Tennis star Leander Paes and woman cricketer Anjum Chopra were among 56 distinguished people who received the Padma awards from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here on Saturday.
Leander, who was bestowed with Padma Shri in 2001, was conferred Padma Bhushan for his outstanding contribution to the game, especially his brilliant showing in the Davis Cup for more than two decades.
Anjum, a left-handed batswoman, is an Arjuna Awardee. She received the Padma Shri for her long stint in women’s cricket. A former India captain, Anjum was accompanied by her family members.
Wheelchair tennis player Boniface Prabhu received the Padma Shri award while cricket ace Yuvraj Singh missed the ceremony. Yuvraj, awarded Padma Shri, was busy with his Indian Premier League commitment in the United Arab Emirates.
PTI adds:
The 40-year old Paes, who aspires to represent the country at the Olympics for a historic seventh time in Rio, posted pre- and post-ceremony pics on his Twitter page.
“Padma Bhushan...Thanks for the years of support everyone!!! The rest is still unwritten...Jai Hind!," he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
“Padma Bhushan Ceremony, Rashtrapati Bhavan! Nothing like family by my side. I miss my baby, Aiyana...,” read his pre-ceremony tweet.
