Megastar Chiranjeevi to Dasari Kondappa: 5 from Telangana, 3 from Andhra get Padma awards

Hyderabad: Megastar Chiranjeevi and former vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu are among eight personalities from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who have been conferred with Padma awards this year.

Of the eight personalities, five are from Telangana and three are from Andhra. They are among 132 people who were honored with Padma awards this year.

Who are the awardees from Andhra Pradesh?

Konidela Chiranjeevi:

Chiranjeevi, popularly with his title Megastar is a stalwart of Telugu cinema. He has been conferred with Padma Vibhushan. He made his silver screen debut in 1978 with `Punadhirallu’. Since then, he has been a dominant force in the industry for almost five decades. Having previously received Padma Bhushan in 2006, the actor, who later ventured into politics, has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment and political arenas. Notably, he served as Union Minister of State for Tourism from October 27, 2012, to May 26, 2014.

He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.

Chiranjeevi is the recipient of Andhra Pradesh state's highest film award, the `Raghupathi Venkaiah Award’, three Nandi Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards South including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2024 Centre honoured him with Padma Vibhushan.

Chiranjeevi was born in a village in West Godavari district. His father Konidela Venkata Rao worked as a constable and was transferred regularly.

M Venkaiah Naidu:

The first Indian vice president born in independent India served as the minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Urban Development, and Information and Broadcasting in the Modi cabinet, and has been honored with Padma Vibhushan.

He served as the 13th vice president of India from 2017 to 2022.

Both as a student leader and political figure, Naidu gained prominence as an orator, who championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas.

Born in the Nellore district, Naidu acquired a bachelor's degree in law with a specialization in international law from Andhra University College of Law in Visakhapatnam. He came into the spotlight for his prominent role in the Jai Andhra Movement of 1972. While Kakani Venkata Ratnam led the movement from Vijayawada, Naidu took an active part in the agitation in Nellore, until it was called off a year later.

During his role as a Minister for Rural Development, Venkaiah Naidu aggressively pushed for reforms in rural development and introduced many schemes including 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadam Yojana'.

Uma Maheshwari D:

She is the first female Harikatha Exponent, who has showcased her skill in Sanskrit recitation. She is one among 34 "unsung heroes" awarded Padma Shri.

Uma comes from a family of musicians and is a grandchild of renowned Nadaswara Vidwan late Daliparti Pichihari Padma Shri.

Uma Maheshwari from Andhra Pradesh learned Carnatic music as a child and later developed an interest in Harikatha. She joined the renowned ‘Sri Sarvaraya Harikatha Pathasala' at Kapileswarapuram launched by the then zamindar.

With her maiden performance of Harikatha in Sanskrit at Kalidas Academy at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, she won the hearts of many a scholar hailing from different parts of the country. The script had several Sanskrit slokas and a dozen lyrics which Uma set in ragas Savitri, Bhairavi, Subhapantuvarali, Kedaram, Kalyani, Bahudhari, Poorvikalyani and so on. She stepped in to dance meaningfully for the lyrics.

Uma was a regular at Madras Music Academy for eight years and earned adulation as ‘Best Harikatha Artiste'. She took part in Vedic conferences held at Harward University in the USA in 1993, 1996, and 1999 and gave performances in London too.

She recites Kathas in multiple ragas such as Savitri, Bhairavi, Subhapantuvarali, Kedaram, and Kalyani. Proficient in 'Telugu and Sanskrit - she authored over four Harikathas, covering figures like Ramana Maharshi and Potti Sriramulu.

Her contribution has encouraged many young girls to come out of barriers of tradition and adopt the art.

Here are five personalities from Telangana who have been honored with Padma award

Dr Kurella Vittalacharya (Literature and Education)

A retired lecturer, Dr Kurella Vittalacharya is a Telugu writer, sociologist, and library founder. He has been writing for five decades. He has published 22 books as a poet. After his retirement, he set up a library in his home at Neernemula village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. There are over two lakh books in the library.

As part of the first phase of the Telangana movement, Vittalacharya participated as a student in the Non-Mulki Movement in 1952 and successfully undertook hartal and other programs. In the final stage of the Telangana movement, he participated as a retired employee in 2001 and left his mark in the movement as a poet, writer, and speaker.

With his musical talent, he played a prominent role in motivating people. On December 26, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Kurella Vittalacharya in 'Mann Ki Baat'. He said, "Age is no barrier to making dreams come true, and in this regard, 84-year-old Dr. Kurella Vithalacharya from Telangana is an example for all of us.”

A Velu Anandachari (Art)

A Velu Anandachari is a sthapathi, sculptor and painter. Having experimented many times in the field of sculpture and painting, he discharged his responsibilities as a chief architect and technical consultant in the Endowments Department in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

He was appointed additional Sthapathi in the construction of the Yadadri Temple in YTDA by the Telangana government. Anandchari has been involved in temple construction and supervision for 45 years. He has received Ugadi awards thrice from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government's Endowments Department.

Dasari Kondappa (Burra Veena player)

Kondappa is a third-generation Burra Veena player from Damaragidda village in Narayanpet. He has dedicated his life to preserving the art form. Holding the distinction of being the last exponent of Burra Veena, he has protected the art from becoming extinct. He sings Tatvalu's socio-religious moral compositions & spiritual-philosophical renditions in Telugu and Kannada.

Burra Veena is an indigenous stringed instrument created using bamboo, gourd shells, and metal strings. The custom of Burra Veena is to play within their community, but Dasari went beyond to attract wider audiences.

Gaddam Sammaiah (Chindu Yakshagaanam theatre artist)

Gaddam Sammaiah is an eminent Chindu Yakshaganam theatre artist from Jangaon, performing this rich heritage art form for over 5 decades over 19,000 shows. He champions the cause of literacy and environmental protection.

Sammaiah founded Chindu Yaksha Kalakarula Sangham & Gaddam Sammaiah Yuva Kala Skethram to promote this art. Coming from a humble background, he worked as an agriculture laborer and learnt the art form from his parents who were both Chindu Yakshaganam artists.

Kethavath Somlal- (Literature and Education)

Kethavath Somlal is a renowned Lambadi author known for translating 701 Bhagwad Gita slokas into Lambadi. He dedicated his life to sensitizing the Banjara community through his literature and wrote over 200 songs. His writings included The History of Banjara, Bharath Banjara Geethamala, and Tholi Velugu.

Among the 132 Padma awardees, 34 are unsung heroes including India's first woman elephant mahout Parbati Baruah, famous as `Hasti Kanya’, tribal environmentalist Chami Murmu, social worker Sangthankima who runs Mizoram's largest orphanage and plastic surgeon Prema Dhanraj.

The list comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri Awards.

30 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 8 persons from the category of Foreigners / NRI / PIO / OCI and 9 Posthumous awardees.

Five eminent persons who were awarded the country's second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan included Naidu, Bali, Chiranjeevi, Pathak, and Bharat Natyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam.