CHENNAI: Individuals who rendered exceptional service in their fields and showed great courage in the face of adversities were honoured by Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday during the Independence Day celebrations at Fort St George.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award
Dr M Lakshmanan is a prominent scientist and a Professor of Eminence at the Department of Nonlinear Dynamics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchy. He holds the prestigious DST-SERB Distinguished Fellowship and was awarded the SERB National Science Chair Professorship recently, which he will take up from October 1, 2021.
Hailing from an agricultural family in Kuruva Gounden Palayam, a hamlet in Coimbatore, he worked hard to pursue a scholarship in science and emerged one of world's top scientists. Dr Lakshmanan specialises in non-linear dynamics in theoretical physics and has published over 400 research papers in leading scientific journals and has written/edited over ten books.
His research led to novel developments in magnetic solitons, optical solitons, optical computing, chaos, chaotic nonlinear electronic circuits, among others. Dr Lakshmanan established a Department of Nonlinear Dynamics at Bharathidasan University and formed an active research group of young scientists in the field.
Avvaiyar Award
Dr D Santhi Duraisamy was honoured with Avvaiyar Award 2021 for her multifarious humanitarian services. A businesswoman, she established Sakthi Devi Charitable Trust in 1997 to serve the society. She founded Sakthi Rehabilitation Centre to treat physically and mentally challenged children free of cost. Over 250 children are given treatment regularly.
She founded Sakthi School for the Intellectually Disabled and Sakthi Autism Special School to train and coach children with cerebral palsy, autism, and other challenges. In these institutions, therapists and special teachers work towards helping the children live a normal life.
Best Third Gender Award
Grace Banu, a 30-year-old transperson hailing from Thoothukudi district, had the will and determination to pursue engineering even though she had to leave her family due to her gender awareness as a woman. She worked as an IT professional for a while, but gave up her job to embrace the purpose of her life as a transgender activist.
She has been pivotal in the passing of the court order that gives opportunity for transgenders in TNPSC recruitment examinations.
Thanking Chief Minister MK Stalin and the State government for the award, Banu tweeted that she dedicated the award to her parents, her trans mother, and the trangender community, who, she said, continue to face various forms of discrimination.
Chief minister's youth award
The Chief Minister’s State Youth Award was presented to Aravind Jayabal (Chennai), N Bazurudeen (Thiruvarur), S Ranjith Kumar (The Nilgiris), G Maheswari (Dindigul), J Amala Jenifer Jayarani (Cuddalore), and S Meena (Chennai).
Also, 33 frontline staff from six departments were honoured by the chief minister by presenting them with gold-plated medals and a certificate of appreciation.
Efforts paid off
Grace Banu gave up her job to embrace the purpose of her life as a transgender activist. She was pivotal in obtaining a court order giving opportunity for transgenders in TNPSC recruitment exams