Cinema, music, craft: 11 Bengal luminaries get Padma Shri

Kolkata: As many as 11 accomplished personalities from West Bengal—spanning cinema, music, literature, education, medicine, theatre and traditional crafts—have been named for the Padma Shri awards this year, underlining the state’s wide cultural and intellectual footprint.

The awards were announced a day ahead of Republic Day, with three of the awardees hailing from North Bengal.

Among the recipients is Bengali cinema’s leading star Prosenjit Chatterjee, whose honour comes at an especially felicitous moment, with his latest Kakababu film ‘Vijaynagar’er Hirey’ enjoying a successful theatrical run across the state.

With a career spanning over five decades, Prosenjit began as a child artiste at the age of six in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Chhoto Jigyasha’ and went on to act in more than 350 films. Members of the film fraternity described the award as richly deserved, even if long overdue.

The list also celebrates stalwarts of Indian classical music. Renowned santoor maestro Tarun Bhattacharya, credited with introducing ‘mankas’ or fine tuners to the instrument, and legendary Banaras gharana tabla player and composer Kumar Bose (72) have both been honoured.

In literature and education, Ashok Kumar Haldar, who rose from being a Railway guard to a noted Dalit author and educationist, has been recognised for his prolific body of work, including more than 2,500 published articles.

Gambhir Singh Yonzone of Darjeeling, an educationist and social activist, was honoured for his contributions to literature, education, environmental conservation and social service in the Darjeeling Hills. Mahendra Nath Roy, an eminent academician from North Bengal and the first vice-chancellor of Alipurduar University, has been awarded for his work in higher education and research in chemistry.

Traditional arts and theatre also find pride of place. Tripti Mukherjee, a noted kantha embroiderer from Birbhum, has empowered over 20,000 women through free training programmes. Jyotish Debnath of Kalna in East Burdwan, a master jamdani weaver, has been recognised for preserving the delicate muslin tradition. Celebrated theatre director Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay, known for productions such as Teen Bigyani and Galileo, has been conferred the Padma Shri posthumously.

In medicine, veteran intervention cardiologist Saroj Mandal, with over three decades of experience, has been honoured for his contribution to complex cardiac care. Acclaimed Santhali writer Rabilal Tudu, a Sahitya Akademi awardee, also features on the list.

The Padma awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually held in March or April. This year, the honours include five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards.