New Delhi: unsung heroes who have dedicated their lives to promote and preserve dying indian languages, dialects and art forms; Medical professionals who come out of their Cushy practice in the US to provide affordable rural health care in countries such as Gujarat; IIT Professor who helped develop electronic voting machines (EVM); And a yoga teacher who is in ‘125 years’ shows off how Pranayam and Dhyan can extend one’s life, is the pride of the Padma award list this year.
Want to save the original language and dialect from sneaking into forgotten, the government, while completing the Padma Shri 2022 list, including the carriage of author and Poet Dhaneswar English who has written 19 books and 100 songs in carbi to keep dying dialects; Pahari Litterateur and People’s Culture Artist Vidyanand Sarek who has written and translated in SiMauri, the language on the verge of extinction; Balti Poet and the author of Akhone Asgar Ali Basharat who had written a collection of Eulogiy and organized Mushairas to popularize Balti; The writer T Senka who preserves Nagaland ‘Ao’ which is endangered and has written 8 books in it; and the writer Koshali Narasingha Orasad Teacher who has developed the Koshali dictionary, a dialect of odiah; And the Santhali writer from the Jhargram Kali Padang Saren.
Likewise, the form of dying art entered to be driven through the Padma Awards.
Supporters of this rare art form that have received this year’s recognition include Mardal players from Kalimpong Kaajee Singh who have worked tirelessly to promote and preserve Gorkha folk music; Baiga Tribal Dancer Arjun Singh Dhumre who has been a Baiga tribal dance that is dying for 4 decades and also takes it to a global audience; Rai Folk Ram Artist Sahay Panday who has popularized the rai dance from the expansion of the sustenous tribe by mixing it with the beat of Meridaam; Gamaka singer from Shivamogga H R Keshavamurthy who has dedicated 6 decades of his life to preserve and promote Kavya Vachana, a rare form of Kannada’s story; 1971 Veteran War Sheesh Ram who had taken a brush to paint the stories of Valor; Kinnera’s last exponent, ancient musical instrument, Darshanam Moslaiji; Koya Storyteller Ramachandraiiah, who is among the last artists who preserve the practice of ancient Koya read out oral history; Last defending ‘devadasi’ from cohort and 7th generation Sadir Dancers R Mutukunnammal; Tangkha Painter from Sikkim Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia; And Ladakhi Wood Carver Tsering Namal which has been made across the monastery for 4 decades.
The list of Padma Shri also includes Maestro Gujarat Ghazal who cannot go to school after grade 4 due to financial constraints but vows to sponsor underprivileged children.
Among the respected medical professionals this year is the General Physician Himmatrao Bawaskar has treated the poor for scorpion stings and snake bites in rural areas even though there are resources.
He found the use of prazosin which had lowered the death rate from bite such as 40% to less than 1%.
Children aged 75 years, Lata Desai, who quit their jobs in the US to provide affordable health care in Gujarat and Orthopedic Surgeon Sunkara Venkata Adinarayana Rao who have done 1 lakh polio surger and treat more than 20 lakh patients with polio and cerebral Palsy for free or nominal fees, also named for Shri Padma.
‘Yog Sewak’ Sivananda, a Padma Shri Awardee, is the manifestation of ‘125 years’ embodiment of yoga, Dhyan and rent from Kashi.
He has been practicing and teaching yoga on Ghats Kashi for more than three decades.
Another interesting entry in the Padma Shri list is IIT Delhi Professor Emeritus Dilip Shahani which contributes to the design and development of the Indian EVM and VVPat technology platform.
Padma Awards recognize heroes who have special life to preserve language, provide affordable drugs and more
