[Mowselelex]

The country's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibushan award have been conferred to five eminent personalities this year including late lyricist and singer Bhupen Hazarika, late cartoonist Mario de Miranda, ex-civil servant and governor T.V. Rajeswar. Painter K.G. Subramanyan and orthopaedic Kantilal H. Sancheti have also been chosen for Padma Vibushan. A total of 109 awards including five Padma Vibushan, 27 Padma Bushan and 77 Padma Shri awards have been announced this year from various disciplines, fields of activity. Nobody was named for Bharat Ratna.

Three persons in TN, musicians T.V. Gopalakrishnan and M.S. Gopalakrishnan and industrialist M.V. Subbiah bagged Padma Bhushan while four people, diabetologist V.Mohan and geriatric specialist Natarajan, theatre personality N. Muthusamy and social activist P.K.Gopal won Padma Shri.

M.S. Gopalakrishnan -Padma Bhushan Violinist M.S. Gopalakrishnan, 81, has had a 50year-long career. MSG, who received the Padma Shree in 1975, said, “This is a big honour, I am very pleased to receive this prestigious award from the Government of India.“

T.V. Gopalakrishnan -Padma Bhushan Dr Trippunithwra Viswanathan Gopalakrishnan, 80, is a brilliant vocalist and violinist, though his real forte was the mridangam. “I am happy because the Government of India has recognised me as a vocalist trained in Carnatic and Hindustani classical forms and also as an instrumentalist.“

M.V. Subbiah -Padma Bhushan Industrialist M.V. Subbiah retired as chairman of the Murugappa group in 2004. As chairman of the national skills development corporation, he has a mandate to skill 150 million youth. The award, Mr Subbiah said, was recognition for team work.

Dr V. Mohan -Padma Shri Wednesday's announcement thrilled diabetologist, Dr V. Mohan. “I accept this award with great humility on behalf of all the clinicians and paramedical staff at Dr Mohan's diabetes hospital and Madras diabetes research foundation.“

Dr V.S. Natarajan -Padma Shri Dr Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan, 72, who started the geriatrics department at Madras medical college, hopes the award would encourage youngsters to specialize in geriatrics.

Natesan Muthuswamy -Padma Shri Known as the father of experimental Tamil theatre, Natesan Muthuswamy founded Koothu-ppattarai in 1977. “I am very happy... There are many people who deserve credit for working non-stop, every day, to make KPP a success,“ he said.

Dr P.K. Gopal -Padma Shri He had worked with Japan-based Nippon Foundation to make the UN General Assembly pass a resolution to end discrimination against leprosy-affected people. Dr P.K. Gopal (71), working in the field for over four decades, said the award was more a recognition for all the workers in the field of leprosy.

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