Kalam presents 2007 Padma awards to second batch of 54

New Delhi, Apr 5 (UNI) US-based physicist E C G Sudarshan, Delhi-based surgeon Balu Sankaran, Economist Raja Jesudoss Chelliah and former Chief Justice of India Prafulla Chandra Bhagwati were today presented "Padma Vibhushan" awards by President A P J Abdul Kalam at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

Vice President Bairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet colleagues, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and top government officials were present at the function held at the historic Ashoka Hall.

Dr Kalam presented "Padma Bhushan" awards to 13 eminent persons who included 105-year-old Unani practitioner Hakim Syed Mohammad Sharfuddin Quadri, Pepsico CEO Indra K Nooyi, Lyricist and Urdu poet Javed Akhtar, former Supreme Court judge K T Thomas, Malayalam playwright Kavalam Narayana Panicker, Bharti group Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Mizo poet Capt L Z Sailo, Dr Saroj Ghose, Prof Shiv Kumar Sarin, Prof Vaidya Shriram Sharma, Prof Tapan Kumar Raychaudhuri and Mr Tyeb Mehta.

As many as 37 eminent persons in different fields received Padma Shree awards from Dr Kalam.

They included Novelist Amitav Ghosh, Amalgamations Private Limited Chairman Anantharamakrishnan Sivasailam, master handloom weaver P Gopinathan, contemporary dancer Astad Aderbad Deboo, Ophthalmologist Atul Kumar, Cancer Specialist B Paul Thaliath, Educationist Bakul Harshadrai Dholakia, Cardiologist Balbir Singh, Social activist Runa Banerjee and Hindustani musician Shanti Hiranand.

About 125 eminent persons were selected for the Padma Awards for 2007. Out of this, the first batch of about 60 awardees received the honour from Dr Kalam on March 23.

There was no nomination for the highest civilian award of "Bharat Ratna" this year.

UNI