Review: The Padmas; Fifty Stories of Perseverance by Neha J Hiranandani
An illuminating introduction to Padma awardees from various fields including medicine, literature, music, sports, education, dance, social work, science, wildlife conservation, peace building and human rights on the 70th anniversary of the institution of these awards
Seven years after India attained independence from British rule in 1947, the Padma awards were instituted to honour the contributions of civilians to public service. Initially classified as Pehla Varg, Dusra Varg and Teesra Varg, they were later renamed Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Neha J Hiranandani’s book, The Padmas: Fifty Stories of Perseverance, commemorates the 70th anniversary of these awards.
“The Padmas not only celebrate achievement, but also service and love for the nation. As they celebrate our beloved India, the Padma awards become more than a medallion. They become a feeling. They become the expression of a grateful nation,” writes Hiranandani, recalling a fond childhood memory of watching a television broadcast of the awards with her father.
The book provides an illuminating introduction to awardees from various walks of life – medicine, literature, music, sports, education, dance, social work, science, wildlife conservation, peace building and human rights. The 50 awardees featured here are organized in alphabetical order, and not in terms of when they received the awards – a sound logistical decision as many of them have been conferred more than one Padma award.
Structured like an encyclopedia, all 50 entries follow a template: a biographical sketch of the awardee, that highlights their background and unique contribution, is accompanied by the names of the Padma award(s) they have received and the corresponding year(s). Alongside each profile, a beautiful illustration emphasizes an aspect of the awardee’s story.
School teachers who have run out of creative ideas to observe Republic Day will find this book useful since each story can be turned into a skit. Parents who like to instill in their children a sense of pride in being Indian are likely to warm to it. Young readers in need of heroes as they forge their own journeys also stand to benefit.
The book opens with Abdul Khader Nadakattin, an inventor from Karnataka who got the Padma Shri in 2022. “Since he was from a family of farmers, he wanted to help others like him,” Hiranandani writes. Abdul started a workshop where he produced the most fascinating tools. These include machines to separate tamarind seeds, sharpen ploughing blades, and boilers to heat water. His first invention was an unusual alarm clock.
“Though he wanted to be an early riser, no alarm had the power to wake him… He found an alarm clock and a water bottle and combined them into something extraordinary! He tied a string from the key of the alarm clock to the water bottle,” writes Hiranandani. The key unwound when the alarm rang causing the water bottle to tip over. Little Abdul had no choice but to wake up when he was splashed in the face.
The book concludes with chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand from Tamil Nadu, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988 aged 19, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. The author puts the spotlight on his mother’s role in his success. As a woman who came from a family of chess lovers, she “taught her son everything she knew about the game”. When eight-year-old Anand’s family moved to Manila in the Philippines, he got interested in a chess programme on television. It was telecast during school hours, so his mother watched the show and made notes about various chess moves that she later taught him.
Hiranandani does not mention how she arrived at the list of 50 from the numerous individuals who have been awarded since 1954. The total number of Padma awards given in a single year cannot exceed 120. This figure does not include posthumous awards and those given to non-resident Indians, overseas citizens of India, and other foreign nationals. As mentioned on the website of the Padma awards, maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the awards have been announced every year, except 1978, 1979 and the years between 1993 to 1997.
The selection criteria might not be clear but the diversity that the book has captured is clearly remarkable. One of the most powerful stories is about Dilip Mahalanabis, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2023 for his pioneering use of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. Thousands of refugees, who had come to West Bengal, were suffering from cholera and dying of dehydration. Mahalanabis, a doctor, wanted to prevent further deaths, so, without waiting for permission from authorities to try out the solution that he had developed, he made refugees sip the ORS. His ingenuity saved lives, and continues to save lives to this day.
Then there’s the story about Bertha Gyndykes Dkhar, a teacher at a school for children with disabilities in Meghalaya. Given her own experience with a condition that led to the gradual degeneration of her vision, she believed visually impaired students would benefit from learning Braille in Khasi, their mother tongue, instead of in English. She developed the Braille code in Khasi and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010.
Usha Chaumar from Rajasthan, the President of the Sulabh International Social Service Organization, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020. Hiranandani writes, “Usha was a manual scavenger, which meant she cleaned human waste, especially from toilets and open drains with her bare hands. It was a difficult and dangerous job, and little Usha longed for a way out of this messy situation.” She learned to read and write; she discontinued her work as a manual scavenger and got many others to leave it. She transformed not only her village but the lives of several women oppressed by the caste system. Now, she lectures about her journey from cleaning toilets to cleaning up the world.
The story of Harekala Hajabba, an orange seller from Karnataka, also stands out. He dropped out of school to work and earn for his family but his passion for education remained undiminished. He saved up money and started a school in his village. When he did not have the money to hire staff, he cleaned the school on his own and also boiled drinking water for the school children. Now, he dreams of opening a college.
Hiranandani strikes a good balance between celebrating Padma awardees who are nationally and internationally renowned, and those who might be better known in the regions they are located in. The book also prompts readers to think about why certain people are seen as national or global icons and others are seen as regional ones. While the book features awardees from states and union territories like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Kerala, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, Hiranandani deserves applause for featuring many awardees from the Northeastern states, which are often excluded from mainstream narratives of Indian history. Thanks to Lakshmi Mitra, who is credited for helping Hiranandani with the research, individuals like Neidonuo Angami from Nagaland, who received the Padma Shri in 2000 for her work with the Naga Mothers’ Association to resolve conflicts through non violent means, and Birubala Rabha from Assam, who campaigned bravely against witch-hunting, find place in the book. Incidentally, Rabha’s work led to the passing of a law that banned witch-hunting.
This book helps readers appreciate parts of India that might be unfamiliar to them and also expand their understanding of what constitutes heroism. Young readers, especially, might be inspired to follow in the footsteps of scientists like EK Janaki Ammal, Homi Jehangir Bhabha and APJ Abdul Kalam, sportspersons like Gostha Behari Pal, Deepika Kumari, Milkha Singh and Mary Kom, and artistic personalities like MF Hussain, Teejan Bai, Satyajit Ray and Narthaki Nataraj.
David Yambem’s illustrations are excellent. A plant and wildlife enthusiast who lives in Manipur, his artwork featuring animals, birds and trees is sublime. Annapurna Devi, who received the Padma Bhushan in 1977, is shown playing the surbahar with her eyes closed as birds gather to listen and leaves glisten in the background.
Yambem’s illustration of Kushal Konwar Sarma, who has taken care of thousands of elephants, is touching for its evocative depiction of the doctor’s profound commitment to his patients. Sarma, who received the Padma Shri in 2020, takes care of over 700 elephants every year!
Long-distance swimmer Mihir Sen, (Padma Shri in 1959 and the Padma Bhushan in 1967), who was the first man to swim across the oceans of five continents in one year, is portrayed swimming with jellyfish and sharks in a majestic expanse of water.
Equally breathtaking is the illustration of Pandit Jasraj. The musician (Padma Shri in 1975, Padma Bhushan in 1990, and Padma Vibhushan in 2000) was once performing at a sunrise concert in Varanasi. As he sang Raga Todi, a deer ran up to the stage. Hiranandani writes, “It was an extraordinary moment. It is said that in the sixteenth century, the famous musician Tansen drew a herd of deer from the forest while singing the same raga.”
There are many other illustrations that pay homage to the relationship humans share with their surroundings and with other species. Ruskin Bond (Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014) is seated by a window at a wooden table with a typewriter, and gazes out at the hills in the distance. Saroj Raj Chowdhury, who developed the pug mark tracking technique for counting tigers in India’s forests, is shown beside Khairi, a tiger cub that he and his wife Saroj adopted after the cub got separated from her mother and siblings.
Then there are the lifelike illustrations of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan doing riyaaz under the night sky by the river Ravi, and of Ustad Bismillah Khan playing the shehnai by the river Ganga. Yambem’s brilliant work, which makes this book a keepsake, deserves to be shown in a gallery. Samar Bansal’s design and layout add to the volume’s look and feel.
This reviewer hopes future editions will have a longer introduction, or perhaps an epilogue, to answer questions like: How did the Padma awards get their name? Why have some awardees refused to accept or have returned these awards? What is the selection process? How and why has it changed over time?
Thoughtful teachers, involved parents and curious young people will find The Padmas: Fifty Stories of Perseverance by Neha J Hiranandani educational and enjoyable.
Chintan Girish Modi, a journalist and educator, is @chintanwriting on Instagram and X.