4 from region among 119 Padma awardees
NEW DELHI: Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, spiritual leader Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and controversial archaeologist BB Lal were among seven people awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, the government announced on Monday.
The list of Padma awards also comprised 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri recipients. This included 29 women, 10 people of Indian origin, non resident Indians and foreigners, 16 posthumous awardees and one transgender person.
Indian-american physicist Narendra Singh Kapany, who is known for his work on fibre optics, was awarded posthumously along with Balasubrahmanyam, who recording 40,000 songs in 16 languages and died of Covid-19 last September.
Dr Belle Monappa Hegde, cardiologist and former vice chancellor of Manipal University, was given the Padma Vibhushan, as was Islamic scholar and peace activist Wahiduddin Khan and Odia sculptor Sudarshan Sahoo. BB Lal, former director general of the Archaeological Survey of India whose books first suggested the presence of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, was also awarded.
Former bureaucrat Nripendra Misra, who now heads the committee for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, was among 10 Padma Bhushan awardees. The list included former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi, former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel, who were all chosen posthumously.
Kannada author Chandrashekhara Kambara, former LS speaker Sumitra Mahajan, industrialist Rajnikant D Shroff, politician Tarlochan Singh, Shia leader and educationist Kalbe Sadiq and renowned singer KS Chithra were also given the Padma Bhushan.
The Padma Shri was awarded to 102 people. Among those awarded posthumously were former Goa governor Mridula Sinha, Gujarati actor duo Maheshbhai and Nareshbhai Kanodia, renowned Delhi pulmonologist Dr JN Pande, author CL Sapru and artist KC Sivasankar. Singer Bombay Jayashree, Theatre director Peter Brook, Lijjat Papad co-founder Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, Bhil artist Bhuri Bai, transgender activist Matha B Manjamma Jogati and legendary Bihar launda naach exponent Ramachandra Manjhi were among the other awardees.