Social worker Sindhutai Sapkal and Girish Prabhune from Pune on Monday were named for this year's Padma Shri awards.
Sapkal, who is popularly referred to as “Mai”, runs an orphanage - Sanmati Bal Niketan Sanstha - in Pune near Hadapsar, while Prabhune runs the NGO named Punarutthan Samarasata Gurukulam. His NGO works for the upliftment of the Pardhi community and their children. He also runs a school and residential facility for the Pardhi children.
Sapkal has adopted more than 1,000 orphan children over her long career and has received several awards for her social service.
In 2010, a Marathi biopic of Sapkal titled 'Mi Sindhutai Sapkal Boltey' was released in Maharashtra.
The Union Home Ministry said the President has approved conferment of 119 Padma awards -- seven Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri. Padma Vibhushan is India's second-highest civilian award.
Twenty-nine women are among the Padma awardees and the list also includes 10 people from the category of foreigners, NRI, PIO AND OCI and one transgender.
Eminent sculptor Sudarshan Sahoo from Odisha was also named for this year's Padma Vibhushan, while writer-illustrator Narayan Debnath, Mithila painter Dulari Devi, and Rajasthani music artiste Lakha Khan were awarded Padma Shri.
Famous illustrator of children's magazine 'Chandamama' KC Sivasankar will be awarded the Padma Shri posthumously.
Violinist Rama Swamy Annavarapu from Andhra Pradesh; Villupattu theatre art exponent Subbu Arumugam from Tamil Nadu; Bhuri Bai, a Bhil artist proficient in Pithora paintings, from Madhya Pradesh; artist Puranamasi Jani from Odisha; transgender folk artist Matha B. Manjamma Jogati from Karnataka also made it to the Padma Shri list.
Sari weavers Biren Kumar Basak from West Bengal and Radhe Devi from Manipur will also be conferred the fourth-highest civilian award.
Puppeteers Parshuram Atmaram Gangavane from Maharashtra, K Kesavasamy from Puducherry, and K K Ramachandra Pulavar from Kerala will also receive the Padma Shri.
Assamese singer Gopiram Bargayn Burabhakat, Bhojpuri folk dancer Ramchandra Manjhi, folklorist Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar from Goa, folk singer Dulal Manki from Assam, musicians Rewben Mashangva from Manipurand Satyaram Reang from Tripura, artist Kanaka Raju from Telangana and mridangam exponent Nidumolu Sumathi from Andhra Pradesh will be honoured with the Padma Shri.
From the category of foreigners awarded Padma Shri are British theatre director Peter Brook, Indonesia artist and scholar Wayan Dibia, and musicologist Sanjida Khatun from Bangladesh.
(With inputs from PTI)
