105-yr-old Krishna Leela singer, India's first woman mahout among 34 'unsung & unique heroes' chosen for Padma Shri

A number of tribals, traditional medicine practitioners and folk artistes dominated the list of unsung heroes in the Padma list that celebrated their "distinguished service" with the fourth-highest civilian award in the country.

New Delhi: A 105-year-old Krishna Leela singer, India's first woman mahout, a Malayali preserving 650 traditional rice varieties, a 69-year-old burn victim-turned plastic surgeon and a woman Godna painter who was once refused water in her village because of her caste, are among 34 people who are identified as 'unsung heroes' and chosen for the coveted Padma Shri on the eve of Republic Day.

A number of tribals, traditional medicine practitioners and folk artistes as well as those from West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana and Bihar dominated the list of unsung heroes in the Padma list that celebrated their "distinguished service" with the fourth-highest civilian award in the country.

Gopinath Swain, a renowned Krishna Leela singer who hails from Odisha's Ganjam, the oldest among them at 105 and is credited for his commitment to creating a bridge between past and present. He sang and taught five ancient ragas -- Dakhinasri, Chinta, Desakhya, Todi Bhatiari, Bhatiari and Kumbha Kamodi.

What made Parbati Baruah (67) earn the reward was her fight to overcome stereotypes, to create a space for herself in a traditionally male-dominated field and become India's first female mahout. Starting at the age of 14, inheriting her father's skill, she "stood out for her commitment towards mitigating human-elephant conflict with the help of application of scientific practices" in the past four decades and assisted three states to tackle and capture wild elephants.

Prema Dhanraj, who hails from Karnataka, is a “burn victim turned burn surgeon, who overcame personal tragedy to dedicate her life to the cause of burn victims”.

A girl who left behind the scars of a burn victim at the age of eight to become a plastic surgeon and provided free surgery to around 25,000 burn victims, 72-year-old Prema Dhanraj was chosen for her services in the field of medicine. She underwent 14 surgeries as a child at Christian Medical College, Vellore, only to return there as a surgeon and head of department.

Kasaragod-based Sathyanarayana Beleri, a rice farmer who evolved into a guardian of paddy crop by preserving over 650 traditional rice varieties in Kerala, is credited for successfully introducing Rajakayame rice, boosting production and conservation across Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He also developed the innovative Polybag Method and conserved not only indigenous rice varieties but also traditional seeds of arecanut, nutmeg and black pepper.

Shanti Devi Paswan and her husband Shivan Paswan were chosen for their Madhubani paintings. Shanti Devi was once refused drinking water in her village because of her caste but went on to showcase her talent during the recent G-20 Summit. The couple also exhibited their works in the US, Japan and other countries.

Jageshwar Yadav, a welfare worker from Chhattisgarh who dedicated his life for the betterment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of marginalised Birhor and Korwa people is another winner, while Chami Murmu, described as a "tribal warrior", was also chosen for planting over 30 lakh plants and empowered 30,000 women through Self Help Groups.

Gurvinder Singh, who is paralysed waist down, fights for rights of homeless, destitute and women in Haryana, finds his name in the list for providing free ambulance service to over 6,000 accident victims and pregnant women, besides nurturing the dreams of 300 children by setting up a child care institute.

Bengal-based Dukhu Majhi, a tribal environmentalist who has planted over 5,000 banyan, mango and blackberry trees on barren land since 12 years, and Andaman Nicobar-based K Chellammal, who successfully developed a 10 acre organic farm, are also in the list of Padma Shri winners.

Tribal herbal medicinal expert Yanung Jamoh Lego (58) of Arunachal Pradesh was chosen for Padma Shri for reviving the traditional healing system of the Adi tribe, while Somanna, a former bonded labourer from Mysuru, was credited for working for the upliftment of Jenu Kuruba tribe.

Gujarat-based microbiologist Yazdi Maneksha Italia (72), who pioneered the country’s Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Programme and screened over 95 lakh tribals across his home state, is also in the list of unsung heroes.

West Bengal’s Ratan Kahar (88), a Bhadu folk singer, is recognised for his contribution to folk music, while Bihar’s Tikuli painter Ashok Kumar Biswas was chosen for popularising the folk painting genre.

The country’s first woman Harikatha exponent Uma Maheshwari D (63), who hails from Andhra Pradesh, Chakma loin loom shawl weaver Smriti Rekha Chakma (63) from Tripura and Omprakash Sharma (85), exponent of Malwa region’s traditional dance Mach, are also among those chosen for Padma Shri.