UNB, Dhaka :Dr Anisuzzaman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Dhaka, has been named for Padma Bhushan award this year, the third highest civilian award in India.Anisuzzaman is among the 25 people who would receive this year’s Padma Bushan (Literature and Education), according to Indian media. Earlier, he received the Bangla Academy Award, the Ananda Purashkar for his work in the field of Bengali literature.In 2011, he received the Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar Gold Plaque from the Asiatic Society of Kolkata.Former Council for Scientific and Industrial Research chief Dr R A Mashelkar and yoga guru BKS Iyengar would receive India’s second highest civilian award Padma Vibushan this year.Noted film actor Kamal Haasan, Tamil lyricist VR Thevar, tennis player Leander Paes, classical singer Parveen Sultana, justice Dalvir Bhandari and author Ruskin Bond were chosen for Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award.Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was among the seven sportspersons selected for this year’s Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award. Cine stars Paresh Rawal and Vidya Balan, sand artists Sudarsan Pattnaik and theatre artist Bansi Kaul are among the 101 selected for this year’s Padma Shri.Squash player Dipika Pallikal, former Indian women’s cricket captain Anjum Chopra, Sunil Dabas (Kabaddi), Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu (Mountaineering), H Boniface Prabhu (Wheel Chair Tennis) and Mamta Sodha (Mountaineering) were the other sports persons selected for Padma Shri awards.Padma Vibhushan is awarded to recognise exceptional and distinguished service to the nation in any field, including government service. Padma Bhushan is given for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. These awards are conferred by the President at a ceremonial function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.Forty-year-old Leander Paes, who had earlier being conferred Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards, is the most successful tennis player of the country with 14 Grand Slam title-eight men’s doubles and six mixed doubles.Paes, hero of India’s numerous Davis Cup wins, also won India’s first Olympic medal in singles at the Atlanta Games in 1996, when he won a bronze.Gopichand, one of the finest badminton players to have emerged from the country, is the second renowned sports personality to have been conferred with the Padma Bhushan honour this year.He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1999, Khel Ratna in 2001, Padma Shri in 2005 and Dronacharya in 2009 in a glittering career both as a player and a coach.
