Excelsior Correspondent/PTI
NEW DELHI/JAMMU, Jan 25: Superstar Rajinikanth, founder of the Reliance empire late Dhirubhai Ambani, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and media baron Ramoji Rao have been chosen for Padma Vibhushan, country’s second highest civilian award, this year.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan, former DRDO chief V K Aatre, cancer specialist and chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute Dr V Shanta and eminent Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Yamini Krishnamurthi and classical vocalist Girija Devi and Indian-American economist Avinash Dixit have also been named for Padma Vibhushan on the occasion of this year’s Republic Day celebrations.
Noted actor Anupam Kher, singer Udit Narayan, former CAG Vinod Rai, chairperson of media group Bennett, Coleman & Co. Indu Jain, sports stars Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal, spiritual leaders late Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Tejomayananda and former US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill are among the 19 eminent people chosen for Padma Bhushan.
Industrialist Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, Maruti Suzuki chairman R C Bhargava and eminent architect Hafeez Contractor also figure in the list of Padma Bhushan awardees.
Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, who was the prosecution counsel in the Mumbai terror attack case, actors Ajay Devgn and Priyanka Chopra get Padma Shri.
Renowned sculptor Ram V Sutar, Manipuri theatre personality Heisnam Kanhailal, Hindi and Telugu writer Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, Sanskrit scholar N S Ramanuja Tatacharya, Punjabi journalist Barjinder Singh Hamdard, gastroenterologist D Nageshwar Reddy and scientist A V Rama Rao have been chosen for Padma Bhushan.
Actor the late Saeed Jaffrey, CEO of Master Card Ajaypal Singh Banga, archer Deepika Kumari, Bharatanatyam dancer Prathibha Prahlad, Gujarati folk musician Bhikhudan Gadhvi, Goa’s musician Tulsidas Borkar and scientist Onkar Nath Srivastava were among those who were named for Padma Shri awards.
Meanwhile, Veteran journalist and son of the soil Jawahar Lal Kaul who is among the recipients of Padam Shri -the highest civilian award of the country on the 66th Republic Day has covered varied fields during his 40 year long career as working journalist.
Kaul started his career from Times of India as a working journalist. He attained his superannuation from Indian Express Group of newspapers in the year 2000 as senior Assistant Editor. He was awarded the Padam Shri for his long time service in journalism.
As a working journalist Kaul covered all the major events in India including JP Movement and emergency in seventies, surrender of dacoits, assassination of former Prime Ministers Mrs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, socialist as well as BJP movements in the country, terrorism in J&K and after that.
Mr Kaul has also written a book on Indian journalism “Patarkarita Kaa Bazzar Bhav” which was released by Bhopal University.
Mr Kaul who is presently president of J&K Study Centre is also the working president of Abhinav Gupt Samaroh Samiti which is observing the year 2016 as the millennium year of this world renowned philosopher and art critic.
After retirement, Kaul has been contributing to various magazines and newspapers on varied issues.
Born in Iskardoo now in PoK, Kaul started his early education in Muzaffarabad also in PoK. He later studied in Leh Ladakh. But after partition of 1947 he along with his family shifted to Srinagar in Kashmir valley.
Kaul while talking to Excelsior from New Delhisaid since 1947 he was associated with politics in one way or the other. “I was also closely related to the former Chief Ministers of J&K including Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq and Mufti Mohammed Sayeed”, he added.
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