NEW DELHI: Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Y. V. Reddy, Nobel laureate Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan, Apollo Hospitals group founder Prathap C. Reddy, theatre director Ebrahim Alkazi, theatre
actor Zohra Segal and percussionist and mridangam vidwan Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman have been
honoured with Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second highest civilian award, on the occasion of Republic
Day.
Music composers A. R. Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja, actor Aamir Khan, danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, tabla
exponent Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, Planning Commission member B. K. Chaturvedi, DLF chairman Kushal
Pal Singh, cardiac surgeon Ramakant Madanmohan Panda and Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria are
among the 43 persons chosen for Padma Bhushan. 
Other Padma Bhushan awardees include historian Bipan Chandra, Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen,
Leela Hotel group chairman C.P. Krishnan Nair and eye surgeon Noshir M. Shroff. U.S.-based hotelier Sant
Singh Chatwal’s name also figures in the list, according to an official release.
The Padma Shri award has gone to 81 persons.
They include yesteryears’ actor Rekha, vocalist Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar, actor Saif Ali Khan, industrialist
Venu Srinivasan, who also heads the Confederation of Indian Industry, former CBI Director D. R.
Karthikeyan, heart specialist K. K. Aggarwal, social worker Anu Aga, hockey player Ignace Tirkey, boxer
Vijender Singh, cricketer Virender Sehwag, litterateur Sheldon Pollock, badminton player Saina Nehwal and
Formula One racer Narain Karthikeyan.
Other Padma Shri awardees include sound engineer Resul Pookutty, Kashmiri litterateur Hamidi Kashmiri,
cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar and industrialists Kapil Mohan and T. N. Manoharan.
The awards will be presented by President Pratibha Patil in March/April.
The President approved 130 awards this year, including 13 in the category of foreigners/NRIs/PIOs.
The Padma awardees include 17 women. |
