New Delhi: Akshata Murty, the wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was in attendance when her mother Sudha Murty was given the Padma Bhushan award in Delhi on Wednesday. Akshata was seen sitting with Union Ministers S Jaishankar and Anurag Thakur in the front row, along with other dignitaries at the majestic Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan during the Padma award ceremony.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Sudha Murty's husband and Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, son Rohan Murty, and her sister Dr Sunanda Kulkarni also attended the ceremony. 



 


They met while Sunak was studying at Stanford University.


Mulayam Singh Yadav, Oscar-awardee Keeravaani conferred Padma awards


President Droupadi Murmu presented three Padma Vibhushan, five Padma Bhushan and 47 Padma Shri Awards for the year 2023 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday. 


Veteran socialist leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Late Mulayam Singh Yadav, and medical professional Dilip Mahalanabis, known globally for his work on Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), were among those conferred the Padma Vibhushan award.


Physicist Deepak Dhar, who is known for his long-standing research career in statistical physics, novelist SL Bhyrappa, noted playback singer Vani Jairam and Vedic scholar Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji were also given the Padma Bhushan at the Rashtrapati Bhavan function.


Yadav, who was also India's defence minister and long-time parliamentarian, Mahalanabis, who returned from the US to serve in the 1971 Bangladesh war refugee camps, and Jairam were given the honour posthumously.



Music director M M Keeravaani, who recently bagged India's first Oscar for an original song for the 'RRR' song 'Naatu Naatu', and Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon were among those who received the Padma Shri.


Types of Padma awards


Padma awards are conferred in three categories -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. 


The awards are given in various disciplines and fields of activities such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service among others.


Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award, is given for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order; and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.


Many of the awardees are unsung heroes who have been silently working for the betterment of society and people, and whom the Narendra Modi government has been honouring ever since it came to power in 2014.