People from Telugu land had reason to cheer on Sunday evening for seven Telugu-speaking people figured in the list of Padma Awards, chosen for Padmasri.
They include Dr. Manjula Anagani, a laparoscopic surgeon (Medicine-Telangana), Mithali Raj (Sports-Telangana) actor Kota Srinivasa Rao (Art-Andhra Pradesh), Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu and Dr. Pillarisetti Raghuram both Non-Resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin (Medicine-United States of America), ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu (Sports-Telangana) and Kanyakumari Avasarala (Art).
Dr. Manjula Anagani expressed satisfaction that her work as a gynaecologist, especially as a laparoscopic surgeon, had been recognised by the Government of India. Asked about her speciality, she told The Hindu that on the professional front, she had leveraged the strengths of innovation in minimally-invasive surgery.
“I have done 23 cases of ‘neo-vagina formation’ with a newer technique and another method for primary ‘amenorrhoea’, apart from a stem cell procedure for endometrial regeneration.
A visibly-excited Dr. Pillarisetti Raghuram expressed his gratefulness to the government and dedicated the award to his 83 year-old mother Dr. Ushalakshmi. “My mission is to serve my country. I also dedicate it to many other women who bravely fought cancer,” he told The Hindu .
Veteran actor Kota Srinivasa Rao, who has done over 750 films, starting with Pranam Khareedu way back in 1978, expressed happiness at the recognition of Padmasri. “I thank the government, producers, directors and technicians I have worked with and of course, I am grateful to all my fans,” he said, when contacted by The Hindu . Interestingly, Pranam Khareedu also marked actor K. Chiranjeevi’s career.
Kanyakumari Avasarala is a native of Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh and has been living in Chennai for over 4 decades. Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu is a noted Indian Radiation Oncologist, who was once named one of the top doctors in the U.S. for treating cancers in women. A native of Krishna district, he did his medicine from Kurnool Medical College and PG from Osmania Medical College.
