Padma awards for U R Rao, Yesudas, Kohli

Politicians Sharad Pawar and Murli Manohar Joshi, spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev, and former Isro chairman U R Rao are among those chosen for the prestigious Padma awards.

The list features 89 names – seven Padma Vibhushans, seven Padma Bhushans and 75 Padma Shris. Overall, there are 19 women in the list. 

Nationalist Congress Party chief Pawar, BJP veterans Joshi and the late Sundar Lal Patwa, and former Lok Sabha speaker the late P A Sangma have been chosen for the second highest civilian award – Padma Vibhushan, along with Rao, Jaggi Vasudev and singer K J Yesudas, who has also sung for several Kannada films. 

Among the seven Padma Bhushan winners are Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Mohan veena exponent Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, yoga expert Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, spiritual guru Ratna Sundar Maharaj, writer Devi Prasad Dwivedi and medical practitioner Tehemton Udwadia.

Journalist and writer Cho Ramaswamy, who passed away last month, has been named for the Padma Bhushan posthumously. 

Six others from Karnataka, including folk singer Sukri Bommagowda, lexicographer G Venkatasubbaiah and actor Bharati Vishnuvardhan have been chosen



for Padma Shri.Shekhar Naik, captain of the cricket team for the blind, Vikas Gowda, discus thrower, and Girish Bhardwaj, social worker, have also won the Padma Shri from Karnataka.

The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.

Rio Olympics stars Sakshi Malik, who won a bronze, and gymnast Deepa Karmakar, who came fourth and vaulted into millions of hearts through a daring Produnova manoeuvre, have been chosen for Padma Shri awards.

Interestingly, no Bollywood bigwigs find a place on the list, a regular feature in previous years. Sadhu Meher, who debuted in Mrinal Sen’s iconic Bhuvan Shome, and Kannada actor Bharati are the only ones chosen from filmdom.

Singers Kailash Kher and Anuradha Paudwal, film critic Bhawana Somaaya, former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, former law secretary T K Vishwanathan and chef Sanjeev Kapoor are among the other prominent Padma Shri winners.

Cricket skipper Virat Kohli and hockey captain P R Sreejesh are among the eight sportspersons chosen for Padma Shri awards.