BHOPAL: Five personalities from Madhya Pradesh were awarded the Padma Shri on Tuesday — Dr N P Mishra (posthumous), veteran Baiga artist Arjun Singh Dhurve, Rai dancer Ram Sahay Panday, Gond painter Durgabai Vyam and Bundeli poet Awadh Kishore Jadia.
Dr Mishra, who passed away last year, was a renowned physician. He was the dean of Gandhi Medical College at the time of Bhopal Gas Disaster and his handling of the catastrophic situation is the stuff of legend. The medical fraternity referred to him as ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ owing to his brilliant diagnosis and treatment.
Arjun Singh Dhurve and Durgabai Vyam are from Dindori. Durgabai, 45, who now lives in Bhopal with her husband, a sculptor, told TOI that she has been painting since she was 12.
“I used to paint on walls during festivals and marriages. It was only after coming to Bhopal in 1996 that I started painting on canvas,” she said.
“It’s like a dream to get the Padma Shri. The Mandla collector was the first to inform me. I am grateful to all my supporters and officials at Tribal Museum who have always backed me,” she said, adding: “I always had the support of my family and my grandmother, who used to tell a lot of stories when I was a child. This helped me a lot. I translated those stories on canvas and sheets when I started painting.”
