Bilal Bashir Bhat
Two artists from Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Dar and Romalo Ram, are among the 110 awardees to be honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Awards, announced on the eve of Republic Day 2024.
The Padma Shri is among the three categories of Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian awards in the country, conferred for distinguished service in the fields of art, social work, public affairs, science and technology, commerce and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, public service, etc. The other two under the Padma Awards are Padma Vibhusha and Padma Bhushan.
Gulam Nabi Dar, a resident of Safa Kadal neighborhood in the old city of Srinagar, has been involved in woodcarving since he was 10 years old. Along with the Muran brothers from Narwara, Dar is now one of the celebrated artisans who make carvings out of walnut wood.
Dar has been to many countries like Iraq, Germany, and Thailand for his art. He also received state and national awards in 1994 and 1995, respectively, for his wood carving skills.
Renowned Dogri folk singer Romalo Ram and the party have been promoting Dogri culture and language with their cultural programs over the years. He along with his daughter Sars Bharti has become popular with their cultural events.
The awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day every year and are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March / April every year. For the year 2024, the President has approved conferment of 132 Padma Awards including 2 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below. 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.
Meanwhile, in a tweet, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha congratulated the duo, stating, “Their rich contribution to cultural heritage & creative traditions are priceless.”
Heartiest congratulations to Shri Romalo Ram, pioneering Dogri Folk Artist and Shri Ghulam Nabi Dar, renowned Walnut Wood Carving craftsperson for receiving the prestigious Padma Shri. Their rich contribution to cultural heritage & creative traditions are priceless.
— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) January 25, 2024
