30 unsung heroes awarded Padma Shri
New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI): A 100-year old freedom fighter from Goa, a Dhak player from West Bengal who trained 150 women in the male-dominated field and India's first woman puppeteers are among 30 unsung heroes who were awarded Padma Shri, a government statement said on Saturday.
Libia Lobo Sardesai, who played an important role in Goa's freedom movement, cofounded an underground radio station -- 'Voz da Liberdabe (Voice of Freedom)' -- in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against the Portuguese rule.
She has been awarded the Padma Shri by the President on the occasion of 76th Republic Day.
Also among the awardees is Gokul Chandra Dey, a 57-year old Dhak player from West Bengal who broke the gender stereotype by training 150 women in the male-dominated field.
Dey also created a lightweight Dhak type, 1.5 kg less than the conventional instrument, and represented India at various international platforms and performed with Maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
A vocal advocate of woman empowerment, 82-year old Sally Holkar transformed once dying Maheshwari craft and founded Handloom school in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, to give training in traditional weaving techniques.
Born in America and Inspired by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar's legacy, she devoted five decades of her life to revitalise 300-year-old weaving legacy.
She has also been awarded Padma Shri.
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Population control policies, UCC require public cooperation: RSS chief
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said population control policies and the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code required public cooperation and long-term thinking, and asserted that caste-based politics would disappear only when society stopped identifying with caste divisions.
Addressing an interaction session after delivering a lecture on "Social Harmony as a Catalyst for National Development" at JSS Mahavidyapeetha here, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief also called for harmony among religions and communities. He urged people to practise equality in social life through conduct rather than slogans.
"Because society remembers caste, politicians take advantage of it. Their legitimate aim is to get votes. If they cannot get votes through work, they will get votes through caste," he said.
Replying to a question on the Population Control Bill and Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Bhagwat said the RSS was not the government but a social organisation and emphasised that laws could succeed only with public participation.
"People must first be educated. Policy is necessary, but policy can only succeed with public cooperation," he said.
Referring to population control measures during the Emergency period, Bhagwat said aggressive enforcement had led to public resentment and political backlash.
