NEW DELHI: Former Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar, the country’s first Sikh to have risen to the highest position in the judiciary and who was part of the bench that criminalised ‘triple talaq’, and late Suzuki Corporation chairman Osamu Suzuki were on Saturday named for Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second highest civilian award.
The Padma Vibhushan list also features celebrated violinist L Subramaniam, late Bihari singer Sharda Sinha, and Malayalam author M T Vasudevan Nair.
The Padma Bhushan list has a more diverse cast, including the once-fiery VHP’s Sadhvi Rithambara, who is now a social worker and runs an ashram at Vrindavan.
Manohar Joshi, Bibek Debroy among 139 Padma winners
The Padma Bhushan list also includes ex-Maharashtra CM and late Shiv Sena mamber Manohar Joshi and the late Bibek Debroy, who headed economic advisory council to the PM.
Among other awardees are film director Shekhar Kapur who made it big in Hollywood after his success back home with ‘Bandit Queen’, Malayalam actress Shobhana, late ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, ex-hockey player and coach P R Sreejesh, film actors Anant Nag and Nandamuri Balakrishna, former BJP functionary from Bihar late Sushil Modi, Zydus Lifesciences chairman Pankaj Patel and journalists A Surya Prakash and Rambahadur Rai.
The Padma Shri list, continuing the tradition of Modi govt, is a mix of accomplished celebrities in their field and unsung heroes, including foreigners, who have dedicated their lives to preserving and promoting Indian culture, tradition, innovative farming techniques and alternative healthcare. Ex-cricketer R Ashwin, ex-Indian football team captain I M Vijayan, singer Arijit Singh, Marathi actor Ashok Laxman Saraf, theatre personality Barry John, and travel writers Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, have been chosen this year for Padma Shri. C S Vaidyanathan, the lawyer who argued in the Ayodhya title case for Ram Lalla, also features in the list of awardees. Two professors from Delhi School of Economics, K L Krishna and V R Panchmukhi, are among the Padma Shri awardees.
This year, the President has approved conferment of 139 Padma Awards in all, including 113 Padma Shri.
Twenty-three awardees are women, while 10 are in the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIO or OCI. Thirteen awardees are being honoured posthumously. A statewise break shows 14 awardees from Maharashtra, 13 from Tamil Nadu, 10 from UP, 9 each from West Bengal and Karnataka, and 8 from Gujarat.
For the full list of Padma awardees, log on to timesofindia.com
