The Padma Awards - are they any good
Padma Awards are given for distinguished service in any field. Every 26 January eve, the happening will be the same. The Roll of Honour will be grandiosely pronounced. Many will applaud with roses, some will criticize and the remaining will sulk. The columns that are required to be filled up in the nomination form clearly include "Religion" and "Category" which goes against the tenets of national integration. True that the awardees had made contributions to the nation but it is felt that they were being awarded with political,religion motives rather than for stellar credentials.
Despite controversies, many feel the awards are required as a token of national recognition for meaningful contribution to society. But changes need to be made and the flaws rectified in the basic selection process. Unbelievable but true, the then President Kalam sent back the awardees file to the Prime Minister's Office as there were grave irregularities in the selection. Three names had been included without the approval of the inter-ministerial committee and the final list had 12 names against which there were adverse reports of the Intelligence Bureau.When the Padma awards panel comprising eminent personalities had been careful in selecting the awardees Why did this happen??
Sadly, Padma awards committee ignored Olympic heroes this year. Nominations of Olympic medal winners Sushil Kumar (wrestler) and Vijender Singh (boxing) were struck off!! Don't they deserve this privilege??While the film stars are conferred with the country's highest civilian awards why not the heores of Olympics?
Nobel laureate scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Magsaysay awardee social worker Deep Joshi and Oscar winners musician A R Rahman and sound recordist Resul Pokutty are among the list of 130 persons for the prestigious Padma awards with the controversial figure Sant Singh Chatwal as well. The US-based hotelier Chatwal who had faced trials for alleged bank fraud in India has been conferred with Padma Bhushan. What is the underlying current for this extreme differences?
The selection-process should be announced to the public after the award ceremony on Republic Day to avoid controversies. Very truly, awards should not be treated as favours being exchanged out of personal loyalty and ignoring deserving people.What next? Clearly, greater transparency and accountability should get precedence over everything.
To put in nutshell, awards must keep the laudable objective of honoring the rightly deserving people. Not given to those who live for the moment and revel in the glory of yesteryears!!
THERE IS GOOD IN IT IF IT IS REALLY RECEIVED BY THE PERSON WHO DESERVES IT!!
-Hindu Balakrishnan
