On the eve of India’s 75th Republic Day, the Union Home Ministry announced the Padma award winners for the year 2024. Eight persons from Kerala were honoured with the highest civilian awards of the nation.
Late M Fathima Beevi, the first female of the Supreme Court of India and the first Muslim woman to be appointed to any of the higher judiciary in the country, who passed away recently, has been awarded Padma Bhushan (posthumously). Former Union minister O Rajagopal, who is a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and an ex-MLA from Nemom constituency of Kerala too has been awarded Padma Bhushan for public affairs.
A total of 132 Padma awards have been announced this year. They include 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri awards.
Six persons including late P Chithran Namboodiripad, an educationist and author, Kathakali maestro Sadanam Balakrishnan, theyyam performer Narayanan E P, farmer Sathyanarayana Beleri, member of the Travancore Royal family and author Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi and spiritual guru Muni Narayana Prasad will receive the nation’s fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri.
Chithran Namboodiripad was a prominent figure in the field of literature and education in Kerala and played a pivotal role in shaping the Kerala state school art festival (Kalolsavam). He died at the age of 103 in June last year. Balakrishnan is a distinguished Kathakali artist who specialises in Kalluvazhi style. He began performing at the age of 11 and had over 60 years of experience in Kathakali.
Narayanan, a native of Kannur, has showcased over 300 performances across 20 variants of Theyyam in his 60 years of career. Sathyanarayana, a native of Kasaragod, a farmer and paddy conservator, has preserved over 650 traditional rice varieties.
Gouri Lakshmi Bayi, has written on the temples of erstwhile Travancore and Kerala, besides anthologies in English. Muni Narayana Prasad, an author is also the Guru and Head of the Narayana Gurukulam.