Eight “unsung heroes” from the health sector make it to the list of 113 Padma Shri awardees named by the Centre on the eve of the 76th Republic Day. Renowned Indian playback singers Arijit Singh and Jaspinder Narula and recently-retired Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin also found place in the list. In healthcare, Neerja Bhatla, a 65-year-old gynaecologist from Delhi, was chosen, among others. For the last 35 years, she has worked towards the prevention and elimination of cervical cancer, especially in low-resource areas. Her work was key to the development of the first resource-based recommendations for cervical cancer. Dr Bhatla was also part of the trials that proved the efficacy of the indigenously developed HPV vaccine by Serum Institute of India. Her research also generated evidence for effectiveness of a single-dose regimen of HPV vaccine — which can bring down incidence of cervical cancer — instead of the two-dose regimen. She has also conducted research on low-cost HPV tests. She retired as the head of the Gynaecology department at All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi. Another prominent name in the list is Dr Vijaylaxmi Deshamane, a pioneer in breast cancer research, who has dedicated her life to providing free treatment to the marginalised people. Hailing from a marginalised community in Kalaburagi, she beat the odds to become one of the country’s leading experts on breast cancer. She has also conducted research on gene expressions and newer therapies for breast cancer. The list also includes Dr Jose Chacko Periyappuram, a renowned cardiac surgeon who had performed the first successful heart transplant in Kerala, Dr Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, a neurosurgeon, who executed the first successful Craniopagus conjoined twin surgery in India, and Vilas Dangre, a homeopathic doctor who dedicated the last 50 years to treating lakhs of poor patients and continues working despite suffering visual impairment 10 years ago. The 20 women Padma Shri awardees include 100-year-old Libia Lobo Sardesai, a voice of Goa’s liberation struggle. Libia, one of oldest ones in the list, had co-founded the underground radio station, Voz da Liberdade (voice of freedom), in 1955. Broadcasting anti-colonial and pro-liberation messages from the jungles, alongside her husband Vaman Sardesai, she supported the Indian Army in setting up a centre to transmit messages to the Portuguese in India to surrender. The list also includes 48-year Shaikha AJ Al-Sabah, a yoga practitioner and founder of Daratma, the first licenced yoga studio in Kuwait. Brazilian national Jonas Masetti, 43, a mechanical engineer turned spiritual leader, was recognised for “promoting Indian spirituality, philosophy and culture”. Gokul Chandra Dey, a 57-year-old Dhak player from West Bengal who defied gender stereotypes by training 150 women in the male-dominated field, and 33-year-old archer Harvinder Singh, the first Indian to win a gold medal in the Paralympics in archery, were also chosen. Another awardee, Chaitram Pawar, 57, hails from Baripada, Dhule, in Maharashtra, and has worked extensively in the field of tribal development, forest conservation and alternate, sustainable models of village development. Pawar is a part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, which works among tribal communities and he is the President of the organization’s work in Aurangabad, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad), Nanded, Hingoli, Dhule and Jalgaon districts. In his home district of Dhule, Pawar has worked on building check dams to improve water conservation. Another awardee, senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, was involved in the Ayodhya case arguing on behalf of the Hindu side. He was designated as a senior advocate in 1992 and served as a law officer for the Government of India in 1998-99, appearing in taxation matters. He has also appeared in disputes involving the infrastructure sector, inter-state river disputes and election symbol disputes. The list also has three farmers—Subhash Khetulal Sharma (Maharashtra), Hariman Sharma (Himachal Pradesh), and L Hangthing (Nagaland). Hariman Sharma is an apple farmer from Bilaspur, who developed a low-chilling apple variety—HRMN99. Hangthing, a fruit farmer from Noklak, has cultivated several non-native fruits. Apart from Bibek Debroy, two other economists associated with the Delhi School of Economics were also honoured with Padma Shri. K L Krishna is a former head of the Delhi School of Economics while V R Panchamukhi did his PhD from the institution. “It is obviously a matter of great pride that three illustrious members of our fraternity have been honoured with the country’s highest awards,” Ram Singh, director of the Delhi School of Economics, said.
