This is indeed great news. Padma Vibhushan is the 2nd highest Civilian Award
ranking just below Bharat Ratna and above the Padma Bhushan.
Lets take it a step at a time. Insha Allah, Padma Vibhushan this tym and who
knows the Bharat Ratna in the future. Bharat Ratna was last awarded in 2008 to
Bhimsen Joshi after a gap of 7 years. (prior to that it was awarded in 2001)
-Cheers,Jesheem
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
From: ber...@berginroy.com
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:18:56 -0500
Subject: [arr] Padma Vibhushan for AR...
Somnath, Rahman, Leander in running for Padma prize
Javed M Ansari / DNA
Monday, January 25, 2010 1:23 IST
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New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Oscar-winning music
composer AR Rahman, US-based hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal and tennis captain
Leander Paes are being considered for the Padma awards this year.
Somnath Chatterjee and AR Rahman are likely to be given the Padma Vibhushan and
Paes the Padma Bhushan.
The list of awardees might be announced on Monday. According to sources, writer
Mahasweta Devi, veteran cinematographer Nemai Ghosh and painter Shuvaprasanna
are also being considered for the honours.
This is not the first time the UPA government is planning to bestow the award
on Chatterjee. It wanted to do so last year itself, but Chatterjee declined
saying it would not be appropriate for him to receive an award from the
executive as long as he was Lok Sabha speaker.
The honour will be another feather in the cap of AR Rahman, who won two Oscars
last year for best original music score and best song in Slumdog Millionaire.
The other possible Padma awardee is US-based controversial hotelier Sant Singh
Chatwal. He is among the movers and shakers of the NRI community in the US and
has powerful connections in the Democratic Party. He is extremely close to the
Clintons. Chatwal was, in fact, one of Hillary Clinton’s primary fundraisers
during her presidential bid. He also played an active role in drumming up
support for the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Chatwal has powerful political connections in the country and was instrumental
in persuading Bill Clinton to travel to Lucknow and attend a private lunch
hosted by a UP-based industrialist considered close to Mulayam Singh Yadav and
Amar Singh.
Leander Paes has been the country’s top tennis player for over a decade. He won
the bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and has won doubles titles at
Wimbledon, Australian Open and the US Open. He was given the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna in 1996.
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