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Journalism of Courage
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday conferred the country’s highest civilian award posthumously to freedom fighter and BHU founder Madan Mohan Malaviya. Malaviya, who had been a Congress president, went on to become one of the founder members of the Hindu Mahasabha. Members of Malaviya’s family received the award 68 years after he died.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and cabinet ministers. No Congress leaders, including former PM Manmohan Singh, were present though government sources said that as per the protocol all former PMs were invited for the function.
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The President also bestowed the Padma Vibhusan on BJP stalwart L K Advani, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Sanskrit grammar expert, Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya.
Padma Bhushan awardees included senior lawyer Harish Salve, journalists Swapan Dasgupta and Rajat Sharma and 98-year old Saichiro Misumi — a proponent of Indo-Japanese friendship who had supported Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose during his visit to Japan in June, 1943.
Of the 109 awards announced this year, 43 were conferred on Monday. Six awardees did not attend the function. The remaining awards will be given next month with the tentative date for the ceremony being April 8, sources said.
Satpal, an Asian Games gold medallist and the coach of Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar, was among the Padma Bhusan awardees, as was Chairman of Fortis Escorts Hospital, Ashok Seth, and former Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalaswami.
Among prominent Padma Shri awardees were director Sanjay, writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh and amputee Everest climber Arunima Sinha among others.
