JOIN ME IN PADMA AWARDS PIL

The Republic Day Awards known as Padma Awards are declared on 26th January and given every year in 2nd or 3rd week of March. Someone had put a petition in the Supreme Court to ban these awards as they being titles and not awards. The Supreme Court decided they are awards and not titles, and set some guidelines.

But these guidelines are not followed. There is arbitrariness and corruption in preparing the list. Year after year I have meticulously brought out the Govt. corruption in preparing this list. Padma Awards are necessary as Need to Recognition is one of the fundamental needs as Maslow said. But merit should be the only criteria.

I reproduce below the notice sent to the Home Minister and others. I solicit your support in filing a PIL on this issue.

From: Dr. Leo Rebello To: Union Home Minister;
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 12:16 AM
Subject: Fw: PADMA LIST AS USUAL TAINTED

To Dear Home Minister P. Chidambaram

On the front page of HT of 26 Jan 10, Sant Singh Chatwal, a Hotelier, was listed among "the best and the brightest" for being chosen for Padma Bhushan for Public Affairs. And on the very next page the newspaper carried a news of why his name should be deleted.

Year after year, the Padma Award list is tainted. This year Chatwal gets Padma Bhushan for being closer to Hilary and Bill Clinton inspite of 9 million dollars SBI "gafla". Saif Ali Khan gets Padma Shri for shooting down some endangered specie (Cinkara was it?) and now snatching somone's girlfriend for long time.

Like Vajpayee had given Padma Bhushan to a surgeon who had replaced his knees and 5 acres of land, etc. now Manmohan Singh has put the name of one Dr. Panda for repairing his heart. Home Ministry it semms prepare the list of Padma Awardees like a Home Maker rewarding the Kamwali Bai with bonus, if she is happy.

Octogenarian Acharya Janki Ballabh Shastri has rightly turned down the Padma Shri shaming the Govt. for choosing his juniors much before him.

Since 1991, I am not getting the Padma Award because I refuse to pay to get my name enlisted. 40 books, over 10,000 lectures in 63 countries, treated and trained thousands, and the fact that I am the senior most Naturopath in India who has done so much for Naturopathy. But since the PM or other leaders do not believe in Nature Cure or Ayurveda (eventhough we have seven recognised systems of medicine) and since I criticise the Govt on principles and faulty policieis, they will not enter my name. Like the Health ministry will not sponsor Zinda Tilismat available since 1922 (now priced at Rs.40) for Swine Flu, but will order Tami Flu because the kickbacks received can be deposited directly in the Swiss Bank Accounts.

I am aware of one so-called "eminent" cardiologist who was trying this year furiously to get his name included for Bharat Ratna after getting Padma Vibhushan last year, as many said, and I repeat, undeservingly.

I challenge you as the Home Minister incharge of preparing this list with the PMO to prove that the Padma lists this year or last year or year before that were prepared strictly on merit.

Shame Mr. Home Minister, shame. Atleast, this was not expected of you. Let me see how you would justify this corruption even in Padma Awards.

Dr. Leo Rebello
28 Samata Nagar, Kandivali East, Mumbai 400101.