President, Pratibha Patil, on Thursday presented the first set of the Padma awards for the current year to 61 recipients, including former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, Malayam poet O.N.V. Kurup, art and dance scholar Kapila Vatsyayan, and educationist, scientist and administrator Akhlaq Ur Rahman Kidwai.
In all, the government on the eve of the Republic Day had announced a list of 128 Padma awards winners —13 Padma Vibhushan, 31 Padma Bhushan and 84 Padma Shri.
At the first investiture ceremony on Thursday, apart from Mr. Mishra, Mr. Kurup, Ms. Vatsyayan and Dr. Kidwai, who have won the Padma Vibhushan awards, 15 Padma Bhushan and 42 Padma Shri awardees were conferred their awards.
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan awards were presented to actor Waheeda Rahman, music director Khayyam, singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Bharatanatyam dancer C.V. Chandrasekhar, Kathakali exponent M.V. Nair, musician R.K.S. Srikantan, former Cabinet Secretary Surendra Singh, scientist S. Ramachandran, business leader cum philanthropist G.V.K. Reddy, Founder and Chairman of Max India Analjit Singh, ITC Chairman Y.C. Deveshwar, former Vice Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanisation M.N. Buch and social worker S.S. Ranade. Besides, one Padma Bhushan award was presented posthumously in honour of Ayurveda expert, late K. Raghavan Thirumulpad.
Padma Shri
Padma Shri recipients, who were presented the award on Thursday, include actors Tabu and Jayaram Subramaniam, sportspersons V.V.S. Laxman, Sushil Kumar, N. Kunjarani Devi and S.K. Mahajan, Bharatanatyam exponent M.K. ‘Baby' Saroja, film-maker Shaji Neelakantan Karur, former Director of ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, M. Annamalai, social workers Jockin Arputham and N.S. Chandy, puppeteer Dadi Dorab Pudumjee and a scholar on Indian philosophy Karl Harrington Potter of the University of Washington.
Other recipients
The other Padma Shri recipients who received their awards are: educationist ‘Mecca' Rafeeque Ahmed, health activist Pukhraj Bafna, pioneer of Lasik eye surgery Mani Bhaumik, publisher of women's writing Urvashi Butalia, noted classical vocalist Ajoy Chakrabarty, theatre artist N.M.S. Chowdhry, creative writer Pravin Darji, Rajasthani poet and critic C.P. Deval, noted Madhubani painter Mahasundari Devi, noted archaeologist M.K. Dhavalikar, innovative handloom weaver Gajam Govardhana, noted cardiologist Mansoor Hasan, noted gynaecologist Indira Hinduja, prominent Indian community leader in Singapore S.P. Khattar, Urdu poet Balraj Komal, educationist Rajni Kumar, nurse working for endangered tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands S.T. Lakra, promoter of eco-friendly farming M.H. Mehta, physician-turned entrepreneur Azad Moopen, orthopaedic surgeon S.P. Mandal, poet-novelist B.V. Nemade, cardiothoracic surgeon Jose Chacko Periappuram, educationist Riyaz Punjabi, academic scholar K.R. Rao, tiger conservationist P.K. Sen, conservator of medicinal plants A.D. Shankar, Pena music exponent K.M. Singh and folk-singer P.S. Tipanya.
