On November 8, President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented Padma Awards to 141 awardees for the year 2020. Notably, the ceremony could not be held last year amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The list of 141 awardees included seven Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards. Late Arun Jaitley and Late Sushma Swaraj were among seven Padma Vibhushan (Posthumous) awardees.
Many awardees on the list come from an extremely humble background. Thanks to the government’s initiative to recognise grassroots level workers, these awardees are finally getting recognition for the work they have done for the betterment of the country.
Tulsi Gowda – Hailing from Honnali village, Ankola taluk Karnataka, Tulsi Gowda is an environmentalist who has planted over 30,000 saplings. She has been involved in environmental conservation and related activities for the past six decades. Gowda looks after the nurseries of the forest department. She was born in 1944 in Hakkali tribal family. She is often called the “encyclopedia of the forest” and her tribe calls her “tree goddess” for her extensive first-hand knowledge of the trees and plants of the forest.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Smt Tulsi Gowda for Social Work. She is an environmentalist from Karnataka who has planted more than 30,000 saplings and has been involved in environmental conservation activities for the past six decades. pic.twitter.com/uWZWPld6MV
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Krishnammal Jagannathan – Hailing from the state of Tamil Nadu, Krishnammal Jagannathan, fondly known as Amma, is a social worker who travels to remote rural areas bringing social, economic and political transformation through propagating the philosophy of non-violence. Born in 1926, Jagannathan has worked extensively for the upliftment of the landless and the poor. Born in a Devendrakulam family, she also participated in the freedom movement and shared the stage with Mahatma Gandhi at a very young age.
President Kovind presents Padma Bhushan to Smt Krishnammal Jagannathan for Social Work. A social activist from Tamil Nadu, Amma, a nonagenarian, travels to remote rural areas bringing social, economic and political transformation through propagating the philosophy of non-violence pic.twitter.com/8069nvasS8
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Dalavayi Chalapathi Rao – A renowned artist in leather puppetry, Dalavayi Chalapathi Rao hails from Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh. He was awarded the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the field of art.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Dalavayi Chalapathi Rao for Art. He is a renowned artist in the field of leather puppetry, a shadow puppetry craft in Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/aJ9uSKtpLK
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Acharya MK Kunhjol – Hailing from Kerala, MK Kunhjol ensured justice for Dalits and fought against the police atrocities. Kunhjol is known to be an instrumental figure in popularizing the ideas and works of BR Ambedkar and Ayyankali among the masses.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Acharya M. K. Kunhjol for Social Work. He is a social worker in Kerala. pic.twitter.com/t9enMd9G0M
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Rahibai Soma Popere – Popularly known as the ‘seed mother’, Rahibai Soma Popere is a Mahadeo Koli tribal farmer from Komblne village in the Akole tribal block in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district. She was unable to attend school owing to poverty, so she began working in agricultural labour and cow rearing to support her family when she was ten years old. She married Soma Popere, also uneducated, when she was 17 years old. Agriculture was the family’s sole source of income. She learned about agrobiodiversity, wild food resources, and traditional culture by practice and experience, despite not having attended school.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Smt. Rahibai Soma Popere for Agriculture. Popularly known as ‘Seed Mother’, she is a tribal farmer from Mahadeo Koli, Tribal community from Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/IKFeaROoVQ
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Harekala Hajabba – The humble orange vendor from Mangaluru, Karnataka, Harekala Hajabba saved money from his earnings and build a school in his village. The school has now grown with the government’s and private entities’ support and is known as Hajabba School. He is fondly called the “Akshara Santa” or the “Letter Saint”.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Harekala Hajabba for Social Work. An orange vendor in Mangalore, Karnataka, he saved money from his vendor business to build a school in his village. pic.twitter.com/fPrmq0VMQv
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Usha Chaumar – Hailing from the state of Rajasthan, Usha Chaumar was born in Deegh village near Bharatpur to a Dalit family. At the age of seven, she began manual scavenging. She continued the work even after her marriage. At the age of 24, she met the founder of Sulabh International, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, and under his guidance, she joined an NGO Nai Disha that worked for the alternate sustainable lifestyle for manual scavengers. Currently, she is the president of Sulabh International.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Smt Usha Chaumar for Social Work. She is the President of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation. pic.twitter.com/yoI9VAEznx
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Beni Chandra Jamatia (Posthumous) – Born in Maharani, Gomati District, Tripura, Beni Chandra Jamatia was a Tipuri Indian folk writer and litterateur. Jamatia was the first person to introduce the Baul singing tradition of West Bengal in the Kokborok language. He has worked extensively in the fields of literature and education in Tripura.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Beni Chandra Jamatia (Posthumous) for Literature and Education. He was a renowned writer, poet and composer. pic.twitter.com/mJeOO7xbFQ
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Trinity Saioo – Fondly called Turmeric Trinity, Saioo was born in Mulieh village, West Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya. She has worked extensively with the Lakadong Variety of turmeric. She has been assisting women and teaching them to learn methods of organic farming. She is currently working with over 900 farmers and changing the lives of thousands in the process.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Smt Trinity Saioo for Agriculture. A school teacher by profession, she motivated farmers to grow Lakadong variety of Turmeric in West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. pic.twitter.com/1MuxSnCpBC
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
Sundaram Verma – Known as the man behind dry-land agroforestry, propagator of agro-biodiversity conservation and rainwater harvesting, Sundaram Verma hails from Sikar, Rajasthan. He studied dry-land farming at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi through Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The technique he developed can be used to grow all kinds of trees with just one litre of water. So far, he has planted over 50,000 trees.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Sundaram Verma for Social Work. He is the originator of dry-land agro forestry, propagator of agro-biodiversity conservation and rain water harvesting. pic.twitter.com/YXCUGU9C54
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 8, 2021
For a long time, the Padma awards were seen as ‘elites only’. However, the Modi government has brought significant changes, ensuring that grassroots level workers, unsung heroes who work with the poor away from the limelight of media and political clout are recognised.
