National Awards

Happy Republic Day, everyone!

The National Awards (Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri) for 2006 were announced yesterday, just in time for the Republic Day celebrations today. Let me just highlight the ones that went to Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Padma Vibhushan

• Charles Correa, S&E, Maharashtra
• Norman E. Borlaug, S&E, Mexico
• Obaid Siddiqui, S&E, Karnataka
• Prakash Narain Tandon, Medicine, Delhi

Padma Bhushan

• Jaiveer Agarwal, Medicine, Tamil Nadu
• Kewal Kishan Talwar, Medicine, Chandigarh
• K.P.P. Nambiar, S&E, Karnataka
• Prof. Madhav Gadgil, S&E, Maharashtra
• Nandan M. Nilekani, S&E, Karnataka
• V. Shanta, Medicine, Tamil Nadu

Padma Shri

• Bhuvaraghan Palaniappan, Medicine, Tamil Nadu
• Bonbehari Vishnu Nimbkar, S&E, Maharashtra
• Devappagowda Chinnaiah, Medicine, Karnataka
• Ghanashyam Mishra, Medicine, Orissa
• Hakim Syed Zillur Rehman, Medicine, Uttar Pradesh
• Harbhajan Singh Rissam, Medicine, Delhi
• Harsh Kumar Gupta, S&E, Andhra Pradesh
• Kamal Kumar Sethi, Medicine, Delhi
• Mohan Kameswaran, Medicine, Tamil Nadu
• Narendra Kumar, S&E, Karnataka
• R. Balasubramanian, S&E, Tamil Nadu
• Sanjeev Bagai, Medicine, Delhi
• Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain, S&E, Andhra Pradesh
• Swaminathan Sivaram, S&E, Maharashtra
• Tehemton Erach Udwadia, Medicine, Maharashtra
• Tsering Landol, Medicine, Jammu and Kashmir
• Upendra Kaul, Medicine, Delhi

This list, with 4 Padma Vibhushans, 6 Padma Bhushans and 17 Padma Shris, is quite impressive. I have a feeling that these large numbers (I am not talking about percentages here) are probably unprecedented. I am glad to see this sort of recognition for so many people in science, engineering and medicine.