Dr. Khadar Valli Dudekula of Mysuru and Rani Machaiah of Kodagu receive Padma Shri Awards

New Delhi: The President of India Droupadi Murmu last evening 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 in New Delhi.

Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were the Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

For this year, the President has approved the conferment of 106 Padma awards, including 3 duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one). As many as 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes two persons from the category of foreigners.

Among the recipients of the coveted awards were Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa (Padma Bhushan), Dr Khadar Valli Dudekula (Padma Shri), Sudha Murty (Padma Bhushan) and Iymudiyanda Rani Machaiah (Padma Shri).

Padma Bhushan Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa

Mysuru-based Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa was born on Aug. 20, 1931, and is a litterateur of repute who has been writing some of the best-selling novels in Kannada for over 50 years now. His novels are widely translated into other Indian languages and his stories make a conscious effort to depict the fundamental emotions of human beings.

He has written 24 novels, four volumes of literary criticism and books on aesthetics, social issues and culture. He also served as a professor of Philosophy for over three decades at the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Starting with ‘Bheemakaya’, his first published novel in 1958, Dr. Bhyrappa went on to rule the literary space for over five decades.

His books have also found their way to the curriculum of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses of Universities in Karnataka, and have been the subject of about 20 Ph.D dissertations. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016.

While presenting the Padma Bhushan, the President’s Office tweeted: “President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Bhushan to Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa for Literature and Education. A retired Professor of Philosophy,   Dr Bhyrappa is a widely acclaimed Kannada author whose works have been translated into many languages.”

Padma Bhushan Sudha Murty

Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy’s wife and author Sudha Murty was conferred with Padma Bhushan for social work. 72-year-old Sudha Murty is an eminent writer in English and Kannada and a noted social worker. In 1996, she started Infosys Foundation and to date has been the Trustee of the Foundation that has been at the forefront of many noble causes.

Sudha Murty extensively focuses on education, healthcare, rural development, destitute care, art, culture, mid-day meal schemes and water projects. The Foundation has made several contributions that have positively impacted millions of lives, over the years.

She has supported several initiatives through the Foundation that help underprivileged members of society working in remote areas across India. Her daughter fashion designer Akshata Murty is married to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The President’s Office tweeted: “President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Bhushan to Sudha Murty for Social Work. A philanthropist, renowned author and Chairperson of the Murty Foundation, she has initiated many projects in the fields of healthcare, education, art and culture, animal welfare and women’s empowerment.”

Padma Shri Dr. Khadar Valli Dudekula

Dr. Khadar Valli Dudekula was conferred Padma Shri for Science and Engineering. 64-year-old Khadar Valli Dudekula is an agricultural scientist famously known as the Millet Man of India  for having revived five types of disappearing millets.

He hails from Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh and completed a Master’s degree in Science (with a specialisation in education) from the Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Mysuru, and he went on to get his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bengaluru, for his work on steroids.

He worked hard to revive five different types of millet that were fast disappearing. He discovered that the healing properties present in the millets could cure even deadly diseases and named the five millets ‘Siridhanya.’

 The President’s Office tweeted: “President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Shri to Dr. Khadar Valli Dudekula for Science and Engineering. Known as the ‘Millet man of India’, Dr. Dudekula has spread awareness about the millets as our staple grains and their importance in preventing and healing diseases.”

Padma Shri Iymudiyanda Rani Machaiah

Iymudiyanda Rani Machaiah was conferred Padma Shri for art. 79-year-old Rani Machaiah is an Ummathat folk dancer from Kodagu and has spent most of her life in promoting and preserving Kodava culture through dance.

She is also the former President of Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and has been training women artistes in Ummathat folk dance. She dropped out of PUC and began a campaign to popularise Ummathat, from 1984 onwards.

Rani Machaiah also set up ‘Kaveri Kala Vrinda’ and soon presented Ummathat in Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and other States.

The President’s Office tweeted: “President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Shri to Iymudiyanda Rani Machaiah for Art. A folk exponent of the Ummathat dance art of Kodagu, she is propagating the cause of folk dance in the role of performer, organiser and trainer.”