DNA Special: Padma Awardees 2022 – The real heroes of India

Today, we will introduce you to the heroes of the country, who are very simple in appearance, but their thinking is extraordinary. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Awards on Indians who have brought laurels to the country in the fields of art, music and other fields.

One of them was 126-year-old Swami Shivanand of Varanasi, who was honoured with the Padma Shri award. When he walked barefoot on the magnificent red carpet of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the whole country felt pride. Before receiving the award, Swami Shivanand also paid obeisance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After which, PM Modi also bowed his head and thanked him and accepted his greetings. Swami Shivanand surprised everyone with his fitness by bowing down a total of four times at the age of 126. He also sat on his knees in front of President Ram Nath Kovind, after which the president bowed down to him and awarded him the Padma Shri. These pictures have become an inspiration for the entire country today. Swami Shivanand has been awarded the Padma Shri for his distinguished contribution in the field of Indian way of life and yoga.

Like Swami Shivanand, the simplicity of Om Prakash Gandhi of Haryana also attracted everyone. As simple as Om Prakash Gandhi is in appearance, his achievements are as extraordinary. He has been working for the education of women for the last three decades and has established several schools and gurukuls. However, it is ironic that many people in our country know Malala Yousafzai, a social activist from Pakistan, who talks about the rights of women deprived of education. But he does not know Om Prakash Gandhi, who dedicated many years of his life to the education of women. Today, when he was awarded the Padma Shri award, the entire hall was buzzing with applause.

The Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1955. Their purpose was to respect and encourage people who have made distinguished contributions to arts, sports and social spheres. But it was unfortunate that in the 1960s, these awards became a means of pleasing the leaders and their family members. In the years that followed, this award also remained out of reach of the common people. In the 1970s and 1980s, the award was either given to people living in Delhi, or to big celebrities in Mumbai and eminent people from other big cities.

For example, between 1955 and 2016, a total of 4,284 people received the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards. But surprisingly, out of these 4,000 people, 793 were people who lived in Delhi and were close to families with political clout. After Delhi, the second choice for these awards was the people of Maharashtra. Because in this time period, 748 people from Maharashtra got the Padma awards. But there has never been a number of people who work to bring about change on the ground and are the real heroes of this country.

Those who have been awarded the Padma awards are all the real heroes of the country. So today we have brought out some of these stories for you, which will fill you with inspiration and hope.

If you have courage, if you have the passion to do something, then no weakness comes in the way. An example of this is K.B. Rabia of Kerala who was awarded the Padma Shri. Rabia's own feet did not support her because of polio but still the intention was to make others stand on their feet. Rabia not only completed her studies while in a wheelchair, after which she also became a teacher but the conflict didn't stop here. In Malappuram, Kerala, she opened several schools for differently-abled children. The story of the literacy campaign in Malappuram cannot be complete without mentioning Rabia.

One of the padma shri awardees is that of Dr Himmatrao Bavaskar from Maharashtra. Those living in the metro city cannot understand what the danger of scorpions and snake bites is. But while staying at the Government Health Centre in Mahad, Dr. Bavaskar saw the crisis closely, then researched the same and also found an infallible cure. Dr. Bavaskar's research has received recognition from the world. His research is included in medical journals around the world. His treatment has been followed by doctors around the world.

Among those who were awarded the Padma awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan were academicians, bureaucrats, social activists, theatre workers and film artists, while farmers were also among those who were honoured with the Padma awards.

You can call Sethpal Singh, a resident of Saharanpur in UP, a farmer, but his passion and contribution is no less than that of an agricultural scientist. Sethpal Singh's farm is a laboratory. How to earn profit by growing a variety of crops with new experiments and techniques in farming, Sethpal Singh showed not only by thinking but also by doing so. 

Devendra Jhanjharia is also one of the names in the list of Padma awardees. Jhanjharia is the first Paralympic player to receive the honour. Born in a simple farmer's family, Devendra Jhanjharia lost a hand in an accident in his childhood. But even after this, he never gave up in his life, so he made history by winning three medals in javelin throw at the Paralympics.

These unsung heroes have proved that those who try do not lose. ... If you have passion, passion, then don't worry about respect, award, award... They will follow you themselves, if not today, sometimes.