatth songs, passed away on November 5 last year at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
In a career spanning over seven decades, Nair authored nine novels, 19 collections of short stories, directed six films, wrote around 54 screenplays, and published several collections of essays and memoirs.
Out of the 139 Padma awards, seven people will receive the Padma Vibhushan, while 19 people will receive the Padma Bhushan and 113 people will be conferred with the Padma Shri this year.
The President of India confers these awards at ceremonial functions held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in March-April this year.
Former chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation Osamu Suzuki, former chief justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar, violinist L Subramaniam, dancer Kumudini Lakhia and Dr D Nageshwara Reddy, a gastroenterologist, were also conferred with the Padma Vibhushan. Osamu Suzuki has been named for the second highest civilian award posthumously.
Tamil actor Ajith Kumar, Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, noted economist Bibek Debroy, and film-maker Shekhar Kapur are some of the other notable persons who will receive Padma Bhushan award. Among other prominent Padma Bhushan awardees are: veteran journalists A Surya Prakash and Ram Bahadur Rai, Jatin Goswami from Assam, Jose Chack Periappuram from Kerala for medicine, Sadhvi Ritambhara for social work, US based scientist Vinod Dham and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
A 100-year old freedom fighter from Goa, a dhak player from West Bengal who trained 150 women in the male-dominated field, and India's first woman puppeteers are among those awarded the Padma Shri.
Harvinder Singh, who won gold in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, has also been honoured with the Padma Shri award. Padma Shri awardee Libia Lobo Sardesai played an important role in Goa's freedom movement and co-founded an underground radio station -- Voz da Liberdade (Voice of Freedom) -- in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against Portuguese rule.
Gokul Chandra Dey, a 57-year old dhak player from Bengal, who broke gender stereotypes by training 150 women in the male-dominated field, is one of the awardees.He performed with maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
A strong supporter of woman empowerment, 82-year old Sally Holkar transformed the once-dying Maheshwari craft and founded a handloom school in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, to train people in traditional weaving techniques. She will receive the Padma Shri award.
The Padma awards are given in various disciplines like art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all Padma awardees and said India is proud to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements.
"Congratulations to all the Padma awardees! India is proud to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements. Their dedication and perseverance are truly motivating. Each awardee is synonymous with hard work, passion and innovation, which has positively impacted countless lives. They teach us the value of striving for excellence and serving society selflessly," Modi said on X.
Nine from Bengal, including Arijit Singh, Mamata Shankar, Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, conferred Padma Awards
Nine personalities from Bengal, including Mamata Shankar, Arijit Singh and Tejendra Narayan Majumdar have been conferred with Padma awards.
Gokul Chandra Dey, a 57-year-old Dhak player who broke gender stereotypes by training 150 women in the male-dominated field also found a place on the list.
Dey is from North 24-Parganas who created a lightweight Dhak type, 1.5 kg less than the conventional instrument and represented India at various international platforms and performed with Maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Noted singer Arijit Singh and actor Mamata Shankar are among the nine who were conferred the prestigious Padma Shri awards. The names have been announced on Saturday.
Noted sarod player Tejendra Narayan Majumdar has also been awarded with Padma Shri alongside Singh and Shankar in the field of Art while Nagendra Nath Roy was conferred the award for his contribution to the field of Literature and Education.
Pawan Goenka and Sajjan Bhajanka have been awarded Padma Shri for their contribution to the field of Trade and Industry.
Swami Pradiptananda (Kartik Maharaj) is also among the Pada Shri awardees in the category of Spiritualism. Vinayak Lohani has been conferred with Padma Shri for social work.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.