"A huge respect for us": Folk singer Begum Batool on Padma Shri honour

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], January 26 : Rajasthan folk singer Begum Batool paid her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and the government for conferring her with the Padma Shri award on the eve of 76th Republic Day.
On Saturday, the government announced the Padma Awards 2025, conferring the highest civilian honours to 139 people, including seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri.
Begum Batool, a renowned folk singer from Jaipur, was elated upon receiving the prestigious recognition. She emphasised that the Padma Shri would help preserve traditional music, especially as such art forms face the threat of extinction.
In conversation with ANI, Begum said, "Namaskar to the Central government and Prime Minister for bestowing me with Padma Shri. I am very happy and it's a very big thing for us as we are not that famous. Despite this, I was considered for Padma Shri. It marks a huge respect given by the government to us. The tradition is slowly dying. It is our responsibility to keep it alive. The (folk) music is slowly diminishing. This award will help us to keep our traditions alive."
This folk singer from Jaipur is a brilliant artist of Hindu bhajans and Muslim Maand whose words convey a different feeling of communal harmony that touches the strings of hearts.
Despite being a Muslim, Begum sings many bhajans of Hindu gods and goddesses with great love. At the events, she often becomes the point of attraction for the visitors due to her singing skills.
Begum also expressed her love for singing and reflected on the challenges of singing a Maad, a form of song.
"Singing Maad is not an easy task. There are a lot of problems in singing such songs. Those who learn this art, know the challenges. I learnt to sing by listening to others. I love singing. Even if I don't eat food in a day, I sing." said Begum Batool.
For the year 2025, the President has approved the conferment of 139 Padma Awards including 1 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).
The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards. Late folk singer Sharda Sinha former CEO of Suzuki Motor, late Osamu Suzuki to be awarded with Padma Vibhushan.
The Padma Vibhushan will also be awarded to Kathak exponent Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia, and legendary violinist Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs press release.
Veteran Malayalam author MT Vasudevan Nair, who died last December, has also been posthumously honoured with Padma Vibhushan.
The list of Padma Bhushan awardees includes Kannada actor Anant Nag, actor Jatin Goswami, Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, Tamil star S Ajith Kumar, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and actress Shobana Chandrakumar.
Veteran ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas is also being posthumously honoured with Padma Bhushan.
Renowned sculptor Adwaita Charan Gadanayak, calligraphy artist Achyut Ramchandra Palav, Bollywood singer Arijit Singh, comedian and actor Ashok Laxman Saraf, classical vocalist Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Barry Godfray John, Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara, singer
Jaspinder Narula, Nirmala Devi, Nitin Nohria, P Datchanamoorthy, Pandi Ram Mandavi, and Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej, are among those being awarded, Padma Shri.