Rezwana Choudhury Bannya to get Indian civilian honour ‘Padma Shri’

Acclaimed Bangladeshi Rabindra Sangeet singer, Rezwana Choudhury Bannya is receiving India’s prestigious civilian award ‘Padma Shri’. Indian ministry of home affairs in a press note on Thursday revealed the list of awardees nominated for the Padma awards this year.

India’s highest civilian honour is ‘Bharat Ratna’ and then comes ‘Padma Bhivushan’, ‘Padma Bhushan’ and ‘Padma Shri’. These awards are conferred for special contributions in different sectors.

The Indian government has nominated 132 distinguished persons for the Padma awards this year. Five of them are receiving ‘Padma Vibhushan’, 17 are receiving ‘Padma Bhushan’ and 110 are receiving ‘Padma Shri’ award.

The names of the awardees are announced every year keeping the republic day of India ahead. Usually the awards are handed over in an event at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the president of India in March or April.

Earlier in 2021, the Indian government had honoured pioneering personality of the cultural field in Bangladesh professor Sanjida Khatun and Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Sazzad Ali Zahir Bir Protik with the ‘Padma Shri’ award.

Even before that professor Anisuzzaman and diplomat Syed Moazzem Ali had received the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award while archaeologist Enamul Haque and social worker Jharna Dhara Chowdhury had received ‘Padma Shri’ award.

Music school ‘Shurer Dhara’ chairman Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has written a few books on Rabindra Sangeet as well. For her contributions in music, she received ‘Swadhinata Padak’, the highest civilian award of Bangladesh in 2016.

Artiste Rezwana Choudhury Bannya received her training in Rabindra Sangeet from Santiniketan. She had renowned musicians like Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Nilima Sen, Sailajaranjan Majumdar, Santidev Ghosh, Gora Sarbadhikari, Manju Bandopadhyay and Ashesh Bandopadhyay as her teachers.