NEW DELHI: Achievers whose works were recognized globally through major international awards last year -- Nobel laureate scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Magsaysay awardee social worker Deep Joshi and Oscar winners musician A R Rahman and sound recordist Resul Pokutty -- are among the list of 130 persons for the prestigious Padma awards this year.
Former Reserve Bank of India governor Y V Reddy, film stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Rekha, eminent theatre personalities Zohra Segal and Ebrahim Alkazi and Dr Ramakant Panda, the surgeon who operated on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year, are other prominent personalities who found a place in the Padma awardee list.
The government has, however, not found anyone for the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.
While thirteen in the list are either foreigners, NRIs or People of Indian Origins (PIOs), 17 awardees are women from various fields. Out of the total 130 Padma awardees, while six are to be conferred with Padma Vibhushan for "exceptional and distinguished service", 43 are selected for Padma Bhushan for "distinguished service of high order" and 81 for Padma Shri for "distinguished service in any field".
The list has one controversial figure -- Sant Singh Chatwal -- as well. The US-based hotelier Chatwal -- who had faced trials for alleged bank fraud in India -- is to be conferred with Padma Bhushan.
It is learnt that the name of Chatwal, who is also fundraiser for former US President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, was not initially recommended by the award committee, raising speculation that he might have found place in the list of awardees through some intervention from the top.
Home ministry spokesperson, however, refused to comment whether Chatwal's name was recommended by the award committee or not.
Incidentally, the businessman Chatwal, who was acquitted by special Mumbai court in 2008, is chosen for his distinguished service of high order in the field of public affairs.
Retired IPS officer and former CBI chief D R Karthikeyan, who headed the Special Investigation Team which probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, is also selected for the Padma Shri award.
Cricketer Virendra Sehwag, Hockey national player Ignace Tirkey, Formula 1 driver Narain Kartikeyan, Badminton star Saina Nehwal, Boxer Vijender Singh and Sachin Tendulkar's "guru" Ramakant Achrekar have been selected for Padma Shri awards in sports category.
Deep Joshi -- a social worker who was awarded Magsaysay award in 2009 for his works for development of rural communities -- and retired doctor of the Border Security Force (BSF) Laxmi Chand Gupta are too chosen for Padma Shri award.
Tamil film music composer Ilaiyaraaja, who set music for Hindi films like `Cheeni Kum' and 'Paa', Hindustan classical vocalist Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, dancer Mallika Sarabhai, former Cabinet Secretary and now Member in the Planning Commission B K Chaturvedi have been chosen for Padma Bhushan along with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Moosa Raza and former Vice Chancellor of Goa University P R Dubhashi for civil service.
Noted US-based journalist Farid Zakaria gets Padma Bhushan in journalism category while Prof Tan Chung and Prof A J Paulraj get the award in literature and education and science and engineering respectively. Both are also from the US.
In the art category, Akbar Padamsee, Kumudini Lakhia, Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana, Puttaraj Gavai, Ram Kumar, Shrinivas Vinayak Khale and Ustad Sultan Khan are being conferred with the Padma Bhushan awards.
Another Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen and S K Bandyopadhyay have been named in the public affairs category of Padma Bhushan.
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