On Republic Day eve, govt says Mulayam Yadav, SM Krishna to get top Padma awards
Nineteen awardees were women, two were foreigners, non-resident Indians, people of Indian origin or overseas citizens of India, and seven laureates were honoured posthumously, said a statement by the Union home ministry.
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna, renowned architect BV Doshi, and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain were among six people awarded India’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, the government announced on Wednesday, unveiling its annual list of honours on the eve of Republic Day.
Noted Indian-American mathematician Srinivasa Varadhan, and Oral Rehydration Solution pioneer Dilip Mahalanabis were the other winners of the Padma Vibhushan.
Industrialist and Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, scientist Deepak Dhar, and philanthropist Sudha Murty were among the nine people awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest honour.
Also read: ORS pioneer Dilip Mahalanabis, 25 other ‘unsung heroes’ get Padma Awards
Ninety-one people were conferred the Padma Shri, a statement by the Union home ministry said.
“Congratulations to those who have been conferred the Padma Awards. India cherishes their rich and varied contributions to the nation and their efforts to enhance our growth trajectory,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
Nineteen awardees were women, two were foreigners, non-resident Indians, people of Indian origin or overseas citizens of India, and seven laureates were honoured posthumously, the ministry statement added.
Kannada writer SL Bhyrappa, artist Vani Jairam, artist Suman Kalyanpur, linguistics scholar Kapil Kapoor, spiritual leaders Kamlesh Patel and Swami Chinna Jeeyar were among the other laureates awarded the Padma Bhushan.
Investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, actor Raveena Tandon, and music director MM Keeravaani were among the Padmi Shri winners. Others included Bihar’s Super 30 founder Anand Kumar, Chhattisgarh artist Ajay Mandavi, Rasna founder Areez Khambatta, and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Manipur chief Thounaojam Chaoba Singh.
Keeravaani’s composition for Telugu blockbuster RRR, Naatu Naatu, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song recently and is in the running for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Also read: PM congratulates Padma awardees, says ‘India cherishes their rich contributions’
Yadav, who formed one pillar of socialist and Mandal politics that changed the face of India’s heartland and became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh three times, died in October last year due to multiple organ failure. He led the list of awardees honoured posthumously, also including Doshi, Mahalanabis and Jhunjhunwala, among others. Many of the winners were unsung heroes from across India, including a 102-year-old artist from West Bengal, a snake-catcher duo from Tamil Nadu, and a 98-year-old organic farmer from Sikkim.
The prestigious Padma awards are conferred in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri — and are given in various disciplines of activities, such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sport, and civil service. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. These awards are conferred by the President at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan usually around March or April every year.
