Chennai: The Union government on Friday announced 112 prominent personalities for this year’s Padma awards. Of them, seven from Tamilnadu will get the country’s highest civilian awards. Here are they.
Bangaru Adigalar (Spiritualism)
Bangaru Adigalar is a South-Indian spiritual guru. He is the president of Adiparasakthi Charitable, Medical, Educational and Cultural Trust. He is called as ‘Amma’ by his followers and devotees of the Adhiparasakthi Temple.
Nartaki Natraj (Art-Dance)
Narthaki is a disciple of Thanjavur K P Kittappa Pillai, who was a direct descendant of Thanjavur Quartet Brothers considered the fathers of Bharatanatyam.
Being a transgender, she learnt and practiced under him in gurukul for 14 years and specialised in Thanjavur style Nayaki Bhava tradition. She also trained under him on rare compositions as was practiced in ancient Tamil temples. For the first time in India, a school text book (11th Standard – Tamilnadu) features her life.
Madurai Chinna Pillai (Social Work)
Chinna Pillai is from a small village near Madurai. She started a very successful banking system in the villages in Tamilnadu and is a champion trying to reduce poverty and debt grievances by empowering women. The Kalanjiam, microcredit movement received a huge boost from her 
dedication and contributions, reaching out to many women living under poverty. She also came to limelight when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee bowed down and honoured her at a meeting in Madurai.
Ramaswami Venkataswami (Medicine-Surgery)
An alumnus of Stanley Medical College and Hospital (SMC), Dr Ramaswami Venkataswami is a plastic surgeon by profession. Much known for founding Institute for the Research and Rehabilitation of Hand and the Department of Plastic Surgery (IRRH and DPS) in SMC.
R V Ramani (Medicine-Ophthalmology)
Having impacted several lives, Dr R V Ramani is the founder of Sankara Eye Foundation. A native of Coimbatore, he earned medical degree from Kasturba Medical College, founded Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Medical Centre in 1974 that led to forming Sankara Eye Foundation in 1985. He later expanded the number and currently, there are 10 hospitals across six States in the country.