Tamil Nadu celebrates 13 Padma awardees excelling in art, trade, sports, and culture

Actor and dancer Shobana (Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai).
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Thirteen persons from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry have been recognised with the Padma awards this year. Three people have been named for the Padma Bhushan — actor Ajith Kumar, in the art category; actor and dancer Shobana Chandrakumar and Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti industrialist.

This year, 10 persons from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry are to be conferred with the Padma Shri award, fourth-highest civilian award. The Padma Shri will go to Guruvayur Dorai, the 89-year old mridangam artiste, R.G. Chandramogan, Chairman and Managing Director of Hatsun Agro Product, who was the visionary behind Arun Ice Creams; R. Ashwin, cricketer, and sculptor Radhakrishnan Devasenapathy, who sculpted the world’s tallest Lord Natraja statue that was showcased at the G20 convention last year. The other Padma awardees from the State are Seeni Viswanathan, the scholar who compiled poet Subramania Bharathi’s works in 16 volumes; Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer of the Tamil daily Dinamalar; Purisai Duraisamy Kannappa Thambiran of Purisai Duraisami Kannappa Thambiran Paramparai Therukoothu Mandram; Velu Aasaan, the celebrated Parai artist; K. Damodaran, popularly known as Chef Damu, and M.D.Srinivas, Chairman for Centre for Policy Studies in Mylapore.

Puducherry-born P. Datchanamoorthy, a thavil exponent, has also been chosen for the Padma Shri.