The distribution of the highest civilian honours awarded by the government is often noteworthy, and sometimes, a subject of controversy. This is because these awards carry an unspoken politics and morality within them. That fact is undeniable. The country established the Padma Awards in 1954. In the inaugural year, the Malayalis who received these supreme civilian honours were the great poet Vallathol and V. K. Krishna Menon, one of the architects of independent India. Community leaders like Mannathu Padmanabhan and artists like K. J. Yesudas found their place on the list of Padma winners very early on.
Cardinal Antony Padiyara and Alexander Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, the head of the Mar Thoma Church, are the only Christian religious leaders from Kerala seen on this list. Cardinal Padiyara was awarded the Padma Shri, the last in the hierarchy of these awards, in 1998. At the time, the Cardinal responded that while he did not desire such recognition, he was accepting it because rejection might hurt those who gave it- an act he felt would be inconsistent with his spirituality. Effectively, he did not accept this recognition in his heart. He believed that service to God is not, and should not be, for the sake of “Caesar’s” recognition.
This year’s Padma Awards have ignited controversies. One reason for this is the awarding of the Padma Bhushan to Shri Vellappally Natesan. There is no doubt regarding his interventions and the organizational work he has done for 30 years to bring the Ezhava community into the mainstream of Kerala. However, the general public of Kerala feels pain regarding the communal polarizing speeches he has repeated at regular intervals over the past few years. Therefore, the public prefers to believe that the receipt of the award is not for communal polarizing talk. While community upliftment holds cultural value, communal polarizing language does not. This is especially true when it is in the name of an organization bearing the spiritual light of Sree Narayana Guru, who loved humanity beyond divisive thoughts.
As Hannah Arendt observed, modern politics is often a “space for spectacles.” In that space, appearances hold more importance than actions. The award stage also becomes a major political spectacle. There is an emotional wave created by the distribution of awards. This carries great significance for “vote banks.” Instead of providing development or progressive ideas, satisfying people’s emotions through awards is an easy path for governments. When this is done with a specific community in mind, it creates a “symbolic debt” for that community. In short, politics becomes an art of soul-less give-and-take. Such exchanges have unpredictable striking power, especially during election seasons.
The government must recognize one thing: this practice reduces thinking citizens to mere “emotional consumers.” It is similar to the politics of free distributions. While it cannot be said that the country honouring its eminent citizens is entirely misplaced, the yardstick for excellence should not be the mere whims and fancies of the government. Using Padma Awards as a hook, a stepping stone, or a shield to protect the interests of the ruling party and the external forces that control it is not beneficial to the best interests of the country; true lovers of the country or patriots would not do so.
However, recent news regarding the awards raises such doubts within civil society. Regardless of the social strata they come from, India’s highest civilian honours must also be an expression of secular values. This is because the soul of a pluralistic India resides in secular minds. The 77-year-old Constitution says nothing different.
