Five noted personalities from Karnataka across all walks of life were chosen for the prestigious Padma Shri Awards 2022. Noted Dalit activist and poet Siddalingaiah who passed away in June 2021 has been conferred the Padma Shri posthumously under the literature category. Among the other recipients are HR Keshavamurthy for his contribution to Art, Subbanna Ayyappan under Science and Engineering category, Abdul Khader Nadakattin for his contribution to grassroots innovation and Amai Mahalinga Naik in agriculture.
Like every year on the eve of Republic Day, the union government on Tuesday, January 25, announced the list of Padma awardees. The recipients will be presented the awards by the President of India in March or April. According to the release by the Ministry of Home Affairs, this year President Ramnath Kovind has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. 34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.
Siddalingaiah
Siddalingaiah is arguably among the most prominent Dalit poets in the state and is a prime figure in the Dalit Bandaya literary movements. He was also recognised as one of the founders of the Dalit Sangharsh Samithi. At the height of his political career, he became a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1988 and subsequently was elected as an MLC for two terms. In 2006, he was appointed as the chairperson of the Kannada Development Authority.
HR Keshavamurthy
A singer extraordinaire in the field of Carnatic music, HR Keshavamurthy is known for his contribution to the field of Gamaka over the last five decades. He hails from Shivamogga district in central Karnataka. For his contribution, he was accorded the title of 'Gamaka Gana Gandharva'.
Subanna Ayyapan
Noted food scientist Ayyapan is the Chancellor of the Central Agricultural University, Imphal. In the past, He has served in many important positions in government and academic positions including that of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and has also been a member of the Planning Commission.
Abdul Khadar Nadakattin
Nadakattin is known as a pioneer of introducing technology in farms and reducing labour on the field to increase efficiency. He has himself designed many farm tools to help farmers be more productive and be economically. He had set up his own institute — Vishwashanti Agricultural Research Centre — for the same purpose, which has been successfully running for the past four decades and more. His solutions are widely used not only in Karnataka but also in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Amai Mahalinga Naik
Another recipient of the Padma awards from agriculture background, Naik is known for turning around a barren piece of land amid rocky hills to a farm full of produce of areca nuts, coconut, cashew and banana. He shot to fame after he overcame scarcity of water through sheer optimism and hard work.