First Indian to get Boltzmann Medal, Dhar equated his approach to statistical mechanics to art & said it is wrong to 'propagate idea that everyone should do only applied work'.
Indira Gandhi's principal secretary, PN Haksar was the first person to refuse the Padma Vibhushan award. He said he was simply doing his job and accepting the award would be discomforting.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya declined Padma Bhushan and Ghulam Nabi Azad drew jibes from Congress leaders for accepting the award from Modi govt. But such controversies are not new.
From nominating deserving people to getting a chance to attend the awards ceremony, the Modi govt has changed the way Indians interact with the Padma Awards.
Of the 119 Padma awardees for 2021, as many as 34 are from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengal, Assam & Puducherry — all headed for polls in April-May this year.
Social worker Baba Sewa Singh & ex-national boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu are latest in list of personalities from Punjab who announced their intention to return their awards.
In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.
IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.
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