Dr Mohammed Abdul Waheed, Unani doctor
Dr Mohammed Abdul Waheed says the Padma Shri is a vindication of his three-decade-long research into vitiligo and he has been honoured by the government.
“This award is to help me work more for the young men and women who face the social stigma of vitiligo and are often not able to mingle in society,” said the Unani doctor who has treated more than two lakh patients from India and abroad.
Dr Waheed said, “I am very thankful as it will help us fight this social stigma more strongly. It is also a boon for the Unani medicine as it goes a long way in assuring people that there are better treatment options available.”
Dr Waheed is a former head of the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine in Hyderabad. He has co-ordinated multi-centric clinical trials of Unani medicines in diabetes, hypertension, vitiligo and hepatitis with seven different institutions.
He has published 26 research papers in national and international journals and presented more than 60 papers at various conferences.
B.V. Mohan Reddy, I.T. pioneer
I feel honoured and extremely happy that the Centre has recognised my services to society," said Mr B.V. Mohan Reddy, on being named for the Padma Shri. Mr Reddy is a visionary in engineering research and development services. He established Cyient (formerly Infotech Enterprises) in 1991. He pioneered computer-aided design/CAD/CAM solutions, serving international clients.
Cyient has more than 12,500 employees across 38 locations in the world and is the largest independent exporter of R&D services from India.
Mr Reddy was elected the chairman of Nasscom in April 2015. He has been a member of the industry body's executive council since 2003. In his previous role as Nasscom vice-chairman, he was credited with establishing the Member Connect programme and laying the foundation of its engineering services council (ER&D Forum). He was the chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Southern Region (2008-2009), and a national council member.
T.H. Chowdary, Civil service
I believe in the Karma theory and I do Karma without seeking its results. I do my level best for the society and I am very happy that the Centre has recognised my services,” said Dr T Hanuman Chowdary on getting the Padma Shri award. Dr Chowdary is best known for restructuring of the department of telecommunications. He founded the Centre for Telecommunications Management and Studies in 1989 and wrote the draft National Telecom Policy.
He drafted an alternative Indian Telecom Law in 1992, to replace the Indian Telegraphs Act, 1885, followed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Bill, which has become the basis for the final TRAI Act. He was consultant to the AtWater's Institute, Montreal, and to the US department of commerce. He was the chairman of the AP Electronics Development Corp. and a member of the Prime Minister's National Task Force for information technology. He was IT adviser to the AP government in the rank of minister of state from 1997-2004, ideating schemes of e-governance, computer education in schools, statewide Area Network, Public Internet Service Kiosks in villages.
Aekka Yadagiri, Sculptor
Aekka Yadagiri Rao is the sculptor who created the Telangana Amaraveerula Stupam, the Telangana Martyrs' Memorial, near Gunpark, opposite the State Assembly.
The iconic memorial was built in 1974, and the Centre took 42 years to honour Mr Rao.
He said he was very happy. “This is an honour for the Telangana movement and the people’s part in it.” The government should do more to encourage sculpture and art in general, he said.
The Telangana Martyrs' Memorial is a tribute to the 369 students who were shot dead during the agitation for a separate state in1969.
The nationally acclaimed sculptor worked in the department of sculpture in JNTU (Fine Arts) before retiring in1999-2000.
His son, Aekka Sanjay, who is in the construction business, said that his father had struggled a lot in making the masterpiece.
“At that time there was no communication system. He used to go in search of stones for the memorial and return only four or five days later. We were very young at that time, but I remember how tense my mother was until he came home.”
Chintakindi Mallesham, Weaver
Chintakindi Mallesham says the Padma Shri was not bestowed upon him, but on the entire weaver community. He thanked the Central and the state governments for their initiatives in the last two-and-a-half years to help distressed weavers.
“The declaration of August 7 as National Handloom Day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and efforts of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his son K.T. Rama Rao to bring in a handloom policy for Telangana state, are some of the many initiatives to ensure better livelihood for our community," he said. Mr Mallesham, who was born and brought up in Aler in Yadadri district is credited with developing the Laxmi Asu Machine, named after his mother, which made weaving easier. Before weaving various patterns on the loom, a process of hand winding of the yarn is required in the traditional ‘tie and dye’ Pochampalli tradition. This is a very tedious and cumbersome process and involves moving the hand to and fro thousands of times for four or five hours.
Mr Mallesham invented a device that mechanised this process. With the use of this machine, the time for finishing one sari has been reduced from four hours to one-and-a-half. It can make five patterns in a day without an attendant. Mr Mallesham said that he distributed 850 Asu machines to weavers in Nalgonda and Warangal districts, bringing happiness and cheer to the families of weavers, especially women. Although he has studied only up to Class 10, his work has earned him laurels all over the country. He received the Amazing Indian award from Mr Modi last year as well as from President Prathibha Patil in 2009. NABARD and Samsung have also presented him awards.
Chandrakanth Pithawa, Scientist
Chandrakanth Pithawa is a former distinguished scientist and director, Electronics and Instrumentation Group, BARC, Trombay in Mumbai. He was also Raja Ramanna Fellow in BARC Mumbai and ECIL-Hyderabad
His areas of interest include computer-based embedded control systems for critical applications, nuclear instrumentation, nuclear radiation detectors and instruments.
Mr Pithawa’s major professional contributions include developing computer-based embedded control systems for Kaiga nuclear plant Units 1 and 2, Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant Units 3 and 4 and Tarapur Atomic Plant Units 3 and 4 and the Dhruva research reactor.
He developed high temperature fission detectors and ultrasonic camera for under sodium scanning for the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Chennai.
He developed the servo control systems and gamma ray camera electronics for MACE, the Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope, the world's largest telescope at the highest altitude being established at Hanle, Ladakh. It was built by Electronics Corporation of India, Hyderabad, for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Mr Pithawa stays in Mumbai was not available for comment.
Darpelli Ramaiah, Green activist
The man with thousands of trees is committed to continuing his green mission till his last breath.
Mr Darpelli Ramaiah, who is also known as Vanajeevi Ramaiah, who was selected for the Padma Shri, said, “Greenery is my passion and profession. I took the job to make the earth green forever.”
Mr Ramaiah, who lives in Reddypalle in Khammam Rural mandal, is a familiar figure there with his prized possessions — a bicycle, a few discs with the message Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitah painted on them, and a tiny crowbar used for planting saplings.
Anyone who wants a sapling will be given one together with an explanation of how to plant and raise it. He carries at least 100 saplings in his basket and plants them in school grounds, hospital premises and government offices.
Whenever Mr Ramaiah appears at a public event in Khammam he is invited to the dais and uses the occasion to explain the importance of plants.
In his words, “It is better to rely on trees than on the God. The government should carry the picture of a tree along with Bapuji on currency notes as part of the publicity for greenery.”
Koteswaramma, Educationist
I never expected or waited for awards, but the Padma Shri makes me feel proud, said Ms V. Koteswaramma, 92, correspondent, Montessory Educational Institutions at Vijayawada. She said the award was a recognition for her efforts, but receiving awards doesn’t give her special joy. “Hard work and dedication of staff and faculty of Montessori educational institutions which enlighten thousands for girls is the main reason for my success,” she said. “I lost my mother in my childhood. It was her mother’s last wish that I become a gra-duate and I fulfilled it by becoming the first woman graduate in Krishna district,” she said.
She started the montessory primary school for girls in 1955 to empower women with education, “which is the only treasure that no one can steal,” she said. The school provides education from kindergarten to post-graduation. “I believe that women can work better than men if provided an opportunity,” said Ms Koteswaramma.
