Keshubhai Patel among six Padma awardees from Gujarat

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Keshubhai Patel, and legendary stars of Gujarati film and music industry, Mahesh Kanodia and Naresh Kanodia, have been conferred with the Padma awards posthumously by the President of India this year.

Three others – Father Valles, Chandrakant Mehta and Dadudan Gadhvi – have been honoured with Padma Shri awards.

Patel is known as the first BJP chief minister in Gujarat who nurtured the party from its inception in the state. While battling prostate cancer, Patel had recovered from Covid-19 last year. However, he eventually died in October. He has been honoured with Padma Bhushan in the field of public affairs.

The Kanodia brothers have been jointly honoured with Padma Shri for their contribution in the field of Art. The duo died in October 2020. While Mahesh died following a prolonged illness, Naresh breathed his last battling Covid-19. Apart from being the legends in the Gujarati film and music industry, Mahesh and Naresh had been elected multiple times to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha respectively.

The third person honoured posthumously includes Father Valles from Spain who contributed significantly to Gujarati literature during his stay in India. A Jesuit priest, he was born in Spain but lived in India for five decades and wrote extensively in Gujarati apart from English and Spanish. He was awarded Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, the highest award in Gujarati literature.

Father Valles died in November last year in Spain. He has been conferred with Padma Shri for his contribution in the field of literature and education.

Chandrakant Mehta is a known educationist and Gujarati literary figure. Mehta, a native of Ahmedabad district, also held the position of pro vice-chancellor of the Guajarat University.

Dadudan Gadhvi, a Gujarati poet, has been honoured with Padma Shri. A native of Saurashtra region, Gadhvi is popularly known as Kavi Dad in Gujarat.