Kapila Vatsyayan, Montek Ahluwalia, Azim Premji among 13 chosen for Padma Vibhushan

Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, the well-known scholar of Indian classical dance and art, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and industrialist and philanthropist Azim Premji are among the 13 eminent people chosen for the Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second highest civilian honour, on the occasion of the 61st Republic Day.

Dr. (Smt.) Kapila Vatsyayan, Ms. Homai Vyarawalla and Dr. Akhlaq-ur-Rehman Kidwai

Former diplomat Brajesh Mishra, who was National Security Adviser in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Vadodara-based Homai Vyarawala, 97, the first Indian woman photo-journalist, well-known Malayalam poet O N V Kurup and Telugu actor A Nageshwara Rao were also chosen for the Padma Vibhushan, an official press release said here today.

Others who got the Padma Vibhushan were Mr Parasaran Kesava Iyengar, the well-known lawyer, economist and 13th Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Kelkar, former Governor of Haryana, West Bengal and Bihar Akhlaq-ur-Rehman Kidwai, well-known metallurgist Palle Rama Rao and Oriya poet Sitakant Mahapatra.

The late Gandhian and former Planning Commission member L C Jain, who died recently, was chosen for the honour posthumously.

In all, the President has approved the conferment of 128 Padma Awards this year, including 31 Padma Bhushans and 84 Padma Shris. This year's awardees include 31 women.

Those chosen for Padma Bhushan include former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, theatre actor and playwright Satyadev Dubey, well-known music composer Khayyam, film actors Shashi Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman, painter Krishen Khanna, playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, Bharatanatyam exponent C V Chandrasekhar, Infosys CEO S Gopalakrishnan, ICICI Bank Managing Director Chanda Kochhar and ITC Chairman Y C Deveshwar.

The Padma Bhushan will also go to Kathakali artiste Madavur Vasudevan Nair, painter Arpita Singh, vocalist Rudrapatna Krishna Shastry Srikantan, social workers Rajashree Birla and Shobhana Ranade, industrialists K Anji Reddy, Analjit Singh, Rajendra Singh Pawar, Gunapati Venkata Krishna Reddy, Ajai Chowdhary and former bureaurat M N Buch.

The late Ayurveda practitioner K Raghavan Thirumulpad, the late cardiologist Keki Byramjee Grant and late artist Dashrath Patel have also been chosen for the Padma Bhushan.

Among those who will be honoured with the Padma Shri are theatre personality Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, film-makers Shaji Karun, Girish Kasaravalli, actress Tabu, Malayalam actor Jayaram Subramaniam, classical vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and pop singer Usha Uthup.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, O N V Kurup and Vijay Kelkar.

Warli painter Jivya Soma Mase, Chhau artiste Makar Dhwaja Darogha, Madhubani painter Mahasundari Devi, handloom weaver Gagam Govardhana, Kathak dancer Sunayana Hazarilal, Carnatic vocalist S R Janakiraman, Chenda Melam player Peruvanam Kuttan Marar and Mohini Attam dancer Kalamandalam Kshemavathy Pavithran figured in the list of Padma Shri awardees.

The list also includes actors Irfan Khan and Kajol, cricketer V V S Laxman, shooter Gagan Narang, discus thrower Krishna Poonia, wrestler Sushil Kumar and weightlifter Kunjarani Devi.

Gynaecologist Indira Hinduja, cardio-thoracic surgeon Jose Chacko Periappuram, neurosurgeon A Marthanda Pillai, writer and publisher Urvashi Butalia, educationist Krishna Kumar, UAE-based social worker and doctor Azad Moopen and legal expert Upendra Baxi were also chosen for the Padma Shri.

The awards will be conferred by the President at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan in March or April this year.

NNN

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