A 79-year-old folk dancer and 72-year-old Thamate player from Karnataka, a centurion Sarinda player from West Bengal, 99-year-old Gandhian from Kerala and 87-year-old pioneer of ORS are among 26 'unsung and unique heroes' who were chosen for the prestigious Padma Awards on the eve of Republic Day.
Dilip Mahalanabis, whose discovery of ORS fight diarrhoea, cholera and dehydration is acknowledged as the most important medical discovery of 20th century, was chosen for the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan posthumously while Rani Machaiah, a Ummathat folk dancer, and Thamate exponent P Munivenkatappa were chosen for the Padma Shri.
"Congratulations to those who have been conferred the Padma Awards. India cherishes their rich and varied contributions to the nation and their efforts to enhance our growth trajectory. #PeoplesPadma," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on 'unsung heroes'.
Mahalanabis had returned from the United States and demonstrated the effectiveness of ORS while in refugee camps during the 1971 war. ORS is estimated to have saved over five crore lives globally.
While Machaiah, who is described as 'Ummathat ki Rani, is recognised for her efforts to preserve Kodava culture, Munivenkatappa from Chikkaballapur has mastered the percussion instrument from Old Mysuru region. He now trains upcoming artists despite the social stigma attached to it.
Among the Padma Shri winners are 102-year-old Sarinda player Mangala Kanti Roy and the oldest living folk musician from Bengal, 99-year-old Gandhian P Appukuttan Pothuval of Kerala, who is known 'Kannur's Gandhi' and still work tirelessly for the upliftment of weaker sections. Tula Ram Upreti, a 98-year-old from Sikkim, is honoured for pioneering organic farming.
A number of doctors are among the 26 unsung heroes -- one being Ratan Chandra Kar of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A retired government doctor, he is credited for bringing back the Jarawa tribe from the verge of extinction during the measles epidemic in 1999. His efforts led to an increase in their population from 76 to 270. Munishwar Chander Dawar, a war veteran doctor from Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, is chosen for Padma Shri for treating the poor and weaker section for Rs 20, up from Rs 2 in 2010.
A 62-year-old Hirabai Lobi, who lost her parents at a young age and raised by her grandmother got into the list of Padma awardees for her work for Siddi tribe in Gujarat by promoting financial independence through her foundation 'Mahila Vikas Mandal' and providing education through many 'balwadis'.
The hero of Heraka, Ramkuiwangbe Newme (75) is recognised for conserving Heraka religion, establishing 10 primary schools and transcribing 'Ting Wang Ningde' of the religion. Kakinada based social worker SC Sekhar, who lost his wife and two children in Air India Kanishka bombing, channelised his grief to work for the society and he is honoured with a Padma Shri for being instrumental in treatment of over three lakh eye patients, 90% of them for free, besides providing free education to more than 3,500 children.
Snake catchers from the Irula tribe, Vadivel Gopal and Masi Sadaiyan from Tamil Nadu were chosen for their service in catching snakes from across the globe and training snake catchers.