Padma awards and the political projection
The HinduThe Padma awards are not only an acknowledgement of achievers in many fields but also capture the zeitgeist of public life. This year’s awards list, peopled with performers, also has the shadow of coming Assembly polls hanging over it- a large number of awardees is from Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. List of Padma awardees — 2021 Among those from Assam, the choice of Congress stalwart and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi stands out. So from distributing free land ‘pattaa’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently in Upper Assam to honouring one of the tallest leaders from the region, the BJP is reaching out. On the list from West Bengal, where the “outsider Vs local” narrative is very much a part of poll rhetoric, the awardees include Bengali cartoonist and illustrator Narayan Debnath, who holds the record of longest running comics by an individual cartoonist, the “Handa Bhonda” series.
History of this topic
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