Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital, on Tuesday hailed the Padma Shri award to 96-year-old puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara as a sign of India honouring its true cultural icons. “PM Narendra Modi is recognizing the real Heroes of Bharat, not only the Cronies of Lutyens Delhi. What a great change! Thank you Sir! Bharat is a great civilization and our true Heroes are keeping it alive,” Pai wrote on X.
His comments came after Shillekyathara — one of the first women to master Togalu Gombeyaata, Karnataka’s traditional leather shadow puppetry — was honoured at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu for her contribution to art.
Shillekyathara, often referred to as the ‘grandmother of Gombeyaata’, began puppeteering at the age of 14 and has showcased stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata for over 70 years. She took the form to a global stage, performing in more than 12 countries, including Japan, Germany, USA, Italy, France, and Saudi Arabia.
“She has my huge respects,” wrote Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, adding, “for her indomitable spirit of keeping alive the Indian tradition & art!”
Our PM @narendramodi is recognizing the real Heroes of Bharat, not only the Cronies of Lutyens Delhi. What a great change! Thank you Sir! Bharat is a great civilization and our true Heroes are keeping it alive. https://t.co/31S20e4L3B
The veteran artist is known not only for preserving the craft but for innovating within it — blending ancient techniques with contemporary forms, and training family members and local artists to carry the tradition forward. She also received Iran’s Puppetry Award in 1993.
Shillekyathara was among 57 Padma Shri recipients in this year’s Padma awards list, which honours distinguished service across arts, public life, literature, sports, science, and social work.
In total, 139 names were announced on the eve of Republic Day. 71 of them, including Shillekyathara, were conferred their awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Durbar Hall in a ceremony attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday.
The list included several prominent personalities: former Suzuki chief Osamu Suzuki (posthumous), singer Pankaj Udhas (posthumous), filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, violinist Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, hockey player P R Sreejesh, and former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya.
The government also recognised 30 unsung heroes, including 100-year-old Libia Lobo Sardesai, who co-founded a secret radio station to oppose Portuguese rule in Goa in 1955.
