1st Woman Elephant Mahout Among Padma Awardees; Know More About Parbati Barua

New Delhi: The Central government has announced this year’s Padma Award winners who will be conferred the honour by President Droupadi Murmu during the investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan around March-April.

Besides big achievers in every walk of life, every year the awards are presented to some unsung performers who quietly excel in their chosen paths away from the glare of spotlights.

One such person is Parbati Barua, who is among 110 Padma Shri awardees this year.

Parbati is India’s first female elephant mahout, and is being recognised in the field of social work (animal welfare).

An animal conservationist from Gauripur, in lower Assam, Parbati is among the last in line of the Rajahs of Gauripur.

The niece of eminent actor and filmmaker Pramathesh Barua of ‘Devdas’ fame, Parbati’s story was showcased by a BBC documentary titled ‘Queen of the Elephants’.

The 70-year-old showed great commitment towards mitigating human-elephant conflict. Her relentless efforts over four decades helped save many rogue tuskers.

Despite being born in a royal family, she chose to live a simple life and dedicated herself to serving tuskers.