Padma Awards – the country’s highest civilian award has been presented by the honourable President of India on 8th November 2021 for the year 2021. There are three categories in Padma Award, namely Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
For the 2021 session, nine Assamese people have been honoured with the prestigious Padma Awards. In this article, we will discuss how they and their contributions are.
Tarun Gogoi (Padma Bhushan – 2021)
Tarun Gogoi was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was a member of the Indian National Congress, led the party to record three consecutive electoral victories, and became the long-served chief minister of Assam. In the year 2021, he was awarded Padma Bhushan (Posthumous) in Public Affairs.
Lakshmi Baruah (Padma Shri – 2021)
Lakshmi Baruah bags the most prestigious Padma Shri award in the field of Social Work. Lakshmi Baruah started the Konoklota Mahila Urban Cooperative Bank in 1998 in Jorhat, Assam, to help women from underprivileged backgrounds become financially independent and secure.
In 2021 Baruah was selected as Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) by the district administration of Jorhat.
Gopiram Bargayn Burabhakat (Padma Shri – 2021)
Veteran Assamese folk musician from Majuli, Shri Gopiram Bargayn Burabhakat, was conferred with Padma Shri in 2021. He has been known for grooming the Sattriya traditional music for over seven decades.
Bijoya Chakravarty (Padma Shri – 2021)
Bijoya Chakravarty is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party. She was conferred with the most prestigious Padma Shri Award 2021 in the field of Public Affairs.
Mangal Singh Hazowary (Padma Shri – 2021)
Mangal Singh Hazowary is an Indian Bodo language poet. He is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry “Ziuni Mwkthang Bisombi Arw Aroj” in 2005. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2021, for his contributions to literature and education.
Dulal Manki (Padma Shri – 2021)
Dulal Manki, Popularly known as ‘Jhumur Samrat, ‘ bags the most prestigious Padma Shri award in 2021. He is famous for promoting the art and culture of the tea tribe community. He composed several songs and promoted folk music inspired mainly by the tea tribe community.
Birubala Rabha (Padma Shri – 2021)
Birubala Rabha is an Indian activist who campaigns against witchcraft and witch-hunting in Goalpara, Assam in India. She runs an organization called Mission Birubala which spreads awareness against witch-hunting. She was instrumental in the Assam Government passing the Prevention of and Protection from Witch Hunting Act, 2015. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2021, for her contributions to social work.
Roman Sarma (Padma Shri – 2021)
Shri Roman Sarmah is a veteran journalist from Kamrup and a Guwahati High Court Bar Association member. He is also the editor of 89-year-old Bordoichila magazine, Guwahati. He is conferred with Padma Shri in the year 2021.
Imran Shah (Padma Shri – 2021)
Imran Shah, also known as Nawab Imran Shah, is an Indian Assamese language writer, poet, novelist, and scholar. He also writes under the pen names Ishan Dutta, Anamika Baruah, Kumbhakarna, and Animesh Baruah. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2021, for his contributions to literature and education.
Also Read : President Ram Nath Kovind presents Padma Award 2021 – Full list here
What are Padma Award and its types –
The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The Awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher-order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The award seeks to recognize achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.
The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year. The nomination process is open to the public, and even self-nomination can be made.