JAIPUR/JODHPUR: Sarangi player Lakha Khan, social activist Shyam Sundar Paliwal and educationist Arjun Singh Shekhawat have been named for the prestigious Padma Shri award by the Centre on the eve of 72nd Republic Day.
Lakha Khan, 75-year-old Sarangi player from Rajasthan couldn’t believe it when he was first told about his name being selected for Padma Shri. He was born in Raneri village in Jodhpur and was trained since childhood in rendering the compositions of the Multan school of Manganiyars. The Manganiyar community, which is famous for its art and culture in India, Lakha Khan has been following the legacy of his family. Before starting performing on the big stage, he used to perform in villages.
“I have been playing Sarangi since I was 10-year-old and performing in village festivals. With the help of Komal Kothari, the renowned anthropologist, I was given a chance to perform in other parts of the state, country and foreign land,” said Khan.
Known as father of eco feminism, Shyam Sundar Paliwal of Piplantri village has become the recipient of Padma Shri award. He has dedicated his life planting trees and encourage the wellbeing of girl child. He is famously known for his Kiran Nidhi Yojana by planting 111 trees for every girl child born in his village along with a financial scheme. His initiative resulted results and sex ratio in his village improved drastically. Soon his model started followed up several villages.
Arjun Singh Shekhawat (87) selected for Padma Shri award hails from Pali. A retired principal of government college, Shekhawat is post-graduate in Rajasthani and Hindi and has written and edited over 50 books. He had started his career as a teacher of government school in Bali sub-division of Pali in 1967. Having spent his service tenure in the tribal belt of the region, he had a chance to study the lives of tribals. With burgeoning interest in their culture, he started writing on them. One such work by Shekhaat titled as”Bhakar Ra Bhomiya”, earned a wide acclaim for its immaculate peek into the lives of tribals. Other books, which earned acclaim include Sanskriti ri Vasiyat, Sanskriti ra Badera, Adawal Ardayo etc. which are completely dedicated to the life and culture of tribal people.