Prince Karim Aga Khan awarded Padma Vibhushan

Known for his philanthropic work, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, was awarded with the Padma Vibhushan on April 8.

President Pranab Mukherjee, awarded him for his contributions to social development in India. Direct lineal descendant of Prophet Muhammad, the spiritual leader has carried the tradition of leadership and ethics and guides not only his community in matters of faith but also leads the effort towards improving the quality of their lives and of all those among whom they live, regardless of creed, gender or ethnicity. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which looks after a number of them, is one such. Its activities in India dates back to over 100 years with the first school coming up in Mundra, Gujarat in 1905.

Among other initiatives are the rural support programmes in over 2,500 villages, the creation of 6,600 community institutions, urban and rural education programmes of working with over 400 schools, a multi-state sanitation initiative, the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad, 27 schools and educational centres, and a 161-bed multi-specialty acute care hospital in Mumbai and the urban renewal initiative linking the historic sites of Humayun's Tomb, Nizamuddin Basti and Sunder Nursery.

The community now looks to have activities like cultural revitalization to education, health care, early childhood development, drinking water and sanitation, rural development and strengthening of civil society.