Introduction
Since the time India became independent, the central government has been honoring people who have made their mark in the society with their work. Thus, the Indian citizens were getting Padma Awards – Padma Vibushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri – for their contribution to the society. If we look at the list of people who got these awards, we get the impression that people related to arts, cinema or politics are eligible. This is because the central government at different points in time chose to only honor such people, leaving others to fend for themselves. Yet, good Samaritans kept their good work without expecting anything. Now, the central government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has adopted a different route. This time around, it has looked for commoners who have silently contributed to making the society a decent place to live in. In this blog post, we will look at such 10 people who have made changes to the society in whatever way they can. Photos courtesy Huffington Post.
Padma Shri Awards for Commoners
In a heartening development, the central government has given away fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri to many of the unsung heroes of the country, which is a departure from the often-followed way of choosing those in arts, science, and politics. These awardees have enriched the lives of those around them. They come from wide range of society, starting from fighting fires, farming in drought-like conditions, to preserving a dying art from oblivion with energy and perseverance.
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Doctor Dadi: She is a 91-year-old doctor from Indore who has been offering health services free of cost to many people. To date, she has successfully treated over 1000 people in her locality. Her real name is Bakti Yadav.
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Shekhar Naik: He is the captain of a successful blind cricket team. He dedicated his life to promoting the game of cricket among the blinds.
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Meenakshi Amma: She is fondly called as ‘granny with the sword’ or ‘Meenakshi Gurukkal’. This 76-year-old Kerala granny has been practicing and teaching Kalaripayattu for 60 years. She began practicing this martial arts form, which is the root for all the Chinese martial arts forms, at the tender age of 7 years.
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Bipin Ganatra: This 59-year-old man from West Bengal has been volunteering for firefighting missions with trained fire brigade personnel for last 40 years. He chose to take up this profession as a mission after he lost his brother to an inferno.
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Chintakindi Mallesham: This 41-year-old Telangana man has invented Lakshmi ASU machine that reduces the cost and time of weaving Pochampalli silk sarees. His invention helped many in the looms sector with over 60% adopting his machine to reduce the cost of function. He told the media persons that he invented this machine to help his mother to handle the workload.
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Daripalli Ramaiah: He is another person from Telangana who has devoted his life to the cause of making India green. The 68-year-old plants seeds wherever he sees barren land. To date, he has planted over one crore trees.
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Karimul Haque: This 52-year-old tea-garden worker has taken up a different job of rescuing people from accident sites. He does this round-the-clock. For this purpose, he has converted his bike into an ambulance. He took up this job as his mission after he saw his mother dying due to the non-availability of an ambulance.
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Genabhai Darghabhai Patel: This 52-year-old specially-abled farmer from Gujarat has transformed his drought-prone village in Banaskantha district into the largest producer of pomegranate in India through drip irrigation.
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Dr. Subrato Das: This 51-year-old physician from Gujarat has been hailed by many as ‘Highway Messiah’. He is one of the pioneers in bringing medical relief to accident victims on national highways. Through his Lifeline Foundation, he provides medical relief to accident victims on the national highway network that spans across the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Kerala, covering a distance of 4000 kilometers.
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Girish Bharadwaj: This 66-year-old person from Karnataka has been hailed by many as ‘Sethu Bhandu’. This social worker has built over 100 eco-friendly and low-cost suspension bridges connecting many remote villages across India.