By IANS,
New Delhi : Noted scientists G. Madhavan Nair and Anil Kakodkar, environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna and Missionaries of Charity head Sister Nirmala are among the 10 Indians conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.
The Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, has already been announced on November 4, 2008, for legendary Hindustani classical music vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who is now 86.
President Pratibha Patil has approved the conferment of 133 Padma awards, among them 30 Padma Bhushans and 93 Padha Shris, an official statement said Sunday on the ev of Republic Day.
The Padma Bhushan is the country’s third highest civilian award and the Padma Shri the fourth.
Among those on whom the Padma Bhushan will be conferred are educationist C.K. Prahlad, yesteryears’ singer-actress Shamshad Begum, former bureaucrat S.K. Mishra, journalist Shekhar Gupta, historian Ramchandra Guha, author Isher Judge Ahluwalia, shooter Abhinav Bindra and techno-entrepreneur Sam Pitroda.
Among those named for the Padma Shri are Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, former star Helen, composer-musician Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar and singer Pinaz Masani, broadcaster Ameen Sayani, pathologist Arvind Lal, advocate Shyamla Pappu, social worker Bilkees Latif, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and world billiards champion Pankaj Advani.
Four foreigners also figure in the list of awardees. They are Minoru Hara, Geshe Ngawang Samten and John Ralston Marr (literature and education) and Devayani Chaymotty (art).
The highest number of awards – 40 – are in the art category, followed by literature and education with 27, medicine with 19 and social work with 11. The other categories in which the awards have been given are science/engineering (9), trade/industry and public affairs (5 each), civil service (3) and journalism (2).
Former Karnataka governor Gavind Narain is among those to be conferred the Padma Vibhushan.
Among those honoued with the Padma Bhushan are Khalid Hameed (medicine), Lt. Gen. (retd) Satish Nambiar (national security affairs) and Kirit Shantilal Parikh (public affairs).
The list of Padma Shri conferees includes industrialist R.K. Krishna Kumar, actor Akshay Kumar, artists Aruna Sairam, Geeta Kapur and Hemi Bawa, singer Udit Narayan, journalist Abhay Chhajlani, writers Shashi Deshpande and Sunny Varkey and cricketer Harbhajan Singh.