|
NEW
DELHI: While mediapersons in the capital have welcomed the
conferment of the 'Padma Bhushan' to senior editor Shekhar
Gupta, broadcasters expressed surprise that the veteran Ameen
Sayani whose voice is synonymous with All India Radio’s
Vividh Bharati has been considered fit only for a Padma Shri.
Veteran
broadcasters who did not want to be named said that Sayani
whose voice gave popularity to radio from the days of Radio
Ceylon should have at least been considered for a Padma Bhushan.
While
the Padma awards are conferred by President Pratibha Patil,
they are recommended by a core group in the Home Ministry
after they are received from different ministries.
Other
Padma Bhushan awardees include Telugu actor Krishna (G Sivarama
Krishna Murthy) and singer Shamshad Begum.
Senior
editor Abhay Chajjlani, editor of Indore-nased Nai Duniya,
is the only other journalist to get an award, with the conferment
of the Padma Shri.
With
the conferment of the Padma Shri to actress and beauty queen
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Bachchan family now holds a record
of sorts with five Padmas in the family: while Jaya and Aishwarya
have been conferred the Padma Shri, Amitabh has received both
the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan and his late father Harivanshrai
Bachchan had also received the Padma Bhushan.
Other
recipients of the Padma Shri include senior filmmaker Dr S
Krishnaswamy (known for ‘From Indus Valley to Indira
Gandhi’ and ‘Indian Imprints’ among others,
veteran actress Helen, actor Akshay Kumar, Pandit Hridyanath
Mangeshkar who is the brother of the singing queen Lata Mangeshkar,
ghazal singer Penaz Masani, and Bollywood playback singers
Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan.
|
