"A Nation So Blessed": Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw On Padma Winners

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has shared his thoughts on this year's Padma Awards and posted the images of two of the recipients — transgender folk dancer Matha B Manjamma Jogati and 102-year-old Nanda Prusty. In the caption of his post on Koo, the minister wrote, "A Nation So Blessed", and added the hashtag, ‘People's Padma'.

The Padma awards were given away earlier this week by President Ram Nath Kovind to achievers from diverse fields.

Nanda Prusty was conferred with the Padma Shri award for his contribution in the field of literature and education. Fondly called "Nanda sir", 102-year-old Mr Prusty provided free education to children and adults at Jajpur, Odisha, for decades.

Matha B. Manjamma Jogati — the first transgender chairperson of the Karnataka Janapada Academy — was awarded for her contribution to folk dance and music. Matha Jogati, played a key role in popularising the folk-art forms practised in rural Karnataka, Maharashtra, and parts of Andhra Pradesh.

At the time of writing, over 600 users had liked Ashwini Vaishnaw's post. A number of people congratulated the government for giving recognition to the unsung heroes of India.

"Real respect for humanity and talent," commented one user.

“This is inclusivity at its best,” said another.

Many of the Padma recipients this year come from humble backgrounds. Among them is Tulsi Gowda, a 72-year-old tribal activist from Karnataka, who is described as the “encyclopaedia of forests”. She was awarded the Padma Shri. A photograph of her greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the function was widely shared on social media.

Another Padma Shri award recipient was Harekala Hajabba, an orange seller from Karnataka. The 66-year-old got the award for bringing about a revolution in rural education by constructing a school in Harekala-Newpadpu village in Mangaluru.