#Thread : #RepublicDay2021 ( Padma Award Winners)

Happy Republic Day to one and all !On the eve of #RepublicDay ,the list of Padma awards was declared and 6 of the 119 recipients are from #Maharashtra.This is a thread defining the work of these 6 recipients briefly
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Rajnikant Devidas Shroff - Padma Bhushan Award (Trade and Industry)
Born in Gujarat’s Kutch, Shroff pioneered red phosphorus manufacturing in 1969, giving a stimulus to the indigenous chemical industry.

In the 1980s, UPL started to launch several crop protection products and currently is among the leading total crop solutions providers globally.

2.Parshuram Atmaram Gangavane - Padmashri Award ( Art )
The art of story-telling is something that Maharashtra has in its blood. The Gangavane family of Pinguli has been telling stories through leather puppets and paintings for more than 400 years.

Chetan Gangavane, says, that their ancestors used to Spy for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during day and story telling during night.

Shri. Parshuram Atmaram Gangavane is the one who has preserved the art of 'Chitrakathi'.

The word Chitrakathi combines ‘chitra’ meaning painting and ‘kathi’, which means story. Artisans narrate the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata through paintings and folk songs.

For the music, Thakars use only three instruments – the veena, taal (a pair of clash cymbals) and huduk – a two-headed small drum played using the fingers

Shri Gangavane truly deserves this award for preserving the indigenous art of Maharashtra.

3. Shri. Namdeo .C.Kamble : Padmashri Award
Born in Malegao, Shri. Namdeo was one among 7 siblings. After his secondary education, he got admission for MBBS course where he failed in his first year. As his interests lied in the field of arts, he decided to pursue the same.

During his years of struggle he worked as a watchman, Chawkidar of schools and offices while completing his B.Ed degree.

In 1977, after completing his graduation he was appointed as a teacher in Rani Laxmibai Kanya Shala.

During this time he wrote his most famous novel 'RaghavVela'. This novel won the prestigious Sahitya Akadami Award in 1995. Till now he has recieved 9 prestigious award and countless other awards for his work in the field of arts and literature.

He has written 8 novels, 3 Katha Sangrah, 4 Kavita Sangrah and number of Lalitlekh. A truly deserved Padma Shri Award Winner.

4. Ms. Jaswanti Jamnadas Popat : Padmashri ( Trade and Industry)
There is not a single resident of Maharashtra who hasn't heard the name of 'Lijjat Papad'. Ms.Jaswanti Jamnadas Popat was one of the founding members of Shri Mahila Gruh Udyog Lijjat Papad.

With Rs 80 in Hand in the late 1950s, Ms. Popat started this business with an aim to empower women. In all these years, Lijjat papad business has grown exponentially and now 43000 women work as a part of this industry. The networth of Lijjat Papad is rs 800 crore !

This is a classic example that an idea is never small ! Who would've thought a 'Papad' business would change the lives of thousands of women? Thanks to the vision of Ms Jaswanti Jamnadas Popat that these women became truly 'ATMANIRBHAR'

5. Girish Prabhune - (Padmashri - Social Work)
The condition of nomadic societies in India today is pathetic. During the times of the British Raj the Criminal Tribes Act 1871

, it criminalised the Pardhi community. Even as it had been repealed in 1952, the hostility faced by the community from Indian administration

has not died down. They continue to be stigmatized as thieves. It is in this context that Mr. Girish Prabhune has become the most vocal voice for the community, especially the "Pardhi" community.

As part of the Bhatke Vimukt Vikas Pratishthan (started in 1991 and based in Sholapur), he has helped the community overcome the shackles imposed on them by society at large by providing schools for children to continue their education, setting up abodes for tribes,

enrolling them in the voter's list and much more. For his efforts, he was awarded the Antyodaya Puraskar in 2000 and the Krutadnyata Sanman in 2009 for his book "Pardhi". He is helping grow by helping those who are in most need of it at the grassroots level.

The condition of nomadic societies in India today is pathetic. During the times of the British Raj the Criminal Tribes Act 1871, it criminalised the Pardhi community. Even as it had been repealed in 1952, the hostility faced

by the community from Indian administration has not died down. They continue to be stigmatized as thieves. It is in this context that Mr. Girish Prabhune has become the most vocal voice for the community, especially the "Pardhi" community.

As part of the Bhatke Vimukt Vikas Pratishthan (started in 1991 and based in Sholapur), he has helped the community overcome the shackles imposed on them by society at large by providing schools for children to continue their education,

setting up abodes for tribes, enrolling them in the voter's list and much more. For his efforts, he was awarded the Antyodaya Puraskar in 2000 and the Krutadnyata Sanman in 2009 for his book "Pardhi".He is helping grow by helping those who are in most need of it at the grassroots

6. Sindhutai Sapkal (Padmashri)
'Mai' Sindhutai as we call her affectionately needs no special introduction. The initial stage of her life was nothing less than hell. At the age of 12 she got married and by the age of 20 she bore three children.

The in-laws and the husband had left Sindhutai to her destiny after an incident in her village. Sindhutai, was left with no choice but to beg, so that she could feed her children.

She came to Pune and entrusted her little daughter whom she had named Mamata to Shrimant Dagaduseth Halwai Trust So that she could be looked after properly.

After this, she decided to take the project of helping the orphans. She has devoted her entire life for orphans. As a result she is fondly called 'Mai' (mother). She has nurtured over 1050 orphaned children.

As of today, she has a grand family of 207 son-in-laws, 36 daughter-in-laws.
Tributes to Sindhutai (Mai) for her exceptional work.

We, Maharashtrians are proud of all the six recipients of Padma awards and we are sure in years to come, many will get inspired by reading these stories and work for the betterment of society from different walks of life !
#JAYHIND #BHARAT_MATA_KI_JAY