30 people from various walks of life were awarded the Padma Shri on Saturday — ahead of Republic Day celebrations in India. The list included a 100-year old freedom fighter from Goa, a Dhak player from West Bengal, the first woman puppeteers of India, two travel influencers and more.
The Padma Awards — one of the highest civilian honours of the country — are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The awards cover people from myriad disciplines and various fields of activity. They are announced annually during Republic Day celebrations.
‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service while ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order. A ‘Padma Shri’ is awarded for distinguished service in any field.
The list includes Libia Lobo Sardesai who played an important role in Goa's freedom movement. She co-founded an underground radio station called ‘Voz da Liberdabe (Voice of Freedom)’ in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against Portuguese rule.
57-year old Gokul Chandra Dey — a Dhak player from West Bengal broke gender stereotypes by training 150 women in the male-dominated field. He also created a lightweight dhak that is 1.5 kg less than the conventional instrument. He has represented India at various international platforms and performed with Maestros such as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
82-year old Sally Holkar was also named among the Padma Shri awardees. She transformed the once dying Maheshwari craft and founded a handloom school in Madhya Pradesh to give training in traditional weaving techniques. She has devoted five decades of her life to revitalising the 300-year-old weaving legacy.
Yoga practitioner Shaikha A J Al Sabah who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his trip to Kuwait will also be felicitated. She is considered a ‘pioneering figure’ in the wellness landscape of the other country. She is also the founder of Daratma — the first licensed yoga studio of Kuwait.
Nagaland fruit farmer L Hangthing was featured on the list as was Thavil instrumentalist P Datchanamoorthy. Prominent para-athlete Harvinder Singh was also on the Padma Shri list released on Saturday. He secured India's first-ever gold medal in para-archery at the Paris 2024 Paralympics following a bronze medal during the Tokyo edition. Harvinder and Preeti Pal were named the flag bearers for India at the closing ceremony of the Paris Paralympics 2024. He also won four gold medals during the recent National Para Archery Championship.
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