Padma Shri Awards: Meet the unsung heroes, Part I

Here are the winnners of the prestigious 2017 padma shri awards. Here is the first part.

The government recognised the many faceless heroes of India in the 2017 Padma Awards list.

Meenakshi Amma: Granny with a sword!

She is India's oldest woman Kalaripayattu exponent, a centuries-old martial art form

Chintakindi Mallesham: Weaver of hopes

He is the inventor of the ASU machine who significantly reduced the time and menial labour required to weave Pochampalli silk sarees.

Daripalli Ramaiah: The tree man

He has dedicated his life to make India green, and has planted over 1 crore trees!

Bipin Ganatra: The fire fighter

He is famous across Kolkata for being there to rescue people whenever there is fire, without fear for his own life.

Suniti Solomon: AIDS crusader

Dr Solomon diagnosed India's first AIDS case in 1985.

Subroto Das: The highway messiah

Dr Das provides immediate medical help to road accident victims on highways.

Bhakti Yadav: Doctor dadi

Dr Yadav is 91, and has been treating patients for free for the last 68 years.

Girish Bhardwaj: The dam maker

Bhardwaj has built more than 100v low-cost and eco-friendly suspension bridges connecting remote villages across India

Balbir Singh Seechewal: The eco baba

He has resurrected the 160-km long kali Bein River in Punjab by mobilising local volunteers.

Anuradha Koilrala: The saviour mother

Koirala has rescued and rehabilitated 12,000 sex trafficking victims, and prevented over 45,000 others.