WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA
The annual Padma awards has acquired a welcome new hue with the inclusion of grassroots heroes among us. EPISODE #48
Dear Reader,
A very Happy Monday to you.
Last week the union government distributed the annual civilian awards—Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. And bulk of the recipients were grassroots heroes. For the fifth year in a row the popular response was “Wow!!”.
It would be safe to say that few among us knew about many (or any) of the recipients belonging to the grassroots. It is a who’s who of the people that make India tick. Indeed, it is truly inspiring to scroll through the list of awardees. A confession: I experienced goose pimples. Sharing the link so you can check it out too. Please click here.
In my view the cover picture of Tulasi Gowda captures the moment. It is such a compelling pix in which the eyes of those facing Gowda say it all: respect. The masked faces only enhanced the expression of the eyes. Salute to the (unknown) official photographer who clicked the picture.
No surprises that this week I dwell on the Padma awards and the method defining the change we are witnessing. I have drawn my headline from the first six words of the Constitution of India. To me it aptly summed up the political economy of the moment where we are finally beginning to shine the light on those who should be seen and not the one’s who hog it.
A big shoutout to Gautam, Premasundaran, Vandana, Rahul and Aashish for your informed responses, appreciation and amplification for last week’s column. Gratitude also to all those who responded on Twitter and Linkedin. Reader participation and amplification is key to growing this newsletter community. And, many thanks to readers who hit the like button 😊.
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GRASSROOTS HEROES
Last week President Ramnath Kovind distributed the annual civilian awards for 2021 at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan. No doubt—as the various clips circulating on social media reveal—it departed from the regular protocol of ceremonies presided over by the President.
But more than the moments of spontaneity, including President Kovind, the awards offered those watching a slice of India that we rarely read about or see nationally. Indeed it was awe inspiring and humbling to know that we have so many regular people among us who do such outstanding social good. All of it without seeking the glare of media attention.
It is not that their social work is new. They have been at it for years. Instead it is that they are now visible. The relentless cycle of news has already moved on. But I believe, based on anecdotal evidence, that this year’s experience has touched more people than we know.
Interestingly, this pattern of grassroots heroes being acknowledged at the annual civilian awards ritual has been playing out since 2016. The only difference is that the cast of Padma winners has only got better every year since. What changed is the process of selection of the award winners. In the past often it was more about knowing or connecting to a minister in the union cabinet—this is not to disrespect the past winners, many of whom were most deserving; instead it is to flag the lack of a transparent selection process.
The big break from the past came in 2015 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance abandoned precedent. It democratised selection by allowing anyone to nominate a person they believe is worthy of this civilian award—conferred on individuals for “distinguished and exceptional achievements/service in all fields of activities/disciplines”.
The list of potential awardees are picked by a committee headed by the union cabinet secretary and includes the home secretary, secretary to the President and four to six eminent persons. The final list is cleared by the President and the Prime Minister. You may still quibble with some of the final choices, but at least it followed a process and was not ad hoc.
Over the next five years beginning in 2016 the composition of the Padma awardees has progressively witnessed a distinct makeover. Increasingly they are not people from us elites. The degree of separation from a winner was minimal previously; as our social circles would inevitably intersect. Today the winners are beginning to look like what the Constitution describes as ‘We the people’.
Look at this year’s crop. One of the stand-out awardees is 83-year old Tulasi Gowda. What is her claim to fame? An environmentalist who had been actively working to preserve the environment as part of the staff in the forest department in Karnataka for the last six decades. Gowda’s unassuming nature and attire—check out the cover picture—bowled us over. Her social work knocked us out.
The thing is that often you have to be born a genius. But those of us who are not so blessed have our role models in these winners—nothing stops us from emulating them; after all they are people like us. Ordinary people who do extraordinary work. Which is why the new look civilian awards are so important.
I am sharing some of the winners, few of whom were known nationally. They are such a source of inspiration:
The Delhi Cabal
Frankly I see this makeover of the civilian awards as part of a larger reset that is being effected by the NDA ever since they pulled off their audacious win in the general election of 2014 by winning an absolute majority.
In fact, candidate Modi had signalled the impending reset in the run-up to the counting of votes. In an interview granted to The Open magazine just a week before counting Modi had said:
“I fear only the Constitution. Every decision will be taken within the four walls of that sacred book. That was just not happening in Delhi. Every leader and every minister was cutting corners.”
And then added:
“Look at what’s happening in the Capital; Delhi is being controlled by a cabal that has vested interests in the status quo. I will break the status quo.”
If you would like to read the full interview please click here. Sharing a screenshot from the interview below:
The worst kept secret in Delhi (like life within the beltway of Washington DC) is that a cabal is used to wielding unhealthy influence over not just policy decisions. It is a self-serving clutch of people—the composition of which undergoes a marginal makeover with a change in the political regime—who influence policy, appointments and so on.
In any case this is not a story about the cabal. At best the cabal story is a footnote in the larger narrative of the ‘Discovery of India’ Act II, in which the national civilian awards are now a central feature.
Enjoy the moment.
Recommended Reading
It is only fitting that Tulasi Gowda should also have the last word this week. Sharing this super profile done by Mongabay on her.
“For half a century, Tulasi Gowda’s life revolved around the saplings that she nurtured with much care and love at the Agasur nursery of the forest department as part of their ongoing afforestation efforts in the Mastikatta range of Honnalli village in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.”
I would recommend reading the full profile. Please click here.
Finally, I just wish we had similar details about the other winners. This is one loose end the union government has to add to its to-do list. It is not so complicated. Simply upload the nomination details on the Padma awards website; the public will take it from there.
The stories of the Padma winners are inspiring and their detail needs to be shared in multiple languages. The union government may well consider conducting a contest in schools to pick some children to personally witness the moment.
Personally, I tried but with no luck. My fellow journalists when contacted shared links which report only scanty information; in any case the media coverage of the civilian awards was routine and eminently forgettable. Then I reached out to people in government, even messaged some people in the PMO—no luck. Guess, I am like Oliver Twist: Give me some more. Or the desi version: Dil maange more. Why not? 😊
Till we meet again next week. Stay safe.
It is a great feeling to see the unknown being honoured, who have contributed so much to our society so silently. Though l wonder what Karan Johar and Adnan Sami have contributed. As always beautifully written Anil👏👏
Dear Anil,
it feels good to read about such unknown people who have contributed exceptional service towards advancement of art, literature, science, enviornment and many other fields . You are absolutely right the general public should be informed about their distinguished services for the nation.
In fact today I discussed with my students the importance of self help groups for rural development. I Showed them the picture of Jaswanti Ben Popat(Baa) who started Lijjat padad in 1959 with mere 80 rupees. Today it employs 46000 women and has turnover of around 1850 crores. Finally at the age of 91 years she has been awarded padam shri this year. For such a large thickly populated country just 120 Padma awards I feel are too less. We have so many talented and unknown hidden gems in our country.