Padma awards for Kakodkar, Amonkar

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-01-26
PANAJI- Two Goans - the Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, Dr Anil Kakodkar and educationist, Mr Suresh G Amonkar — were among the 133 awardees that included Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar and Fr Joseph H Pereira of Kripa who are honoured with Padma awards this year.
Dr Kakodkar, who actively involved in bringing the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, was among the 10 distinguished persons to get Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second highest civilian award.
Mr Amonkar, former principal of the New Goa High School, and former chairperson of the Goa Board, is an educationist and Konkani writer bagged the Padma Shri award.
The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat has congratulated both the Padma awardees on behalf of all Goans.
In his message, he said that Dr Kakodkar’s contribution to the formulation of the 123 nuclear agreement with the United States was very important. He was also a key person in conducting the second nuclear test at Pokhran.
Mr Amonkar is an educationist and writer with lucid style with his work in bringing the Dnyaneshwari, Dhammapad, and the Guru Grant Sahib in Konkani being commendable, said the Chief Minister.
At present he is translating the Bible into Konkani. The message states that his deep faith that all religions teach compassion, non-violence and peace depicts his personality.
Mr Kamat also recollected good service done by Mr Amonkar as chairman of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary.
AGENCIES ADD FROM NEW DELHI: Noted environmentalist, Mr Sunderlal Bahuguna, first Olympic Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, cricket captain M S Dhoni and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are other Padma awardees.
The other recipients included the ISRO chief, Mr G Madhavan Nair, the man beyond the historic unmanned moon mission ‘Chandrayaan’, Sister Nirmala of Kolkata-based Missionaries of Charities and first chancellor of Sweden-based World Maritime University, Ms Chandrika Prasad Srivastava.
Noted Historian Mr D P Chattopadhyaya, Mr Jasbir Singh Bajaj (Punjab) and Mr Purushotam Lal (UP, both medicine), former governor and noted civil servant, Mr Govind Narain and industrialist, Mr A S Ganguly (Maharashtra) were the other Padma Vibhushan awardees.
The country’s highest civilian award — Bharat Ratna — has already been announced for noted 86-year-old vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in November last year.
Shooter Abhinav Bindra, the Information Technology and National Knowledge Commission Chairman, Mr Sam Pitroda, economist Mr Isher Judge Ahulwalia and noted journalist and editor-in-chief of The Indian Express, Mr Shekhar Gupta were among the 30 eminent personalities awarded Padma Bhushan.
Among the 93 persons chosen for Padma Shri were Team India captain M S Dhoni, spinner Harbhajan Singh, singer Udit Narayan Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, world billiards champion Pankaj Advani and Mr R K Krishna Kumar of the Taj group of Hotels and veteran broadcaster Mr Ameen Sayani.