"God has given me the fruit for hardships I bore": Ghulam Nabi Dar on receiving Padma Shri award

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 27 (ANI): Ghulam Nabi Dar, a woodcarver who has been conferred the Padma Shri Award, said on Saturday that God has given him the fruit for all the hardships he bore.
Dar from Jammu & Kashmir is a renowned walnut wood carving craftsperson with 60 years of experience in creating diverse products.
"I have worked very hard to learn this craft. God has given me fruit for all the hardships I bore... There was no one to teach me. There are many 'ustads' who do the crafts you commonly see... If the youngsters are interested, they can look up to me. I will teach them. But mastering the craft takes time," Dar told ANI.

Ghulam Nabi Dar from Jammu & Kashmir is a renowned walnut wood carving craftsperson with 60 years of experience in creating diverse products. He has been awarded Padma Shri for his contributions to the field of Art.#PeoplesPadma#PadmaAwards2024#PadmaAwards pic.twitter.com/vpqOa9Qgur

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) January 26, 2024

There are 132 names on the list of Padma Awardees this year, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one), as per the list below. The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri Awards.
Thirty of the awardees are women, and the list also includes eight persons from the categories of foreign non-resident Indian (NRI), person of Indian origin (PIO), overseas citizenship of India (OCI), and nine posthumous awardees.
The Padma Awards, which were instituted in 1954, are one of the highest civilian honours of India and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day.
The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service).
The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.
The Padma Awards are conferred on recommendations by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
The Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, the Secretary to the President and four to six eminent persons as members. The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval.
Last year, the government announced 106 Padma Awards, including three duo cases. The list then comprised six Padma Vibhushans, nine Padma Bhushan, and 91 Padma Shri Awards.
Nineteen of the awardees were women, and the list also included two persons from the category of foreigners: NRI, PIO, OCI, and seven posthumous awardees. (ANI)