Suniti, Mariappan, Cho among Padma recipients from Tamil Nadu

The focus of this year’s Padma awards, according to the officials in the Home Ministry, was on recognising talent of unknown and unsung heroes of the country. The government had begun inviting nominations for the awards in May last year and received around 5,000 entries, from which 500 names were shortlisted in December. 

The list featured the names of six distinguished individuals from Tamil Nadu who made substantial contributions in their respective body of work. Tamil Nadu’s haul this year includes one Padma Vibhushan, one Padma Bhushan and four Padma Shri. Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has been selected to receive the Padma Vibhushan. 

Cho Ramaswamy, veteran journalist and founder of weekly news magazine Thuglak will be awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously. Mariyappan Thangavelu who made Tamil Nadu proud by winning gold in the Rio 2016 Paralympic for high jump was named as one of the recipients of the Padma Shri. 

Dr Suniti Solomon, who diagnosed the first AIDS case in India in 1985, has figured in the Padma Shri list posthumously. Nivedita Raghunath Bhide and Michel Danino will receive the Padma Shri for their contributions to the field of social work and education respectively. 

At the national level, nonogenarian Bhakti Yadav, popularly known as ‘Doctor Dadi’ from Indore, and captain of Indian cricket team of blind Shekhar Naik are among the unsung heroes who were on Wednesday named for Padma Shri.  Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in artistic gymnastics at Rio Olympics last year figured in the list of Padma Shri awardees. 

Yadav, 91, is the first woman from Indore to hold an MBBS degree. She has been treating patients free of cost for the past 68 years and has helped deliver thousands of babies. Thirty-yearold Naik had led the India’s cricket team of blind to victory in the first T20 World Cup in 2012 and ODI World Cup in 2014. He comes from a poor background and faced extreme hardship as he lost his parents at the age of 12.