New Delhi: President of India, Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Shri award to two eminent Odia persons, Bhagwat Pradhan and Binod Maharana for the year 2024 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held with grandeur in Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday.
Bhagwat Pradhan, an eminent artist of folk art ‘Shadda Dance’, has received the Padma Shri award in the field of art. The 85-year-old Bhagwat Pradhan of Bargarh district has been performing and promoting this art for five decades. During his lifetime he taught this art to more than 600 disciples. Similarly, Khurda’s Binod Maharana has also received the Padma Shri award in the field of art. He is widely recognised for his great fine art and traditional ‘Patta painting’. Maharana has also been preparing the next generation of artists by providing them training in palm leaf carving and Patta painting, shared the President in her post on social media.
The President presented 2 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 56 Padma Shri Awards during the ceremony.
Senior actress Vyjayantimala Bali and actor Konidela Chiranjeevi were honoured with the Padma Vibhushan by President Draupadi Murmu.
The first woman judge of the Supreme Court, Justice M. Fatima Beevi (posthumous), “Bombay Samachar” owner Hormusji N Cama, BJP leader O Rajagopal, Ladakh’s spiritual leader Togdan Rinpochey (posthumous), Tamil actor late “Captain” Vijayakant (posthumous) and group editor and CEO of Gujarati newspaper “Janmabhoomi” Kundan Ramanlal Vyas were also bestowed with Padma Bhushan awards at a civil investiture ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Andaman and Nicobar farmer K Chellamal in agriculture, Joshna Chinappa in sports, Hindustani classical singer Somdutt Battu, Satyanarayan Bellary in agriculture and Jordan Lepcha in art were among the eminent persons conferred Padma Shri awards.
The Padma Awards are highly respected civilian honours in India, which are granted in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. These awards are presented across various fields such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service. The awards are usually announced every year on the eve of Republic Day.
In 2024, the President of India approved the conferment of 132 Padma awards, which include two duo cases (wherein the award is counted as one). The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri awards. While more than half of the awardees were conferred the awards on April 22, the remaining recipients were honoured on Thursday.
The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries, including the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, several Union Ministers, and others. After the ceremony, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, along with other Union Ministers, interacted with the Padma Awardees at a dinner hosted by him at his residence in New Delhi.
The Padma Awardees will pay homage to the National War Memorial tomorrow morning (May 10, 2024). They will also visit Rashtrapati Bhawan and Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya.
