JOIN USFour members of freedom fighter and Banaras Hindu University founder Madan Mohan Malaviya’s family on Monday received the Bharat Ratna on his behalf from President Pranab Mukherjee.
Malaviya’s granddaughter Hem Sharma, daughter-in-law Saraswati Sharma and grandsons Premdhar Malaviya and Giridhar Malaviya received the award, bestowed posthumously on the leader, in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Hamid Ansari, among others.
Tension was simmering in the family over who would receive the prestigious award after the Union Home Ministry chose Saraswati. Sources had said Saraswati even wrote to the government claiming her right to receive the award.
However, others wanted Hem Sharma, the 95-year-old granddaughter, to receive the award if age was the criterion.
The Ministry had to reverse its decision following contesting claims from the family.
Interestingly, Giridhar was one of the prominent persons who proposed Modi’s candidature from Varanasi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The government had announced the name of Malaviya along with that of former prime minister A B Vajpayee for the award.
Vajpayee was presented the award on March 27, with the President, in a break from convention, going to his house to give the award to the ailing leader.
Monday’s function also saw the President presenting the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Sri awards to several winners.
Though External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were among those present, no Congress leader, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, attended the function.
The Padma Vibhushan was awarded to BJP stalwart L K Advani, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Sanskrit grammar expert Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya.
Prominent Padma Bhushan awardees included noted lawyer Harish Salve, journalists Swapan Dasgupta and Rajat Sharma, and Saichiro Misumi, a proponent of Indo-Japanese friendship who had supported Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose during his visit to Japan in June 1943.
Of the 109 Padma awards announced this year, 43 were conferred on Monday.
Six awardees, however, did not manage to attend the function.
The remaining awards will be given next month, with the tentative date for the ceremony being set for April 8.
Those awarded the Padma Sri on Monday included film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, physician Dr Randeep Guleria, shuttler P V Sindhu, Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh and amputee Everest climber Arunima Sinha.