Govt confers 119 Padma honours

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.

The list of Padma awards includes 29 women, 10 people of Indian origin, non resident Indians and foreigners, 16 posthumous awardees and one transgender person.(HT ILLUSTRATION)

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving PM, stepped down last August and was the first Japanese PM to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2014.

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 last September after being infected with Covid-19.

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 Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya town, 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 chief minister Tarun Gogoi, former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, who were all chosen posthumously.

Kannada author Chandrashekhara Kambara, former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, industrialist Rajnikant Devidas Shroff, politician Tarlochan Singh, Shia leader and educationist Kalbe Sadiq and renowned singer KS Chithra were also given the Padma Bhushan.

The Padmi Shri was awarded to 102 people across the fields of medicine, social work, sports, literature and education, trade, sports, public affairs and art.

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.