In the recent Padma awards, we were fortunate to see Indians with great accomplishment being honoured by the President of India. For too long, the Ancien Régime had turned the awards into a patronage where cronies got rewarded, hangers-on and durbaris were recognized, and ordinary people were shut out. India did not seem to recognize her own accomplished citizens who helped build this country.
But this time, it was different. We saw a great environmentalist who has lived in the forests all her life proudly walk up to the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and receive the award in her native dress.
When was the last time an Indian proudly walked barefoot in the central hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive an award from the first citizen of the country?
This reflects a new India which takes pride in the accomplishments of all her citizens, especially the unsung heroes across the vast expanse of our country. The Padma award is a national award, instituted to recognize the achievements of Indians who are role models for the rest of us. These are people who have devoted their entire lives to a cause, have served the society selflessly and don’t believe in favouring one over the other. These achievers don’t work to get awards or to be in the public eye.
Kudos to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for changing the way these awards are given, recognizing our real heroes so that young people can truly understand what this country is made of.
No society can function without the contribution of selfless individuals who are motivated to do good. There are people who labour daily and save money to educate the poor; doctors who serve the needy free of cost; teachers who work long hours to educate the young so that they do well tomorrow. And, we have seen ordinary Indians plant trees and start afforestation campaigns; artists devoted to perfecting their craft all their lives; people who fight all odds, suffer great deprivation but eat one meal less everyday so that they can help their fellow Indians.
These are the real treasures of our society. They are the role models we need. They are the ones who build India, make the future better for all of us, put the community and country ahead of themselves.
Today, all of us can hold our heads high because such accomplished individuals are finally being recognized. It is important to ensure that every citizen has a stake in the country. And when people who have selflessly served the country are recognized, it sends a message that India belongs to all of us. It does not belong to a small set of people who form the durbar, who are hangers-on and feed off the high tables of powers-that-be.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done us proud and I hope that over the years, the number of accomplished citizens receiving the Padma award will only grow—and that India will have more heroes to celebrate.
The author is Chairman, Aarin Capital Partners. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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