New Delhi: The Padma awards committee seems to have conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award in the field of art and culture to a man who turned out to be an exporter of shawls and not a national craftsman.
The blame game has already begun with senior government officials saying they had never recommended Hashmat Ullah Khan's name in the first place.
Spokesperson of J&K Academy of Art and Culture Javed Rahl said, “There is no person by that name in the field of art and culture in this state. Also, the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages did not recommend anyone by this name.”
Khan was nominated for the Padma Shri under the art, culture and literature category. Then it was corrected to the craftsmen category, but when the hunt for Khan started after his nomination, it was found that no craftsman by that name existed in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Khan, he got a call on January 24 evening informing and congratulating him for the award
“I was quite surprised because I had no idea that I could have got such an award,” a bewildered Khan said.
Khan, however, did not specify if the Government has tried to contact him after the faux pas or sought any clarification from him.
Speaking about his work, the exporter said, “I have worked for the benefit of artisans and never cared for fame or name. I have been working with weavers and craftsmen for the last 35 years. But apart from that nobody knows me in government circles. I am an unknown person.”
“I was shocked and wanted to know who the other person is. I don't how people are getting my number. I am amazed at the controversy that is building up now. In fact my name is quite unusual for a Kashmiri. So I don’t know how my name came up,” Khan added.
When asked if this award could have been recommended by some of his customers, he said, “I don’t have any idea.”
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