Chennai :
Tamil Nadu had a modest share in Sunday’s Padma awards list. Of the nine Padma Vibhushan awardees, one is from Tamil Nadu, and out of 20 Padma Bhushan awardees two are from the state. Of 75 Padma Shri awardees, three are from Tamil Nadu.
Nuclear scientist M R Srinivasan is the sole candidate from the state to bag Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honor, next to Bharat Ratna. He was conferred Padma Bhushan a quarter century ago, in 1990, and Padma Shri three decades ago, in 1984. A team member of the legendary Homi Bhabha, Srinivasan was involved in India’s first nuclear research reactor Apsara in mid-1950s.
He later became chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and rose to be secretary of department of atomic eergy. Srinivasan was founder-chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India, in 1987. He was responsible for a total of 18 nuclear power units in the country.
The two Padma Bhushan awardees from the state are former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami, and Carnatic singer Sudha Ragunathan.
Gopalaswami, a 1966 IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, was chief election commissioner from June 2006 to April 2009. He was former union home secretary as well, and had held posts of secretery in department of culture, and secretary-general in National Human Rights Commission. “It is a happy feeling to have won the award. I would like to acknowledge the fact that work done by others has helped me fetch the honour. It is not just an individual’s work, but a whole team has worked for me to get this credit. I am grateful for the recognition. Good work never goes waste,” Gopalaswami told TOI.
Sudha Raghunathan is one the best recognizable faces in Carnatic music circles, and among the most sought-after vocalist during music seasons. A distinguished disciple of M L Vasanthakumari, Sudha Raghunathan got her Padma Shri award in 2004.
When contacted, she told TOI: “I am extremely happy and overwhelmed on winning the award. I am grateful to the government for the honour. Through the years, there have been many people who stood by me and motivated me. I want to thank the God almighty. I want to thank my guru M L Vasantha Kumari, mother V Choodamani and fans from all around the world. I want to thank the organisers who have encouraged me from my teen years for all their support.”
A top-notch violinist and this year’s recipient of Padma Shri award, A Kanyakumari is a recipient of TN government’s Kalaimamani award as well.
Two other Padma Shri awardees from the state are former civil servants P V Rajaraman and R Vasudevan.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / January 26th, 2015