Padma Sri Award 2018: 8 unsung heroes recognised by Modi government

Keeping its promise of honouring "unsung heroes", the government  announced Padma Shri awards on Thursday, which featured many individuals who have been doing great job for the society tirelessly without getting the limelight. 

Here are short profiles of 8 of the unsung heroes who have been conferred with Padma Shri. 

Nonagenarian farm labourer Sulagatti Narasamma, who provides midwifery services in backward region of Karnataka without any medical facility, was awarded Padma Shri. She has done over 15,000 deliveries in over 70 years free of charge. 

This year's list of  PadmaShri awardees has a champion of development of women, especially Devadasis and Dalits. Herself a former Devadasi, Sitavva Joddati has been empowering women in rural areas for more than 3 decades. She provides financial support through self-help groups. 

Lucknow's Urdu poet Anwar Jalalpuri, who translated over 700 shlokas of Bhagwad Gita from Sanskrit to Urdu, will also be given the Padma Shri. He is former Chairman of UP Madrasa Board. 

India's oldest Yoga teacher is one of the PadmaShri 2018 awardees. 98-year-old V Nanammal has trained more than 10 lakh students and teaches 100 students daily. 600 of her students have become Yoga instructors around the world. 36 of her family members are also Yoga instructors. 

Subhasini Mistry, a poor lady from rural West Bengal, who toiled 20 years as housemaid and daily labourer to build a hospital for poor in the state, is another awardee. The hospital is located in Hanspukur, has currently 45 beds. It is treating thousands of poor every year without cost. 

West Bengal's Sudhanshu Biswas, a 99-year-old freedom fighter who serves poor, runs school and orphanages and set up free school for poor, is also among the winners. He was shot and jailed by Britishers during Independence. 

Lakshmikutty, a tribal woman from Kerala, who prepares 500 herbal medicine from memory and helps thousands of people especially in snake and insect bite cases, is among the awardees. She teaches at Kerala Folklore Academy and lives in a small hut made of palm leaves roof in tribal settlement in a forest. She is the only tribal woman from her area to attend school in the 1950s.

Internationally-acclaimed Gond artist Bhajju Shyam has also been awarded the Padma Shri. Shyam is famous for depicting Europe through Gond paintings, a tribal style of painting of Madhya Pradesh.  Born in a poor tribal family, he worked as a night guard and electrician to support family before becoming a professional artist. His 'The London Jungle Book' sold 30,000 copies and it was published in five foreign languages.

 A total of 85 people belonging to various disciplines have been named for the Padma Awards in three categories -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri -- on the eve of Republic Day.

These awards will be conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at the ceremonial functions which will be held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in March or April.

The list comprises three Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and 73 Padma Shri Awards.

Out of the total 14 awardees are women, 16 are in the category of Foreigners/NRI and three Posthumous awardees.

The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest award conferred for exceptional and distinguished service.
 

Padma Vibhushan awardees
- Illaiyaraja -Art (Music)
- Ghulam Mustafa Khan- Art (Music)
- Parameswaran Parameswaran- Literature and Education
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award for distinguished service of high order. Nine people have been named for the award.
Padma Bhushan awardees
- Pankaj Advani- Sports (Billiards/Snooker)
- Philipose Mar Chrysostom - Spiritualism
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni- Sports (Cricket)
- Alexander Kadakin (Foreigner/Posthumous) - Public Affairs
- Ramachandran Nagaswamy - Archaeology
- Ved Prakash Nanda (OCI) - Literature and Education
- Laxman Pai - Art (Painting)
- Arvind Parikh - Art (Music)
- Sharda Sinha - Art (Music)


The Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest award, is conferred for distinguished service in any field.
Padma Shri awardees

- Abhay Bang and Rani Bang - Medicine
- Damodar Ganesh Bapat - Social Work
- Prafulla Govinda Baruah - Literature and Education (Journalism)
- Mohan Swaroop Bhatia - Art (Folk Music)
- Sudhanshu Biswas - Social Work
- Saikhom Mirabai Chanu - Sports (Weightlifting)
- Pandit Shyamlal Chaturvedi - Literature and Education (Journalism)
- Jose Ma Joey Concepcion III (Foreigner) - Trade & Industry
- Langpoklakpam Subadani Devi - Art (Weaving)
- Somdev Devvarman - Sports (Tennis)
- Yeshi Dhoden - Medicine
- Arup Kumar Dutta - Literature and Education
- Doddarange Gowda - Art (Lyrics)
- Arvind Gupta - Literature and Education
- Digamber Hansda - Literature and Education
- Ramli Bin Ibrahim (Foreigner) - Art (Dance)
- Anwar Jalalpuri (Posthumous) - Literature and Education
- Piyong Temjen Jamir - Literature and Education
- Sitavva Joddati - Social Work
- Malti Joshi - Literature and Education
- Manoj Joshi - Art (Acting)
- Rameshwarlal Kabra - Trade & Industry
- Pran Kishore Kaul - Art
- Bounlap Keokangna (Foreigner) -Architecture
- Vijay Kichlu - Art-Music
- Tommy Koh (Foreigner) - Public Affairs
- Lakshmikutty - Medicine (Traditional)
- Joyshree Goswami Mahanta - Literature and Education
- Narayan Das Maharaj - Spiritualism
- Pravakara Maharana - Art (Sculpture)
- Hun Many (Foreigner) - Public Affairs
- Nouf Marwaai (Foreigner) - Yoga
- Zaverilal Mehta - Literature and Education (Journalism)
- Krishna Bihari Mishra - Literature and Education
- Sisir Purushottam Mishra - Art (Cinema)
- Subhasini Mistry - Social Work
- Tornio Mizokami (Foreigner) - Literature and Education
- Somdet Phra Maha Muniwong (Foreigner) - Spiritualism
- Keshav Rao Musalgaonkar - Literature and Education
- Dr Thant Myint - U (Foreigner) - Public Affairs
- V Nanammal - Yoga
- Sulagitti Narasamma - Social Work
- Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan - Art (Folk Music)
- I Nyoman Nuarta (Foreigner) - Art (Sculpture)
- Malai Haji Abdullah Bin Malai Haji Othman (Foreigner) - Social Work 
- Gobaradhan Panika - Art (Weaving)
- Bhabani Charan Pattanaik - Public Affairs
- Murlikant Petkar - Sports (Swimming)
- Habibullo Rajabov (Foreigner) - Literature and Education
- M R Rajagopal - Medicine (Palliative Care)
- Sampat Ramteke (Posthumous) - Social Work
- Chandra Sekhar Rath - Literature and Education
- S S Rathore - Civil Service
- Amitava Roy- Science and Engineering
- Sanduk Ruit (Foreigner) - Medicine (Ophthalmology)
- R Sathyanarayana - Art (Music)
- Pankaj M Shah - Medicine (Oncology)
- Bhajju Shyam - Art (Painting)
- Maharao Raghuveer Singh Literature and Education Rajasthan
- Kidambi Srikanth - Sport (Badminton)
- Ibrahim Sutar - Art(Music)
- Siddeshwara Swamiji - Spiritualism
- Lentina Ao Thakkar - Social Work
- Vikram Chandra Thakur - Science and Engineering
- Rudrapatnam Narayanaswamy Tharanathan and Rudrapatnam Narayanaswamy Thyagarajan - Art (Music)
- Nguyen Tien Then (Foreigner) - Spiritualism
- Bhagirath Prasad Tripathi - Literature and Education Uttar Pradesh
- Rajagopalan Vasudevan - Science and Engineering
- Manas Bihari Verma - Science and Engineering
- Panatawane Gangadhar Vithobaji - Literature and Education
- Romulus Whitaker - Wildlife Conservation
- Baba Yogendra - Art 
- A Zakia - Literature and Education

With inputs from agencies