Padma Awards 2024: Meet 34 heroes that India should know about

Recognizing unsung heroes, the list includes India's first female elephant mahout, environmentalists, tribal warriors, social workers, traditional craftsmen, and medical professionals dedicated to burn victims.

Team Asianet Newsable

First Published Jan 25, 2024, 11:28 PM IST

The Centre has unveiled the inaugural list of Padma Award winners, recognizing the exceptional contributions of individuals across diverse fields. The awardees include remarkable personalities often unsung, such as India's first female elephant mahout, environmentalists, and a plastic surgeon dedicated to burn victims.

These Padma Shri awardees represent the diverse talents and dedication that contribute to the cultural richness of the nation. The awards aim to honour those who have made exceptional contributions, celebrating their commitment to making a positive impact on society across various domains. Let us take a look at some of them:

Parbati Baruah: India's first female elephant mahout who started taming wild tuskers at the age of 14, overcoming stereotypes.
Jageshwar Yadav: Welfare worker dedicated to the betterment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) tribes, specifically birhor and korwa.
Chami Murmu: Tribal warrior who planted over 30 lakh plants and empowered 30,000 women through SHGs.
Gurvinder Singh: Social worker from Sirsa holding the beacon of hope for orphans and divyangs.
Sathyanarayana Beleri: Preserving traditional rice varieties through innovative polybag method.
Dukhu Majhi: Environmentalist who dedicated 5 decades to planting trees and spreading awareness for a greener future.
K Chellammal: Veteran organic farmer who has developed efficient coconut and palm tree damage control measures.
Sangthankima: Provided rehabilitation services and shelter to future generations.
Hemchand Manjhi: Traditional medicine practitioner treating patients across states, especially the needy in villages.
Yanung Jamoh Lego: Tribal herbal medicinal expert – revived the traditional healing system of the Adi tribe.
Somanna: Tribal welfare worker working for the betterment of the Jenu Kuruba tribe.
Sarbeswar Basumatary: Daily wager turned farmer who has evolved into a model for all in mixed integrated farming.
Prema Dhanraj: Burn victim turned burn surgeon, who overcame personal tragedy to dedicate her life to the cause of burn victims.
Uday Vishwanath Deshpande: Flagbearer of Mallakhamb, credited for bringing the sport on the global map.
Yazdi Maneksha Italia: Doctor who dedicated his life to fighting sickle cell anaemia amongst the Tribals of Gujarat.
Shanti Devi Paswan & Shivan Paswan: Duo Godna painters who overcame social stigmas to become prominent faces in Madhubani painting globally.
Ratan Kahar: Captured people's attention with his composition 'Boro Loker Biti Lo'.
Ashok Kumar Biswas: Folk painter who revived Mauryan era tikuli art, crafting thousands of designs and training 8,000 women.
Balakrishnan Sadanam Puthiya Veetil: Earning global acclaim for Kalluvazhi Kathakali for the past 6 decades.
Uma Maheshwari D: The first female harikatha exponent who has performed globally in different ragas.
Gopinath Swain: Centenarian performing Krishna Leela for over 9 decades.
Smriti Rekha Chakma: Weaver transforming eco-friendly vegetable-dyed cotton threads into traditional designs.
Omprakash Sharma: Promoted 200-year-old Malwa region's traditional dance drama 'Mach' for over 7 decades.
Narayanan E P: Dedicated 6 decades to promoting the traditional art form of Theyyam.
Bhagabat Padhan: Expanded the scope of Sabda Nrutya dance to wider platforms and trained diverse groups in the art.
Sanatan Rudra Pal: Sculptor known for crafting traditional Sabeki Durga idols for over 5 decades.
Badrappan M: 87-year-old Valli Oyil Kummi Dance guru, breaking from tradition to also train women.
Jordan Lepcha: Bamboo craftsperson preserving the traditional Lepcha hats of Sikkim.
Machihan Sasa: Master craftsperson who has promoted and preserved the ancient Manipuri tradition of Longpi pottery.
Gaddam Sammaiah: Highlighted social issues through Chindu Yakshaganam performances for over 5 decades.
Jankilal: 3rd generation performer mastering the fading Behrupiya art for over 6 decades.
Dasari Kondappa: One of the last Burra veena players, dedicated his life to the indigenous art.
Babu Ram Yadav: Brass craftsperson championing the intricate brass marori craft globally for the past 6 decades.
Nepal Chandra Sutradhar: One of the last and senior-most practitioners of Purulia style dance & mask making of age-old traditions