Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, legendary singer S P Balasubramaniam and cardiologist Dr Belle Monappa Hegde were among the seven chosen for Padma Vibhushan, and Jnanpith laureate Chandrashekara Kambara and playback singer Chithra were among 10 picked for Padma Bhushan in this year.
Three from Karnataka - Matha B Manjamma Jogati (Art), Rangaswami Lakshminarayana Kashyap (literature and education) and KY Venkatesh (Sports) - got Padma Shri. Jnanpith laureate Kambara, 84, is a poet, playwright, folklorist and academician among Padma Shri winners. His works include Jokumaraswamy, Kadu Kudure and Sirisampige. He said: “I’m happy this prestigious award has been given to a Kannada poet and playwright. I dedicate it to Kannadigas and Goddess Saraswati.”
Rangasami Lakshminarayana Kashyap, popularly known as RL Kashyap, is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sakshi Institute of Vedic Culture, Bengaluru. He has translated the Vedas consisting of about 25,000 metrical verses.
He has received the Vedanga Vidvan Award instituted by the Maharshi Sandeepani Veda Vidya Patashala. He’s also the recipient of Rajyotsava Award in 2012 and Veda Brahma award in 2013 from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Keshubhai among five Padma awardees
Five people from Gujarat featured on the list of Padma Awards. The recipients include former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel who has been conferred Padma Bhushan posthumously. The Padma Shri awardees include brother-duo Mahesh and Naresh Kanodia in Art category, as well as folk singer Dadudan Gadhvi and Chandrakant Mehta in Literature and Education category.
The other recipients with a Gujarat connection included Father Carlos González Vallés, a Spanish Jesuit priest and popular Gujarati author who spent a large chunk of his active career in Ahmedabad before passing away last year, and Jaswanti Popat, one of the co-founders of Lijjat Papad brand. Srikant Datar, currently dean of Harvard Business School who is among the Padma Shri awardees, is an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus.
Bharat Patel, son of Keshubhai Patel, said the family is very happy to receive the honour in Public Affairs category. “It’s a matter of pride for Gujarat and all those who worked with him. He actively worked for the welfare of people till his last breath,” he said. Keshubhai Patel passed away last October.
Ahmedabad-based author Chandrakant Mehta expressed joy at the news. Dadudan Gadhvi, also known as Kavi Dad, is an octogenarian from Junagadh who has been an active folk artist for past six decades.
Naresh Kanodia’s son Hitu Kanodia said that it’s a rare occasion where a brother duo is conferred a single award posthumously.
“But isn’t it natural for the duo that lived together, worked together, and also remained inseparable in death? We thank all the fans and well-wishers of my family for this moment,” said the MLA from Idar. Mahesh, 82, died after battling a long illness in Gandhinagar last October. Two days later, Naresh, 77, died of Covid-19 and other health complications, in a hospital in Ahmedabad.
