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First woman elephant mahout among 34 unsung heroes awarded Padma Shri
The president has approved 132 Padma Awards. Five will be presented Padma Vibhushan, 17 will be presented Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri Awards
New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday released the list of Padma Award winners and President Droupadi Murmu will confer these awards at the civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan held usually around March / April every year.
This year, the president has approved 132 Padma Awards, including two duo cases. Five will be presented Padma Vibhushan, 17 will be presented Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri Awards.
India’s first female elephant mahout, a burn victim turned surgeon, a sculptor artist, a tribal welfare worker, a medicine practitioner, practitioners of a traditional dance forms, a veteran coach of the traditional Indian sport, are among the 34 unsung heroes Padma Shri awardees for 2024.
These are some of the Padma Shri recipients:
An animal conservationist from Assam and India’s first female elephant mahout, Parbati Barua, is one of the award recipients this Republic Day. Barua, 70, was born as the last in line of the Rajahs of Gauripur. She came to the limelight after the BBC created the documentary “Queen of the Elephants” based on her life. She has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of social work (animal welfare).
She stood out for her commitment towards mitigating human-elephant conflict. Her relentless efforts over four decades played a vital role in saving and shaping the lives of many rogue tuskers. Despite coming from a well-off background, she chose to live a simple life and dedicated herself to serving tuskers.
Another recipient is 72-year-old Prema Dhanraj, a plastic reconstructive surgeon social worker. He survived as a child from a fire accident after suffering 50% burn injuries at the age of eight. Dhanraj went on to become one of India’s top plastic surgeons and dedicated himself to the care and rehabilitation of burn victims. He will receive Padma Shri in the field of Medicine (indigenous burns).
Sanatan Rudra Pal is a Kumartuli artist and is known for being one of the most famous sculptors for making majestic and towering Durgas idols. He has been a sculptor artist for over 50 years. His works travel from Kolkata to distant lands ranging from the Caribbean Islands to Washington and from Johannesburg to London every year during Durga Puja. He too was a recipient of the Padma Shri this year.
Hemchand Manjhi from Chhattisgarh is a traditional medicine practitioner treating patients across states, especially the needy in villages. Hailing from Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, Manjhi has been providing affordable healthcare to villagers for over five decades. He has been awarded Padma Shri for his contributions to the field of Medicine (AYUSH traditional medicine).
Somanna, a tribal welfare worker from Mysuru working tirelessly for the upliftment of the Jenu Kuruba tribe for over four decades, has been conferred Padma Shri in the field of social work (tribal).
Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, a veteran coach of the traditional Indian sport Mallakhamb worked relentlessly in reviving, revitalising and popularising the sport at the global level. He has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of sport.
Chami Murmu, a tribal environmentalist and women’s empowerment champion from Jharkhand will receive the Padma Shri for spearheading afforestation efforts and planting over three million plants in Seraikela Kharsawan district.
Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines / fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘
(with agency inputs)
