Padma Shri For Paralympics Gold Medallist, 100-Year-Old Freedom Fighter 

A 100-year old freedom fighter from Goa, a dhak player from West Bengal who trained 150 women in the male-dominated field, and India’s first woman puppeteers are among 30 Indians who were awarded the Padma Shri, a government statement said today, ahead of the Republic Day celebrations tomorrow.

Harvinder Singh, who won gold in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, has also been honoured with the Padma Shri award.

Padma Shri awardee Libia Lobo Sardesai played an important role in Goa’s freedom movement and co-founded an underground radio station — Voz da Liberdabe (Voice of Freedom) — in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against Portuguese rule.

Gokul Chandra Dey, a 57-year old dhak player from Bengal, who broke gender stereotype by training 150 women in the male-dominated field, is one of the awardees.

Mr Dey also created a lightweight dhak type, 1.5 kg less than the conventional instrument, and represented India at international platforms. He performed with maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain.

A strong supporter of woman empowerment, 82-year old Sally Holkar transformed the once-dying Maheshwari craft and founded a handloom school in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, to train people in traditional weaving techniques.

Born in the US and inspired by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar’s legacy, she devoted five decades of her life to revitalise the 300-year-old weaving legacy. She has been awarded the Padma Shri.