This week, Indian singer Sonu Nigam was awarded India’s 4th highest civilian award – the Padma Shri.
He was bestowed the award by President Ram Nath Kovind for his contributions to the field of art.
The singer lovingly dedicated the award to his mother and said, “I’m thankful to the Government of India for thinking of me as a deserving candidate and bestowing me the Padma Shri. My heartfelt thanks to all those who selected me and suggested my name for this prestigious honour. I would also like to thank my mother, Shobha Nigam, and my father, Agam Kumar Nigam. In fact, I want to dedicate this award to my mother. Had she been here today, she would have cried a lot.”
“When I got a call, I was told that ‘The Government of India has conferred upon the Padma Shri to you. Do you accept it?’ They ask you like this. I had this in my mind that if I ever get a call, I would say this – ‘Don’t you think it is too late in the day to give me Padma Shri?’ I said that you all have given people who came 15 years after me, Padma Shri, 5 years before me already,” Sonu says.
“I said that ‘You guys are giving me Padma Shri now? You guys have been teasing me for a long time. We are also human beings and we also get lured by these temptations. Is there a person who would be felicitated with an award and would not like it? Those who don’t get it, only they say it like that. It’s a good feeling to be given acclamation and recognition at the right time. Justice given late isn’t called justice. So I said, ‘ I won’t be able to accept this award’,” he further added, as per a report.
